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in reply to: Anatomy is Destiny? #9078
Hi Kristin
Thanks for all the details.
I am sending you a PM and filling in a few blanks here.
Placement of hands: Just put them where you get the best leverage. I can pretty much guarantee you that is not out in front of your feet. Usually it’s next to or behind your feet. When you push just make sure there is absolutely NO movement of your shoulders towards your ears. This would be totally counterproductive.
Look out for my PM
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi mpowens50 and Kate
Thanks for posting! With the greatest of respect the only thing we can do here is to take a guess. The way to help this young woman is to ask her to post on the forum.
Otherwise we’re just assuming a great number of things!
I for one would have a lot of questions for her.
So mpowens50 if you can ask her to post that would be fantastic!
By the way, are you a teacher? I am curious to know.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hips not aligned #9076Hi Karen
Well, that’s the way it is sometimes. There are ways to equalize the issue. It can be done with a high attention on alignment during yoga. In that case it has to be a very high frequency of practice.
You can also see a therapist to see if there is something that needs attention. Perhaps there’s a anteroposterior rotation of hips. Whatever it is it’s worth finding out.
I would need more information to work out whether yin yoga will help you to open up the area.
You have mentioned that there’s a question with head to knee so perhaps you can also tell me if you notice differences in other poses. For example when your leg is up behind you in Standing Bow, is there a difference between the way your upper leg feels on different sides?
Sometimes it’s hard with a discrepancy between sides because the yogi will often want to match the depth on both sides. Your challenge will be to stick to precision techniques as your highest goal. I can help you that. Post on the specific poses and of course read existing threads. (I am not sure if you own the Hot Yoga MasterClass but the techniques with detailed photos are in there too! FYI)
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Delayed urination after practice #9075Hi Jeff
Question out of curiosity: Was the salt you were using the regular table salt when your wife experienced the high BP problem? NaCl?
Hmmm potato chips! Well I never say you can’t eat anything. It’s not good to have ‘the guilts’ about what you eat. Just a good balanced approach … with the occasional sea salted potato chip! 😉 (And plenty of raw unprocessed stuff! As an aside: Actually if you love the mouth feel and taste of potato chips, I HIGHLY recommend kale chips. My family adore them and it feels absolutely wonderful to have raw unprocessed delicious snacks with the impression that it’s a potato chip! I can even share a recipe. You do need a dehydrator.)
Generally one’s salt excretion starts off high in the acclimatization process. Then it settles down to a low level. Usually that happens within 3 weeks or less of exercising in the hot environment.
You however are one of the small percentage for whom the salt excretion level has stayed high or increased! So you must take extra care to maintain high levels of salt intake. I am not sure that onion and salt gets excreted through sweat. Any proof of that? Or is that a hot yogi’s explanation for stinging eyes? That’s a serious question by the way.
That’s about as scientific as we need to get here. (Partly because it’s Saturday afternoon and it’s a beautiful day!)
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Radiant Heat in Floor #9073Hi Maria
I have 3 words for you! Don’t do it! Well maybe that’s really 4 words.
OK, here’s why. IMHO if you heat from the floor it makes it impossible for people to find reprieve from the heat if they need to sit out or lie down.
Personally in domestic situations I really don’t like underfloor heating that’s any higher than simply taking the chill off say, a hard concrete floor.
Any more than that and I can feel stifled and sometimes even queasy or sick.
Take that into a hot environment and you may find that people find it more difficult to cope. Hot air rises so the room will be HOT without the benefit of having a way to ‘escape’ it.
I wonder if you’ve ever felt the need – or noticed others who need, or even seek out – the relative cool of the floor. It would certainly be a safety backstop too. There always needs to be a way for heat exchange to occur.
Does that make sense?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Delayed urination after practice #9067Hi Jeff
OK, so that’s good. You have found some success there.
Please answer this: Would you please tell me if your sweat has ever stung your eyes? Has it been doing so lately?
One of the issues that can occur is profuse loss of electrolytes far beyond that which is normal for the vast majority of yogis. My guess is that you’re losing salt via your heavy sweating even after such a long time practising.
