Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)

Hi Alison

So fantastic! What should also be feeling is that there is more freedom in your hips, less struggle, a more solid connection of your hips on the floor. Your legs, ankles, knees and back should basically feel a lot more comfortable.

Here’s your plan for progress:

When you get your bottom on the floor, leave it there. You may think that is obvious but I can guarantee you that with your knees together, that (if you have done so) you have gone back and lifted your hips up off the floor and then replaced them on the floor. So, hips on floor and they stay there. No lifting even a tiny bit. If they lift at all then you get back up and start again with your knees a little wider apart, or just don’t lie back as far (ie stop on your elbows and put your head back). I don’t care (and neither should you) if you’re not going back at all. My rule of thumb is DO NOT go back unless you can sit on your bottom, weightily (legs apart or together but with firm, even comfortable, connection to the ground through your hips and legs) with your back straight.

Once you get back, hips are solid and your knees are akimbo ( 😉 ) then over the next whatever time it takes, you start to move your knees back together bit by bit. If you have to lift your hips to do that then you’re moving prematurely.

OK, over to you!

So happy it was such a quick solution for you! You can see that it can be dangerous to believe that the dialog has all the answers. It really only has SOME answers for the people who can already do the poses. It’s a rough guide that misleads people based on it merely being a snapshot of a single class delivered once and then transcribed. It cannot cater to everyone. Leaves stuff out. Puts in unnecessary stuff.

Enjoy your new found comfort

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Alison

I wouldn’t mind knowing if you sit with your knees together or apart. I would also like to know what happens if you begin that part of your pose with your knees widely apart. My train of thought: I would like for you to try getting your bottom onto the floor with the knees splayed wide. It’s easier on the hips and legs and ankles and knees this way and it might, just might make whatever neurological thing that is happening normally, not happen!

Get back to me 😉

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Barry

You know, it makes no difference if your teachers or studio owners know that the temperature is 105 degrees and aim for 40% humidity if they know that conditions fluctuate… and then they don’t do anything about it when it does.

You see, Heat Index will markedly rise when temp is high and humidity is high. Conversely, if humidity is high you can adjust your Heat Index to safe and effective levels by simply dropping the temperature. What that has the effect of is creating a lower heat condition that feels as if it is much higher. This makes your experience much more satisfying and much safer than high heat and high moisture.

I can just about guarantee that you would have a better time of it if the Heat Index doesn’t climb unnecessarily high. You indicate that mouth breathing correlates with times of increased stress. That certainly doesn’t surprise me – particularly with your ‘condition’ if I may call it that.

My other reflections:

>> It’s too hot where you practise.

>> There appears to be too much reliance and or ritual associated with the HR monitor. I think if you were able to get rid of it (have it close by for a while as a back up if you must) you could learn to listen to your body. This is why I have asked you if you have ever been surprised at the reading. I wanted to work out if you believed it was 170 and then found out it was a lot lower when you looked at your monitor. Equally I wanted to know if you believed it was say, 110 or 120 and looked at the monitor to discover that the reading was 170. If you have consistently found your prediction to be accurate with a few bpm then you can seriously consider getting rid of the monitor.

How do you feel when I say that?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi alcam

Of course it doesn’t have to be that way. Being mindful is a missing key from many humans. As you are suggesting there is much more to be mindful than knowing where to put what limb where, when and how. For that state to flow into as many areas of one’s life as possible is the key. How that happens is part of one’s evolution. There is no set schedule. Almost all of what we do is based in habit. Good or bad, most activity occurs because we ‘reflexively’ perform our lives. Making change is about changing habits. Which habits one changes is determined by one’s sensibilities and environment.

I am sure if you asked anyone how they unconsciously express their growing mindfulness now (ie how that’s borne out in their habits) as compared to how they did it before (and / or at different stages) I am positive that the answers would surprise the person asked. I believe they will think they were being pretty mindful back then and can’t believe now how far they’ve come. So I really do believe it is relative.

