Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)

You’re welcome Linda

Your experience is a common one. One has to be careful as both student and teacher not to take everything too literally (with respect to the dogma of trying to always create what is supposedly ideal). While it is important to do or not to do some things, equally it is important to listen to your body. You needed that relief and space in your lower back by doing the child’s pose – but only for a while.

As a teacher I have to allow people the non-ideal in their practices to a point and make the assessment as you have done, as to when it is no longer necessary. In other words, when does that action become an unnecessarily crutch or ritual? When is it time to step up to a new level? Will that stepping up need overt or covert encouragement? With good instruction (not coercive) and / or body awareness (as you have) it can happen on its own.

Thank you for asking your question.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Nita-Rose

You know, it’s great that you recognise that your shoulders are hunching when you bring your elbows together! Never fear. We’ll work this out pronto.

Let me first confirm that you are only bringing your arms together in front of the chest before you actually start the exercise.

You see, that’s the hardest time to get the elbows together for so many people, when they’re standing there getting ready to take the first inhale. Once the arms get above the head, then on each and every successive exhale the elbows end up together while your head is back, and your arms are lifted high up off the chest. So theoretically large breasts are not going to make a difference to the exercise once you’ve started.

Can you confirm that what I have said is correct for you?

And if it is, then here’s the solution: When you stand there in readiness for the pose, get your fingers interlocked under the chin. With your shoulders down and your neck long, chin parallel to the floor, only bring your elbows as close to the midline as they can be, AS LONG AS the shoulders are down (not hunched) the neck is long and the chin is parallel to the floor.

That starting point of elbows together is a nice-to-have element. The much more important part is to have shoulders down and torso long.

I hope that clarifies what you need. If it doesn’t, then please give me some more details!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi hubbiida

Well, that was certainly taken out of context! My apologies that I didn’t make my ideas more clear. My point is that I DO agree with you. I tried to demonstrate that with the very sentence you took so negatively: “We might all have solar panels, may grow all our own food, ride bicycles, recycle more, etc, etc, etc.” My point is that we don’t and that’s a terrible shame.

For somebody such as yourself who has such vast yoga experience I am surprised at some of the turns of phrases you have used.

My point that people might not drink water from a plastic bottle (and other ensuing thoughts) illustrates that sometimes people make decisions that go against the logic and rational. I for example HATE those single use plastic bottles and carry my own water in a vessel that I use many times 24/7 for months or years (as long as it lasts), but if I were with my daughter and she needed water I WOULD buy her a bottle. So I think that more thought needs to be given to the arguments proffered.

My point is that people in general make justifications for ALL the choices that they make. How one judges those choices is a personal thing. I would prefer to live in a world where everybody uses solar and renewable energy sources. However, that’s not the world I live in right now.

I see that a world with people doing more yoga, and yes even with more people doing more hot yoga (leveraging that resource use by practising together in one well insulated heated room) is a world where more people can be more mindful. There are studios that heat efficiently. The yoga grows the mindfulness. I don’t care what style of yoga that is. There is choice for everyone. From practice grows change. It is not for me to judge what style is right for anyone. If one type of anything worked for everyone then we’d all be doing it. Maybe we need more people to awaken through whatever form of yoga they want.

A world where people feel good for no reason is a world I want to live in. The flow on effects of such a world would quite likely be a place of peace and love and connection. So no, I reject the notion that anyone should feel wrong for practising yoga. The more the better.

You give the impression  that people have to qualify to stand alongside you! I am sure (or at least hope!) that’s not the message that you intend to give. I prefer not to be judged for my choices. I am sure the same goes for you. Perhaps you would prefer a world where the following applies. [And still, the person in the following description also makes their own justifications to exist. They are just different justifications.]  Do you know anybody and I mean ANYBODY who eschews ALL non-sustainable ways of living and doesn’t participate in any means that use non-sustainable production? Do you know anybody at all operating from a dwelling that is ‘off-grid’, built entirely from sustainable means, someone who wears totally ecological clothing choices, (one could ask for eg, if cotton and its water-hungry production is sustainable, but I don’t want this thread to go there, I am just making a point) eats organic food preferably grown in one’s own garden, rides transportation that is powered by renewable energy or rides some kind of people-powered vehicle like a bicycle, who doesn’t use any chemicals to clean their environment or self, recycles everything they can, does not purchase packaged products that are wrapped or contained in any kind of plastic made from fossil fuels, and the list goes on and on with myriad choices… ? I don’t know anybody who fits that hyper-ideal description. But I know many people who make many choices from that extensive list. I am in no position to question their choices. Inspired decisions of others fuel some of my own decisions. So I try to be inspired rather than judgmental or exclusive.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi bunni

Just so I am completely clear, do you mind posting a link to the picture of the exact saddle pose you are talking about?