I won’t go into the science of it but what I want you to do now is to take your Emergen C in the same way during class and put extra sea salt in there. In addition to adding to your class drink, also try some salt before and after class in your regular water. Hint, tastes great with lemon juice! I don’t think you need much, but this regular consistent addition to support your salt loss could make a difference.
Come back and report, please.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Bikram and Yoga #9065Hi Senin
Thank you! That is very flattering.
Actually what you’ll find is that my approach to the poses has transformed them into a risk-free safe experience. But more importantly I truly believe that what actually results is a far more satisfying practice.
Yep, that can be hard to believe but overwhelmingly the feedback is that students feel even more fantastic and their practice is less stressful and more fulfilling. You could say that in that way I have already done my ‘tweaking’.
Initially I decided to write my book (time for the gratuitous plug complete with link :cheese:) and start this forum.
Over the years it has been a great journey for me to integrate my knowledge of the yoga with a sound scientific understanding plus an intuitive sense of the way everything connects.
I have always held great concerns for the way many people practise. It upsets me to see people risking themselves, on the way to a torn hamstring, painful lower backs, stressing of the cervical vertebrae (etc) when what they ideally want is to enhance their health. I just have to do something! 😆
Too often one’s practice is gleaned solely from the ‘script’ as if that script were a bible or some sacred text that somehow contains [em]everything [/em]you need to know in those single dimensional words. There are many who oddly believe that what has been recorded in a once-off recording of a class is ALL that Bikram yoga is about. I challenge that belief.
Unfortunately when the ‘script’ or ‘dialog’ is taken as gospel then the practitioner loses out. I instead prefer to look at the body biomechanically and interconnectedly.
There are countless times where I visit studios or students have visited mine where poses have been being practised dangerously. Often all it takes is a slight physical adjustment or a different approach and it’s fixed. And then I am one happy yogini!
Thank you for participating! I appreciate everybody’s contributions and the richness of ideas and opinion and compassion!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Bikram and Yoga #9063Hi Senin
Actually what people love on this forum is hot yoga. So thank you for joining us. :cheese:
It is up to them if they want to love the man. There is certainly NO requirement here to feel one way or the other.
So, we’re like you, no opinion one way or the other but we do not support people making claims that they have no right to. False information doesn’t help us grow and in this case it is a little self-serving you might say.
I am grateful for BC for popularizing a style of hot yoga that he was given by his guru Bishnu Ghosh. Regardless of wildly ranging opinions of the man, we can all be grateful for everyone having access to or an heightened awareness of yoga. It wasn’t that long ago when yoga was for hippies and new agers.
My passion is helping people get the MOST they can out of their practice and their lives as a result of yoga. I love finding ways to help people understand how it all connects. I started that process by helping people with the asana, the poses themselves (and then writing my manual Hot Yoga MasterClass. Oh dear, that sounds like a plug). So …
This forum is to help people who want to share their passion for hot yoga (and other kinds too), and learn a lot more than a script can offer, which is how most hot yoga is taught (boo hoo).
So here we look at ways to help people deepen their practices, in all ways and holistically. People come to ask the questions that either their teachers can’t answer or don’t have the time to!
Many hundreds of the questions are from students around the world who need help with their technique in asana, breathing or posture. And yes there are times when the culture of ‘bikram yoga’ can be too rigid and too offensive for some who come here to find ways to work around that, either to gain better understanding, or to make choices to protect themselves.
Maybe they need a technique, or maybe they need help to wade through the information about what constitutes SAFE heating conditions, and maybe what is acceptable behaviour and what is not.
It’s a wonderful mix of people who come and discuss, or simply trawl through the questions and answers, find what they need and take it into their practices!
People come because they need answers and they come here because for the most part, they get them. You may not know this but this forum is actually the most popular hot yoga forum in the world. And whether you have an opinion about Bikram or not, anyone can come and learn, contribute and participate here.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: lower back pain #9061Hi Jeffrey
One of the issues could be core strength. You are very flexible and you could be quite strong but maybe not where it counts in this instance.
Are you a seemingly strong person? (Maybe washboard abs, muscly, maybe not.) Perhaps like many people you are sucking in your stomach to create rigidity in your ‘core’ which is often mistaken for actual core strength.
Let me ask you a question or 2:
When does it hurt in Rabbit? On entry or in the pose? Where is it hurting? Just the lower back? What about shoulders and neck? Where do you feel the stretch?