I would never go without washing yoga gear on the day because of the hygiene aspect. While they express their own experience I have to say however that after a yoga class, that a quick shower of 20 seconds is all that I need (all that anyone needs) – just to rinse the sweat off and ahem, wash underarms and bits. But that’s it – for the day. After almost 2 decades, I am STILL surprised at how long people stay in the showers at studios. It’s alarming actually. If I am teaching I may actually mention the quick rinse being beneficial and effective to my students in an anecdote or such, in order for that mindfulness to start seeping out to that activity (so that habits can change!).

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Carolina

There are several possible reasons (here are 4 but there are more):

1> The temperature in the studio is too high for your system. Maybe you have some ‘heat exhaustion’ (look that up).

2> You need electrolytes. Try putting a pinch of sea salt in your water. You can flavour that with a few drops of lemon juice if you like. Drink that during class.

3> You are trying too hard. It’s hard to tell. I appreciate that English is not your first language. You say you work hard. That’s good. But sometimes students can work too hard and not listen to their bodies. Work firstly on keeping a smooth breath. Make it only as deep as the pose will allow you. If, for example, you are in a backbend, your breaths won’t be as deep as when you’re lying on your back. Just use your breath to determine if you’re needing to not go as deeply into the poses. Breath is first, Alignment is next. Then Depth is the last thing you should go for. Alignment and smooth breath are much more important.

4> The studio hygiene might not be optimal. It’s possible you are getting an infection there.

What makes you think your immune system is weak? Do you have a condition?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Carolina

Another few questions for you. If you go to yoga and the following day you have a ‘cold or flu’ and that happens without fail, then I need to ask how many hours after class do you feel sick? Are you sick immediately after? Do you maybe feel sick during class? Or is there a period of time that you’re feeling perfectly fine and then you feel sick?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

So, so happy that works for you Jen! Thank you for letting me know. (And thank you very much for your purchase. I wish you lots of fun, discovery and ease in your practice.)

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello kleigh

Well done prodigal yogini! (going out on a limb and guessing you’re a woman)

I do have to check whether you are following directions to lock out your arms in poses such as Half Moon and squeezing your head with your arms.

Please confirm if your teachers are following the scripted dialog.

I need to check if most of your poses are affected. You have specifically asked about 2 poses but tightness in the area of which you speak can certainly affect all of the poses.

In Eagle maybe you can tell me if you are able to wrap the arms and hold the hands. Maybe it’s a similar wrap to before but painful. Or maybe you’re not able to get the same wrap because it’s painful.

Camel: Are you able to get your hands on your hips, palms forward, fingers down as prescribed? Or are you actually feeling the pain when you’re attempting to put your hands on your feet. Just wanting a clearer sense of exactly what you’re doing.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Maria

You tell a very interesting story! You can be very grateful that breathing is an automatic process. But luckily it is one that can also be shaped by mindful awareness.

It seems to be clear that you have some growing breath awareness because of the yoga. What I suggest you do is spend a finite amount of time every day say, with a timer set to 5 mins in bed morning and evening. In that time allow yourself to breathe deeply noting the rising and falling of your abdomen. Pay as much attention as is practicable in class to your breath (because that attention is never consistent but moves from total inattention and from microseconds to seconds at a time).

Lying down is a good way to do this. Your back will be supported which means you can have an uncomplicated breathing practice that is not influenced by possible strength and flexibility issues. You can place a hand on your abdomen too which many feel good about how much easier the attention can be placed on that sensation.

The rest of the time just live and not care about what’s going on. You can devote more time to conscious breathing of course. When I drive to yoga classes by myself I do so while calming my body and mind with attention on my breath (and the traffic of course). Choose times that do not impact on your daily activities.

Habits have got you into your breathing pattern. I could put money on the fact that your breath is ‘caught’ in the top of your chest and in your throat. Those habits were probably best practice when you were a kid but now they have devolved into something that is clearly not supporting you.

The best way to change a habit is to make a new one. Your yoga and some focused practice at home or in the car or at any time of the day (so long as you make sure it doesn’t distract you from your activities – as is possible at the moment 😉 ) will most definitely change your breathing. The changes will sneak up on you.

From the information you have provided, I would say you don’t need a specialist. What you most likely need to do is let go of the expectation of a timed achievement (the stress of putting that kind of pressure can show up in your breathing!). I really believe you are well placed on the path to achieving a deep, satisfying breathing experience!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello mavromatim

Thank you for your question. There are a few approaches to your situation. The one that I would think is most yoga-like and useful is to find a way essentially to redirect your mind to be busy doing things that serve you. At the moment it’s busy with thoughts that are not serving you!

