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in reply to: Hips and Legs #21195
That’s a super question Joe!
Don’t ever sacrifice the hips’ alignment. You will set up all sorts of crazy balance and hip issues if you do. Notice what happens if you try to wrap: your body is likely asymmetrical, the standing leg straightens out a little (or a lot) to accommodate the other leg; your torso sways off to a side, arms react… and so on.
Are you using a towel or strap for the arms in order to get the traction?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands to Feet/Hands to Floor #21194Hi Joe
You and I have been corresponding over at the the blog about how to avoid sore hamstrings, and how to do Standing Separate Leg Stretching pose.
Here’s what I wrote to you over at the blog:
Do you manage to get your hands under your feet with bent legs for Hands2Feet Pose? And still keep bent legs? Then what I can suggest is to is start there and start moving your feet outward to the side. You may need to bend the legs more or less as you widen the stance. Your hands will shift slightly in angle. But if you can do that pose then you can 99.99999% of the time, do this one too.
Please tell me how you goPlease note that it’s not essential to get the whole length of the fingers under the feet. It’s really a leverage point in order to find the traction. Fingertips will do!
If you cannot do Padahastasana (with bent legs and chest on thighs) then let me know. You really don’t want to have hands on the floor because you miss out on the actual mechanism to this pose. It’s not just about gravity stretching and nothing much good happens if legs are straight and back is rounded. So let’s keep working on this!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: over 40 and pregnant #21180Hi Debbie-Ann
You’re welcome. I am happy you feel supported.
I’m just curious as to how you know the temperature is different between teachers. Is there a gauge you can see or is it a perception?
I did actually go right through my pregnancy. There was a week I didn’t go between my first and second trimester. But how can one be completely accurate with one’s timing? You may be accurate with your ‘dates’ but you may not be able to time the actual conception. 😉 An Iyengar teacher (ante-natal pregnancy teacher’s hubby) suggested that there is a particular week one should do yoga. I didn’t go that week and perhaps it was because of that influence and choosing to feel that that was the right decision. We older first time mums are perhaps prone to being more cautious.
I taught right up until just days before the birth. Pranayama breathing meant that I felt very comfortable. I teach by walking around and I’m quite energetic as I scope the room and walk around to see everything and correct everything (don’t need to touch, but it helps me adjust my delivery to suit the students in the room to see tiny nuances of people’s poses – I never use a script) so I definitely would have been unable to do any of that if I hadn’t done yoga. I would have been breathless by walking.
I really want to hear how you’re going if you ever feel inspired to give an update (either to my email or on the forum)
With every good wish for you and your baby
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Kari
That’s quite the recurring problem. Let’s see what we can come up with!
A few questions for you:
How many times have you been going per week (religiously!) for those 10 years?
Do you attend at a studio that recites the dialog?
Are you saying that it’s always just this particular pose(s)?
Are there any hints that something’s niggly in any other pose?
Where in your back does it ‘go out’?
Do you get any warning? or intuition that it’s going to happen?
Is there a particular side that it occurs? First side or second side?
What are you doing exactly when it happens in Standing Head to Knee?
Is there anything that you do or feel that you can associate with this issue outside of the yoga room?
When you have this issue – like now – and you find it difficult to walk, can you please describe where the difficulties are in your body?
What other activities are not available to you when your back goes out?
And when you can’t walk, are you able to stand? Move? Walk at all? And where does your back hurt?
Please try to be as specific as you possibly can.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: over 40 and pregnant #21159Hello again!
I neglected to say that I was almost 39 when I gave birth. Not quite the same age as you but very close. So I did have the same sorts of worries. Being a first pregnancy I believe that the newness of experience will make you be extra cautious because you’ve never been there before. All these questions are natural and expected. And let’s see them as part of your mindful approach to your body and your life. So, if you look at that way, you’ve been growing and nurturing your inner voice, and you’ve been happy to pay attention to your body before, perhaps now is the time to continue listening to yourself.
I hope that helps!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: over 40 and pregnant #21158Hello Debbie-Ann
Thank you for your kind words. You’re welcome. And congratulations. It looks as though you have read some of the pregnancy threads and posts. I wonder if you saw any that mention the words of the then most senior obstetrician in my entire region. He said that there was no reason not to do it. That being said, we never heat/ed our studios at nosebleed high temperatures so I feel very comfortable in including any mother-to-be.
The other ‘barometer’ is really this, and it pertains to just about anything when it comes to pregnancy: If you’ve done it regularly before then you should be able to continue the same thing during.
There are always risks in any pregnancy. I chose to continue yoga right through my pregnancy. Many others do the same. You have to choose what feels fine for you.