Padahastasana (or hands to feet) do you feel the pain only on entry as you descend to the floor? And what about sep leg head to knee and half tortoise? Same story?
Are you sure you’re doing these poses correctly? I know that’s a strange question but I guess one of the reasons you’re here is because you need some answers. I have to ask questions and try to get a better understanding…
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Delayed urination after practice #9058Hello Jeff and Aminta
It seems you have been having quite a detailed conversation this weekend! I think I will join the party! :cheese:
Jeff, I have 2 lines of approach for this. This post will be for the first one.
Let me ask you, do you drink DURING class? And if you do, how much do you drink?
Your posts seem to indicate that you drink well before class and that you drink well after class. You say nothing about what happens DURING class.
Given that water should ideally be replaced at the rate it is being lost, (I did say ideally) then what I would like you to do during your next 2-3 classes is ‘buck Bikram tradition’ and drink during class: Small amounts frequently.
Please come back and report what happens. Oh, while you’re at it, I would recommend putting a few crystals of highly mineralised sea salt (Himalayan, Hawaiian, Celtic or the like) in your practice bottle!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Bikram and Yoga #9056Hi Senin
What ‘unsubstantiated’ means is that nobody else in the whole world can in any way, shape or form confirm that it is true. There is no historical record. In other words, there is no substance to the claim.
There is only one person’s word. Given that Nixon was such a high profile person and the claims that are made are so great, then one expects that it would be ‘substantiated’ somewhere.
There are similar stories of equally and even more high profile people that are also unsubstantiated.
The problem is that there are so many ‘stories’ and they are all so outlandish, and frankly, when it comes down to it, one tends not to believe them because there is nothing to back them up.
Anyway, rather than me continue I am copying in what Wikipedia has on its website for you:
[strong]
He claims NASA scientists tested Bikram Yoga on osteoporosis patients for eight months, seeing a “100%” improvement, and has said: “They couldn’t write a thesis how this happened; I prove this every single day.
Whether a president [such as Nixon, whom Bikram claims to have taught in 1972 and who then gave him an open invitation to live in the United States] or a prime minister [Indira Gandhi, whom he calls his godmother], or the Pope [Paul VI].” Bikram claims to have rejuvenated them all. “I saved years and years and years and years and years.”
Bikram’s claim to have carried out research for NASA, although extensively repeated, has not been confirmed by that organisation. His claims to have treated Nixon are similarly unverified and do not appear in Nixon biographies. In a BBC radio documentary he claimed to have treated the Beatles in 1959, even though the Beatles had not been formed at that time.
[/strong]
It certainly gets harder and harder these days to be able to discern the truth of much available information. This is largely because if it is found online MANY people simply believe it to be true. Such is the power of the written word! I know it’s easy to be caught out! It pays to be curious, that’s for sure.Thanks for posting. I hope that answers your question!
Actually, I was JUST about to press ‘Submit Post’ when we found this little gem posted by a yoga teacher on a yoga forum. In it he writes:
[strong]
After reading this thread I contacted the Nixon Library regarding Bikram and the President.
Here is a copy of the email
Dear Mr. M——: I am replying to your inquiry about whether Bikram Choudhury treated President Nixon for his phlebitis condition. We’ve checked our archives and found nothing on file to confirm Mr. Choudhury’s treatment such as correspondence, invoices or payment checks. Also, there is no mention of Mr. Choudhury in Healing Richard Nixon, the autobiography by the President’s personal physician, Dr. John C. Lungren, which describes the treatment of the President’s phlebitis in considerable detail. I hope this is helpful. Sincerely, John Taylor, director, Nixon Library
[/strong]
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: lower back pain #9053Woopsie, will get to this one this week!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Bikram and Yoga #9052And it’s still all unsubstantiated. 🙂
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Plugged ears, anyone?? #9045Hi Sue
When a studio has their thermometer outside of the room, that rings alarm bells for me.
It may be that there is nothing to be worried about. BUT you are the customer and you deserve to know what is going on so that you can keep yourself safe. Without the information then you could possibly be putting yourself at risk.
Here’s a scenario that is quite common: The heaters are in the room, the thermostat and thermometer are outside of the room to ‘trick’ the heaters to keep heating above their set point. The room CAN get to very high levels but the thermometer and thermostat will read ambient temperature of the room that they are located in.
