Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)

OMG! How could this one have escaped my attention. Humble apologies Briar. :red:

If you’re still there please check in with me. I definitely need to tell you some techniques about how this pose will work better for you.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Shima

Here’s something I found for you:

I imagine that it is one of those things that people will increasingly complain of, given the provenance of this condition: keyboard use etc! 😉

It seems that the strength training (of your forearms particularly) and the stretches that your practice provides should be what ‘the doctor orders’ to help you rehabilitate.

It would be worth doing some stretches outside of the room if you are up to it. You obviously want to avoid aggravating it. Does your computer work continue to aggravate it? How about particular poses? I was wondering if Eagle pose was bothering you.

It seems that the repositioning of the nerve slipping over the medial epicondyle at the elbow can be the culprit. This is sometimes in the realm of a talented body worker or masseur who can help you get form and function to work together.

Just wondering what other info you can give me if you think anything else is relevant.

So Shima, I realise there was a delay in copying this for you but is there anything else I can help you with regarding cts?

Backbends are extremely unlikely to aggravate the problem. Your intuition about the detailed jewelry work you do is probably quite correct.

Get back to me and we’ll keep moving on this path

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Faizah

Leonard is right that you don’t need to aim for those extremely high temperatures. The 105 oft quoted has become an artificial standard. Just get a very warm room of above 90 degrees, play with the humidity to get the conditions that you like and go with that.

I had left this response open for a while and in the meantime you have responded to Leonard’s post. 😉

Focus on insulation and getting rid of drafts is a good tip.

Let us know how you go.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Lisa and mzassenhaus

Lisa, it sounds like such an ordeal. I wish you a speedy recovery and return to exercise in a way that will be satisfying to you. People can really strain their hips and cause tears in extreme stretches such as the straddle splits and other yoga poses where they go beyond their physical constraints.

I cannot see why you couldn’t eventually get back to a bikram yoga or hot yoga practice. You may have to avoid or adapt those troublesome poses. I have input for you when the time is ready.

A static hot yoga practice imho shouldn’t strain the hips (as long as proper technique is adhered to – again, when you’re ready send me an email or PM).

Patience during healing is called for. I cannot say one way or the other but if your specialist is not clear about how recovery will take place and with what exercise you should be ok then perhaps you need to use your intuition and increase the movement and intensity in a very graded fashion.

Has your medical team recommended any stretching at all? Any massage? What movement? While you want to get stability in your hip again you have to balance that with the need to avoid it seizing up with scar tissue which forms quickly.

mzassenhaus thanks for your helpful insights.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Jean

Happy Holidays

No doubt you realise that you do need to take things very slowly. I would do some conditioning. A great thing to try is to stand next to a wall and to literally support yourself if necessary and lock one leg. Pull up the kneecap with the quadriceps muscles that is. Do that for 5 seconds. Each side. Then 10 seconds. And build up.

I am sure that that doesn’t seem like much to many readers but frankly you need to build your stamina. And you need to do it in such a way that you don’t wear yourself out so you can feel motivated for the next session.

Other poses that are worth doing are:

Cobra. Use your arms a bit to support you and start opening up your spine. First few days don’t even look up, just look forward. Then start to look up 10 degrees and then a bit more. Just take it a little at a time. Don’t worry about ‘no weight in your hands’ but focus more on shoulders down and back and no neck strain.

Child’s pose, arms extended in front of you for a beautiful stretch, knees apart, body long.

Seated janushirasana. Side bends (standing or seated). Camel with just hips forward. Then work in your head going backward.

OK, that’s just a few simple exercises. Simple movements through the hips and lower back (which I can describe for you as swinging and undulating if you need some prompting) will get your central nervous system pumped. You could do that for a half minute and build upwards from there.

How does that sound? Sorry for the delay

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Anna

Happy Holidays … My bad, it’s been a while since you posted. :red:

I am pleased you’re not worried about the pinch. There are hip flexors that intervene that you are most likely feeling. They have to go somewhere when you’re bending the leg and they can get ‘caught up’ in the process. Sometimes the tightness of them or a slight dysfunction means that they are uneven in expression. As you say, it’s not worrisome. What you can do is work on your hip flexors to stretch them out. Even massage could help you with such an asymmetry.