I do have to say – even if I am repeating myself! – that continuing to do yoga was a real factor in making me feel comfortable and vibrant during my pregnancy. To be able to breathe deeply despite the lessening space in your thorax is a gift indeed. That in and of itself will help you birth your baby more easily.
None of us has a crystal ball and we get dealt a hand that may not reveal itself all at once with respect to how well we’ll feel, how well we’ll feel in the hot room, whether we get ‘morning sickness’ or any other pregnancy associated condition. Each one of us has decisions to make. Feel strong in your convictions and go from there. Your professionals will unlikely be as open-minded as that aforementioned obstetrician. They will give you an opinion based on their own model of the world (and if they are uninitiated then it’s likely to stem from fear). Ultimately, it’s your body. Do your own thing. Make your own decision.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: general *faq* post #21135OK! What you can do is start browsing. Use the search facility when your interest is piqued. There are many rabbit holes you can disappear down. But the great news is that each one has valuable information, and useful opinion giving you much to think about.
I shall look out for questions from you!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: general *faq* post #21133Hello Linda
It could help me to know if you’re after a particular topic or a specific question that’s been asked.
If it’s something you’re just browsing for, maybe there’s a key word you could pop into the search field at the top of the page.
Or just ask the question! 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: general *faq* post #21130Hello Linda
The best place to look is on the Hot Yoga Doctor Forum home page (ie the Hot Yoga Doctor main menu has Forum up the top. Then scroll down until you see the Green Banner that says General Hot Yoga Discussion). If that’s it then the direct link you’re after could be here!
Is that what you’re after? I hope so. I’m not really sure if you’re after a particular post or a set of posts.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #21082Hello Rina
I look forward to hearing of your experiences. Do you happen to have access to a copy of Hot Yoga MasterClass? It could help you get a visual on what you’re supposed to do. Naturally you can do it all without the manual and it just means you need to check into your body and see if it matches with my instructions above, as your most important reference.
You ask a great question. All bodies may not be able to look as if they are in the ideal end pose (the hallowed position of the agile (=a balance of flexible + strong) but all bodies (with very rare exception) can be in a position to get the pose mechanics right and get the correct benefits of every pose. The instructions in the recited dialog do not deliver that across all the poses. So for example, in Standing Sep Leg Intense Stretch if one is not sufficiently flexible, bent legs and a straight/arched back will deliver the right outcome. However the dialog says (now, anyway) that you must have straight legs, never mind the rounded back and eventually you are supposed to get a stretch everywhere that creates a straight back. This rarely happens. With dialog instructions for this pose one completely misses out on taking advantage of crucial mechanisms and reflexes in the body. I am sure I mentioned before that this is not a gravity stretch and far more sophisticated. So whatever you can do to check in and match my instructions about hand position, pull, lift, shoulders, and so on, with what you feel is happening in your body, will take you a long way!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #21077That’s terrific, Rina.
Your ideal position of your fingers in both of these highly similar poses is either directly from behind your heels pointing directly forward, to an angle of 45 degrees, where the fingers or fingertips are still under the heels, pointing inward.
If your back is still rounded, then your aim is to straighten the back and ideally feel an arch in it! So all you need to do is bend the legs, feel the back arch/straighten. Then you simply aim to lift the hips. Play with the distance of the feet apart. Widen a little to see if you can have first and foremost a straight/arched back. If you read my other posts you’ll see that I always teach for peeps to bend the legs, grab the feet properly from behind, straighten the back and then finally if and only if the back is straight should one start to attempt to lift hips to straighten the legs. Oh, I haven’t mentioned here that your elbows must be bent and pointing outwards, arms close to shins, shoulders away from ears.
So, if you’re able to do that particular pose well, then it seems the impediment in Hands to Feet is probably bust size. Widen your stance to get your stability. Work on the fingers in the right place, from as close to parallel as possible. For you at the mo, you have the hands on the calves as described before. Little by little you notice your ability to shift your hands downwards towards your heels. Your priority is chest on legs, feet apart, stability and pull of your hands/arms BEFORE you get your hands under your feet. Again you can play with the distance of feet apart. Over time you may be able to bring them closer together. You are likely to be told by teachers that you should not stand with your feet apart. You will have to ignore that. Otherwise you will be unable to employ the mechanism of this pose and be straining your body instead of opening it up.