Here’s another scenario: It IS possible that the system is designed such that there is a fully integrated system in operation whereby it is highly controlled. It is possible that they have set the temperature at a particular level and the thermostat is in the room and the readout is in the reception area.
Perhaps you could approach them without any pre-conceived notions of what is happening and ask them to walk you through how their system controls the temperature.
[strong]
Ask:
>> Can you show me where you keep the thermostats?[/strong]They should be able to point them out in the yoga studio. Eg, our system uses 2 mid height thermostats at different areas of the room and they take an average reading. They are small square plastic boxes on the wall.
[strong]
>> Can you show me the temperature gauge?[/strong]The temperature readout is on a different wall (eg in our studio) in the middle of the room nearby where the instructor stands or has full view of and has big digits for ability to read from a few metres/yards away and visible for students but not easily during their practice.
If you had your own studio at home it would not be unreasonable to ask for such advice in order to design your own system or buy the right products. So don’t be bashful. Just ask. You don’t have to make up any stories but you can certainly ask for the guided tour and explanation and that information should be freely available and demonstrable.
Come back and tell me what happens! (Basically you’ll discover if the system is an accurate one or one that is trying to fool the heaters. Either way, you have a right to know. Bringing your own thermometer is tricky. You can’t place it on the floor because that is an artificially low figure. And you may not be able to get an accurate reading depending on how it works (because of the surface it ends up on).
[strong]My first port of call would be to ask them to show you how their system works because – the long and the short of it – you’re interested in how it’s working (and because you asked!). That’s all![/strong]
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Pelvic Tilt made ALL the difference! #9044Hi Sue,
That’s a great place to start. If that’s what you’re doing, then work on having your thigh horizontal, shin vertical and definitely flex your foot. Draw your core in (it’s more than sucking in your tummy).
Believe it or not, it can be harder to stand there like that than cradling your foot with your hands. So don’t be concerned if your stamina seems to be lacking. Those with their hands there may be having an easier time. So be patient and you’ll be building great(er) strength.
Bring that leg into position and then round over forward. Separating your movements will also help you protect your body.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Pelvic Tilt made ALL the difference! #9041Hi Sue
Would you be satisfied if you could tighten your core and your buttocks separately? :cheese: I am absolutely NOT surprised that you are causing an injury with trying to do both in that pose.
It is a common misunderstanding – and a VERY risky one.
Please just concentrate on activating your core. When you’re bending over like that the buttock muscles are generally stretching!
Anyway sometimes it is better to get your thinking brain out of there! 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Infrared vs Traditional heat??? #9040Hi Dave
It’s late here at the mo, but just thought I would quickly let you know that I don’t know the King heaters but if they cut out, then that’s going to be an issue no matter how many of them you have in the room.
I will send you the name of a heater that you can research that I believe is in the US that heats to higher temps.
Stay tuned and bug me (aka remind me) on email if needed
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Plugged ears, anyone?? #9039Hi Sue
That is odd! I am curious as to whether it could be a type of inflammation or occlusion. I am also concerned that you mention that the conditions are of ‘extreme heat’. Are you able to ascertain the actual temperature in the room? And even the humidity?
You seem to be sure that it is related to higher than normal heat as you equate the action of others interrupting their practice with your issue. Has there ever been a time where you’ve perceived high heat but haven’t had the issue?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Muscle strains #9038Hi Jean
Welcome to the forum. :cheese: You say you were 2 years with no yoga. Does this also mean you were 2 years without exercise? If you were exercising, what were you doing? I would like a general sense of your fitness levels. And any other specifics that are prompted by my questions.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Pain at the right ankle during fixed firm pose #9029Hi Jeffrey
You said originally:
I feel the pain when I bend and “sit” on the ankle. No such pain on the left, just the right.
so I am thinking that some restorative work on your ankle needs to happen. Hence the reason for the sitting in symmetrical close position without twisting.
You also mentioned pain and injury in your knee. So I am just taking this one step at a time. I am trying to avoid further damage and trying to diagnose.
Are you flat footed or high arched or regular?
I really do think it’s time for you to see somebody regarding past damage in that knee and what could be happening in your ankle.