Simple poses such as Bow (standing or floor) will help. You can do all sorts of stretches at home without going through the rigor of the hot yoga class itself. Take a look around the net for some pictures to inspire you (or I can describe some for you here)

I hope that makes sense!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Eva

Thanks for joining us on the forum. Your story is very common and disturbing. It is a real shame when your instructors would rather follow a script rather than demonstrate an understanding for the body or any compassion in their teaching.

Please try separating your feet by a distance to be determined by you. First time try 6 inches or so. Feet need to be parallel. Separate them after you have descended to the floor.

Your balance will be better and you will find that your belly against your legs (because of the extra shape you are carrying) will be more comfortable. You should find it far easier to get your hands in position (if not separate some more), keep your body on your legs and MUCH more importantly, you’ll be able to engage the pose mechanism which WILL start to bring relief to your back.

May I ask you to please post with other pose questions at the other pose areas so that we can make it easier to find for people doing searches? 😉

Eva, can you please confirm if you have difficulties actually descending into those 3 poses you mentioned? That way I can give you a ‘fix’ if required.

So, even with the adjustment to the pose as detailed above you will still have that issue with your instructor who seems to want to single you out (inappropriately). In these instances it is wise to stand your ground by making a request.

This may have to happen the next time they bring it up, even if it’s during class: “I request that if you’re going to give me pose advice that it’s useful and respectful, and that it is not designed to humiliate me in public”.

Please let me know how you go (and the answer to the question above!)

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Toni and Kristin

Hallelujah!

Thanks so much for chiming in Kristin. I was hoping that you would after our numerous emails.

I mentioned to Kristin too, Toni that if you press your hands into the floor for best leverage AND hip alignment you will open up your spine more effectively. This means that you should play with that hand position, maybe they will be behind your heel – just experiment. (But do not use your shoulders! 😉 )

It is of NO USE TO YOU AT ALL to place your hands in prayer position (so I do hope you are not wasting valuable moments of your practice aiming for an elusive goal that is not offering you any value).

Have fun in your discovery

I shake my head in disbelief when I read that you all know and then try to execute ‘exactly forehead …’ The dialog is not a holy scripture even though many would have you believe that. 😆 It’s far better and holistically viable to go for best outcome based on proper physical and META-physical attitude and technique. Then it’s yoga!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Shima

Thanks for posting on the forum. :cheese:

You may like to pop the word “cubital” into the search box top right! That question has been answered before. It’s obviously quite an uncomfortable problem to have.

Take a look at this thread about cubital tunnel syndrome which has a few links that are worth following.

Let me know what else I can help you with. Perhaps I can expand on the existing answers

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Alyson

Has it been happening for the whole time (for 6 weeks)?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Alyson

Can you please tell me how long you have been practising and with what frequency?

It could give me an idea (or not! :lol:)

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Kenn

Yes, it is much more complex and has more far reaching ramifications than a simple ‘sucking in of the stomach’.

The outcome of such a command is really supposed to engage the core muscles to engender protection of the back.

However the problem is that it is easy to simply suck in the stomach without actually engaging the core at all. I have seen that in many a yoga student for years.

So the instruction is really just a superficial command and only some will get the desired outcome. It needs to be balanced by a thorough explanation of the purpose of those words and that they are a kind of shortcut way of asking someone to engage the core. But unless the student is given that explanation it’s a toss up as to what they’ll actually be doing.

The whole deal is further complicated by the fact that some will suck in their stomach and actually OVERRIDE the contraction of the core muscles by only activating the superficial muscles. These include the rectus obdominus or the 6 pack muscles. The target muscles are the transverse abdominus muscles and muscles that form a girdle around the lower back and organs.

Core strengthening is an important postural and functional element. If you’re unsure as to whether you are doing it correctly then it pays to go and get some professional advice!

There is a difference between core strength and core rigidity. In my experience, those who are unable to automatically engage their core (as evidenced by difficulty in certain movements and actions in and out of their yoga practice) will unwittingly activate the wrong muscles. This will eventually let them down and they will one day find themselves with an unexplained sore back or spasm as a result of some seemingly insignificant movement.

PS there is quite a lot more specific on the subject in the forum if my memory serves me correctly.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Kristin

I forgot something.

Rabbit Pose: It makes NO DIFFERENCE if you have a space between your knees and your head. What matters is that you get the right traction.

Where do you feel the stretch in this pose?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