Finally, you need to know that there are some women who will always have a little space between the feet to do this pose because of upper body geometry.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #21055Hi Rina
Are your legs straight or bent?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #21052Hi Rina
The purpose of the pose is not to get your head on the floor despite what the dialog says. So just work on having a straight back, even arched to get that delicious stretch. When you say you’re holding under your ankles can you be more specific about exactly what you’re doing? Sounds like you could be doing the right thing. I just don’t want to make any assumptions.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #21048Hi Rina
The mechanism of this pose is quite an interesting one. Making sure you’re pulling in the right way and not engaging your shoulders and neck and ensuring your body is on your legs (and yes, separate the legs for better engagement of this mechanism) will give you the lengthening you need as well as doing the other poses in the series with best technique.
If you’re not sure about any poses, research them on this forum under pose name, or ask me and I can point you in the right direction.
As I mentioned last post this is not just a gravity stretch and this is why you need to make sure you are grabbing in the right place and pulling in the right way (not from the side, and not using the shoulders and so on…).
Take a look at the proper way to do Paschimottanasana on the forum as done correctly you use a similar mechanism. Standing Sep Leg Stretch is just about the same as Padahastasana except with legs even further apart. Where do you hold your feet for that pose?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #21044Hi Rina
As you are very busty and have tight shoulders and hips I would recommend you separate your legs to at least hip width. You will feel more grounded and balanced and more able to pull. In that position you need to feel the elbows and shoulders moving away from the floor as you ‘pull’ on the backs of your ankles/calves (aka upward pressure of the palms against the legs).
If one does not have a large bust then one would have their chest closer to the legs and then the geometry of the arms would make it easier to reach the elbows around the back of the legs… and so on and so forth. So it’s not about you have anything anatomical per se. And it’s worth saying that this is not just a gravity stretch by leaning over and hoping you can pull your body down with the strength of the arms. It’s far more sophisticated than that in terms of what the body’s doing. So please make sure you feel that mechanism in your arms as described. Done correctly you’ll start to free up your hips and legs in a way that gravity stretching (ie in this case just bending down and leaning on the floor or grabbing the sides of the feet) will never do.
It also helps to think of the work with the legs in a different way. Instead of trying to straighten the legs, pull with the arms as described and just lift your hips. Subtle but it works!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #21035Hello Rina
Just wondering if you have a big bust. That can make it difficult to be in this particular semi-inverted position.
And, as for a modification, try this: Don’t grab the sides of the feet, that definitely sets up the wrong mechanism in your shoulders, arms and back. Place your palms on the back of your ankles (and lower calves) with thumbs to the outside (naturally) and pull upwards against your lower legs in the same way you would if you had your fingertips under your heels. Aim to get your elbows to touch together behind your legs. Even though they won’t touch it will help you remove the tension in your shoulders. They’ll be moving away from the floor and your ears, and upwards toward the ceiling.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Can hot yoga cause damage to cells? #21032Hello smoak
It’s very hard to be definitive about questions concerning heat and physiological danger without more information.
Firstly I have to say that as a newish student you are possibly just coming to the end of your physiological period of heat acclimatisation. This is an actual process that you go through that puts your body through a large number of changes in the first 2-4 weeks.
Can you please tell me how many times per week you go to class?
I will get to a lot more detail for you after I hear back from you.
In the meantime, would you please Google the following things for me? The searches will give you a list of signs and symptoms of some important hot yoga related issues that are possible.
So take a look at the list of signs and symptoms for:
Hyponatremia
Dehydration
Heat exhaustion (and heat stroke)
The Dr/scientist you spoke with was concerned about critical temperatures beyond which the brain can no longer function. Before we go down that path it’s probably better to start at first principles. But we will get there.
Take a look at the section in this forum called “The Heat” for starters because a) you’ll find much useful information already there b) discover much about acclimatising to the heat, c) become familiar with some of my beliefs about heating studios and d) come up with some theories to test on yourself! I look forward to reading your thoughts (and that answer to the question)
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #20999Hi Rina
Yes the picture is clearer!
Don’t be worried at all that your legs are wide apart. You may actually have a sense of which of those (6 or 12 inch) positions seemed to give you more ease. Please come back and tell me!
Also it’s absolutely fine to have just your fingertips under the heels. You really do not have to have the entire fingers there. Experiment with the distance apart. This pose actually is a complex one in terms of the body’s response. There are some amazing reflexes that occur here (that go beyond the classic one we know of: reciprocal inhibition) that make the instructions create the magic.
Regarding tension: Often people feel or even create tension in their shoulders and neck in most if not all the poses. In this case, the effort of the arms in this pose often causes people to have tight shoulders, tight neck, chin dropping in towards the body or with the head held at an odd angle with tension. You may find you need to do the pose now or in class to really check in to what’s going on in class. It’s extremely common to see half to most students with shoulders taut with tension which, in this case means moving down toward the floor, and towards the ears.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hands Won’t Go Under Heels #20997Hello Rina
Thank you for your detailed post and welcome to the forum!