Are you willing to do that?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Pain at the right ankle during fixed firm pose #9027Hi Jeffrey
Just stay seated. No going back yet. Just stay there for a couple of weeks. Make sure the tops of your feet are flat to the ground. Tell me how that feels and then we can talk about moving beyond that kneeling seated position.
Your teacher probably doesn’t know what has happened but someone professional may give you some insight. 😉 Let me know what they say
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Ankle and knee injury #9025Hi mfm
It really sounds very frustrating to have the movement but still experience the pain.
Excuse the ignorance but how long does one have to wait for an MRI or a physio? I was surprised that you would be waiting significant time. Just wondering where you might be where the system is not able to accommodate you even to the point where you would simply know what’s going on with what appears to have been quite a serious accident.
If I can assume that you have an amount of scar tissue around the injury then breaking through that would be important. One way to weight it more while not standing yet is to do your exercises while sitting (as you already do). Then to change the loading, sit more and more to the edge of chair. Your body will learn balance again.
The next thing after that is to change the height of your chair. Make it higher until you’re using a bar stool.
I asked you on Nov 8 if you were practising yoga at all. Are you? That would help me understand where to go with my next thoughts. If you are, what style of yoga are you practising? And if you are, what poses are you avoiding?
Namaste
Gabriellein reply to: Pain at the right ankle during fixed firm pose #9021Hi Jeffrey
You don’t need to skip Camel, you can keep your hands on your hips.
Did you try my recommendations yet, the ones in my last post? It seems you could still be doing the same thing which could be a problem.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Infrared vs Traditional heat??? #9019Hi Dave
Heaters for domestic use have a thermostat that cuts them off at about 30-32 degrees celsius. It’s a safety thing.
There are some heaters that heat higher than that.
I have 2 brands of heaters in my studio that are domestic heaters that heat above body temperature. I know at least one of those brands is available in the US.
Infrared heaters have their own issues. I have been told that the sensors are placed in the floor. I cannot verify this personally nor can I verify other positions that will create a suitable responsive effect. The issue seems to be that if you place the sensors on the ground then somebody is going to place their mat on one of them and you could have a super-heating problem.
I am hoping someone can enlighten me on some heating experience too.
I just received an email from someone whom I asked to post in the forum who has had a ‘disastrous’ experience with infrared (her words, not mine).
Every situation is individual. And you’re right David, the responses about heating can be a bit thin on the ground. That to me says that there is no one answer!
I know that I would prefer to have little noise. I have had experiences in studios that I can barely hear the instructor because of the ridiculous blowing noise from their ducted system. I personally dislike ducted systems because of the localisation of ‘hot spots’.
What’s important to you? And Dave, is this for personal home use? Or a public studio?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Recovery time #9018Hi Neil
It’s funny how we can feel obliged to get moving after class. It can be the pressure of the *stuff in our heads, things we have to get done. It could be that we see everybody else getting up.
It could also be that the next round of students have started entering the room and it feels odd with the ‘new’ energy of preparation.
What is it that is making you get up at 5 minutes?
If there is NO class after you, then I would try to stay put for as long as possible. It seems to me that your body is constantly seeking recovery time for at least that hour.
You will be SO surprised that an extra 5-10 minutes on top of your 5 min savasana will make an enormous difference. You will find that your overall recovery time is reduced.
Now, if there is a class after yours and you have to get up, is it possible for you to silently get up, take your mat and lie down somewhere else for extra time?
Recovery is an individual thing. What’s happening for you is that your mind may be sabotaging your body’s need for a slightly longer recovery. It sounds as though there is too much struggle so please try something different.
There is no schedule even for you. So you simply have to lie down until you’re ready to get up. That can change from day to day. Having said that, you will probably find that once you have more classes under your belt your ability to recover will change.
What I haven’t done here is to discuss water or electrolytes. These could be having an effect on you as well. Beginning of practice during acclimatization is when bodies tend to lose more salt per liter of sweat. Take some good unprocessed sea salt (Himalayan, Celtic, pure ocean salt etc) to see if this will help you.
Finally, what can you tell me about your breathing and heart rate during this recovery time? What can you tell me about your studio’s rules about drinking water?
The possibilities are many so I need more info
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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