For the purposes of our discussion it doesn’t matter what those thoughts are or why, but rather that they are there. And, interestingly, until recently you managed to keep them at bay! So what’s changed?

Well, it’s possible that you’re needing more distinctions for your practice in order to occupy your conscious and unconscious mind. There is a neurological need for your mind to have something purposeful to focus on. (Otherwise it could get busy … well, you get the picture!)

May I ask you if what you focus on during class?

Are you attending class at a script-recital class where the same thing is being said every day? It’s possible that you’re now anticipating what’s to be said and it’s creating an auto-pilot situation.

May I ask you if you receive my newsletters? They have lots of specific tips in them. Lots of them are pose-specific. Lots of them are lifestyle related. And then there are many that are concerned with being in the room itself. So I do suggest that you take what you read there and use those ideas and tips and techniques as a point of focus.

It’s a good idea to take one or two things from those hints and tips and use them. Choosing too many things can overwhelm a person and then they abandon everything.

You’ve probably also often heard to focus on your breath.

It’s a yoga 101 thang! It’s actually incredibly difficult to do. Because as a rule, we don’t mindfully breathe. We tend to let the automatic function take over (and you should be grateful for that of course). So when you’re in class, it’s possible at the moment that you pay attention to your breath from time to time. It does help to try in an intentioned way. You won’t be successful 100% of the time. The best yogis are not. Most would be successful a TINY percent of the time (maybe only 1%). The irony of it is, that it is in the moment that you realise that you have not been paying attention to the breath, that you are actually paying attention to the breath. You can enjoy that with an inward giggle (!) rather than berate yourself especially knowing that everyone else is having the same problem.

I also notice that you could be pushing yourself too much (because of your word choice). If you can always remember that the first thing in your practice is to breathe smoothly and as deeply as the pose you’re in allows. Then the next priority is to go for best alignment. My newsletters, this forum and my other resources will greatly assist with all of that! If you follow what everyone else is doing and you try to emulate the depth that perhaps a flexible and experienced yogi is at who could be in front of you, you will probably find that you’re not paying enough attention to your own body. Sure, others can be a guide to what you could look like, but your perspective will probably mean you are not seeing the things that they could be doing wrongly. To try to get the depth of a pose to match somebody else’s when you’re not ready for it, means you will most definitely cause a collapse of your own pose, and possibly even cause yourself damage. The loss of alignment will make it a less satisfying experience.

Maybe some of these things are resonating for you. Do tell.

The pushing of oneself in a the yoga is often touted as the most important thing by bikram or hot yoga teachers. However you must at all times listen to your own body and go back to solid alignment principles before going deep into a pose while sacrificing alignment. For example if you listen to the dialog for PadaHastasana (Hands to Feet pose) they will say “lock the knees, lock the knees, lock the knees”. If your body is not ready for that then your chest will come away from the legs with a slight to large space there, and the benefits of the pose will be lost. Maybe the self-talk could be about how hard stuff is as an unconscious realisation that something is wrong because the body is not working the way it ought to. Same thing too for Standing Head to Knee. A common problem with the dialog is that it encourages people to kick out who have no business kicking out because they haven’t got the first part handled sufficiently well.

Let me know how all that feels when you read that and we’ll see where it takes us!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Thank you Joe!

I really appreciate your fantastic comments. They are definitely of the “you made my day” variety! 🙂

It’s no problem. I find myself at the computer often and am in the throes of writing a new book so I was taking time to answer your questions. We’re both on a roll, it seems

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

You got it Joe!

If you walk the knees up, you’ll set up a ridiculous number of problems. A cascade of them. If you can do it safely, get into the pose the way I suggest. Set up that lovely stretch through the back (mid-lower or an all over stretch). Once you’ve done that, walk the knees forward. You’ll feel arms bend, shoulders hunch, the stretch through the back change to something that could be affecting the neck (compressing it) and many other things. Perhaps you’ll feel your weight shift forward and your feet feel less weighty, or worse your feet may tense up from their previously relaxed demeanor.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