I just need to ask for some specifics so that I make no assumptions.
May I please ask you how far apart you have placed your feet?
Did you keep them parallel?
Did you make absolutely sure that your body stayed squished on your legs?
Where else can you feel the tension, in this or in any other pose?When you are in seated head to knee pose, you say your hands are clasped. Are they under the ball of your foot or at the toes or at the arch?
Is your head on your knee?
What is your leg doing? Is it straight or is it bent?
What is your foot doing? Pointing which direction?
Are your arms straight? Or?OK, that’ll keep you busy for some time!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Weight Gain #20971Hello
May I ask you what your electrolyte ‘habit’ comprises? In other words, do you always take electrolytes during hot yoga, or do you take them all the time (even when you’re not doing yoga)? How much are you taking? When are you taking them?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂-
This reply was modified 9 years ago by
Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor).
in reply to: Kidneys & High blood pressure #20867Hello Alex
Before I go commenting on things, I would like to ask you if you would kindly tell me if you notice that light-headed feeling during or after particular poses or if it’s a feeling that you get just by being in the room? It would help me enormously to know if you feel dizzy for the 100+ minutes you’re in the room or if it is episodic. As much specificity as you can, please.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Shoulder Impingement #20865Hi Stretchie
Great news. Your guidance is outlined above! 🙂 Yay! Start with the stuff about shoulders. Best point is to begin with the free video on the Hot Yoga Doctor Home Page called Elbows in Your Back Pocket – A Transformational Technique. It’s one of 4 useful vids that is specific to your problem.
Your problem will be greatly aided by some mindfulness around movement and function in and out of the yoga room. So start there and then go through the above long post I wrote to you from 3 weeks ago. Come back and ask questions and clarification as you need them!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Daniel
What a doozy of a post! I am going to have to spend time doing things in a stepwise fashion. There are some classic signs in here of classic Bikram mistakes. We can sort those all out. Really! There will be some things I will task you on that you can do at home that will make your progress easier and more comfortable and quicker too. There will also be things that I ask you to do that may very well challenge the beliefs of script-following yogis. I just want to warn you of that. But honestly, with an open mind, some patience and willingness to work together, to heal and follow some instruction that will debunk the oft-ambiguous or unclear things you are most likely hearing in class (that WILL make you feel better), you will get there.
First step (if you don’t mind watching a couple of videos about principles that will help you both with yoga and body function and movement) is to go to the home page of this website and watch videos. I filmed these yonks ago so they’re not as short and punchy as they would be if I made them now, but I promise you they will help. Note to self: reshoot those vijos.
While all will be helpful, watch: “Flatten Your Tummy and Strengthen Your Back” and then “Transformational Technique” about elbows and shoulders (it will help your neck) as your priority.
That first video requests you buy a cheap soccer ball (size 3) or a basketball (less padded and still size 3). Get going on this.
Complementary to the other video is the notion that you should always be cognisant of any tension in your head and neck and shoulders. At the moment you are finding all backbends difficult and Pranayama is hell for you. I can bet you any amount of money that you are following the instruction to keep your arms straight and locked out in those poses with your arms over your head. This is not doing you one single favour. Allow an amount of bend in the arms: Just enough to make sure you can keep the neck long and feeling free. It may not even be evident to onlookers that your arms have a microbend in them. Keep that same awareness on ALL your poses to make sure that your neck long and shoulders feel free and unfettered in every single pose. We’ll get to exactly what you can do for each pose as we move on.
Report back when you’ve done some of these things (even at home or at class – makes no difference). I will work through your repertoire (!) of issues one or two at a time after this.
Do know however that the answers to just about every one of your problems, if not all, are already in the forum. Digging for them will reward you! Sometimes a whole thread will be 100% pertinent to you, and other times less so. I may point you to some of them in my summary for you as we move forward.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Herniated Disks #20786Hello Adriana
Welcome! Thanks for posting on the forum. So, do tell me what pain and discomfort you have with each of these herniated disks.
Just to answer your question: In theory you should do yoga to help your issue. Normally the problem is that one is lacking backbending in their everyday experience and the herniations can occur because of the nature of the pressure on the disks at the site of herniation. The chemicals of inflammation (and not necessarily ‘raw’ nerves) can cause pain.
Get back to me and we’ll talk some more when I know more about what causes pain in these areas (what activities) what it takes to RELIEVE the pain or discomfort and what movements seem to be limited by the issue. Is the relief you get from tablets or movement. Try to be as specific as you can.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Shoulder Impingement #20785That’s a great plan! Come back with any questions you have. You certainly want to know what to pay attention to. 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
This reply was modified 9 years ago by
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