Bringing the knees in FF together definitely does increase the stretch and challenge for most. Why don’t you try positioning them in an inch closer to start with since the pose is fairly easy for you? You could progressively bring the knees in before you go back. The other thing to do is make sure that once your bottom is seated on the floor that it does not, even in the tiniest way, come up off the floor or readjust its position at all. If you readjust then you lose much of the magic of this pose. So actually I will suggest this: For the very next time you do the pose, do it exactly the same way with the legs in normal position hip-width apart and check in to what happens with your bottom. Check that it’s not repositioned. Normally people do this as they go back on their elbows. It’s game over if you do that. Then if you find everything is static, then try next time to bring knees in closer by an inch before you go back onto your elbows.

It’s also pretty regular for the knees to take a couple of seconds to feel ‘normal’ again.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello xehsufrutu

Thank you for your questions (everywhere!)! Do remember that your perception of the heat along with the humidity are going to be playing a big part in this equation. Get yourself a good humidifier and don’t worry about that 105F false goal. It’s a myth and doesn’t take into account the humidity conditions.

For example, I currently go to a public studio where the temperatures never reach 105F. Everyone sweats. Everyone has a great challenge with the yoga. Everyone is able to participate to their fullest ability without any risk of endangerment.

What are moisture levels like where you live? Even an internet search will help you there for the range throughout the year. The practical heating considerations will change depending on whether you live in a rainforest or a desert.

That ought to help. As you will have read the heaters that I have used and have always been happy with are British and Australian brands. But that British brand is available in the US and are also manufactured there. Xpelair. Maybe you have looked into those.

Keep me posted.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello ‘realpro53’

Da da daaaah! HotYogaDoc to the rescue. OK, that was dramatic, but I am going to give you a guaranteed never-to-be-ever-mistaken-again solution. To be clear, your question is interesting because it doesn’t tell me if you’re confused about which hip comes forward when you’re standing in set-up or when you’re entering or in the pose. And therein lies your problem. And it’s not your fault! 🙂

I can bet you go to a studio that recites the class to you (or at least the major proportion of it). The problem with scripted instruction is that people get stuck on the words and saying them according to the script instead of making the words fit the outcome of the pose.

The key to this pose is hip alignment. If your alignment is off in set-up, you’ll be struggling to fix it for the rest of the pose. As you’ve experienced, you find yourself upside down wondering how to move one hip forward instead of the other. There are also some instructions that are technically misleading about weight shifting.

When you turn to the right the teachers tell you to turn the hips to the right 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 times. A mystery why you have to have this little ritual, but so be it.

INSTEAD, turn to the right. Square your hips to the wall that you’re facing right now. Not many times, just the one time. Easy.***see below for important waiver, but for now let’s continue.

Inhale stretch up, shoulders down to keep your neck relaxed, tuck the chin. When your chin is tucked you can do a visual check on your hips. Adjust them right now if they’re not square to the edge of your mat (or wall or reference point).

As you exhale and curl down, your job is to maintain your hips in square. Your hips will tend to go out of alignment because of certain reflexes in the body to do with walking and other function, so to counter that, as you’re descending think these words “back hip forward”. For the right side of this pose your left leg is behind. The left hip would naturally (yes, naturally because of those reflexes) want to move backward, so just kind of ‘cement’ the hips in place and keep the “back hip forward” to prevent it going back. Your chin is down so you can watch what you’re doing. Easy.

Now here’s your ***WAIVER. When you step out to the right and turn on your heels you really must make sure your heels are in alignment both laterally and in the distance you have them apart.

If you have stepped out too widely you will NOT be able to keep your hips square not matter how hard you try. My recommendation for you assuming you’re of regular height is to step out just slightly wider than your mat. NOT 3 feet, as for most people it tends to be just a little bit too wide. For example my left foot will be just to the left of my mat, I start the pose with my right foot right next to it and it’s just on the edge of the mat. Then I step out the right foot to land just to the right of the mat.

There are more things I can say, but we’ll just go with the basics.

You asked about the right side. Now for the left: Easy. Keep the “back hip forward”.

Please come back and tell me how you go. There may be a couple of other things at play here. (Perhaps not!) I would love to hear what happens.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

If it helps you at all to see pictures of everything then take a look at the Pose Gallery on this website or in step-by-step photos for the poses (with descriptions) in Hot Yoga MasterClass. For those that have the book the technique is on pages 157-159 with pages 160-163 illustrating mistakes and showing you how to fix them. For anyone who’s interested here’s the link: Hot Yoga MasterClass manual

Hello again racoll53

There are a few things I can add! First, ‘pushing through pain with gentle effort’ is what you offered. I offer that you must not push through pain, you are welcome to push through discomfort. It could be simply a matter of definition. But there are people who push through things when their bodies are telling them to not do a pose. So to go by the written word I need to be really clear about what I am answering. Perhaps we’re saying the same thing!

For most people most of the time the problems are associated with doing poses incorrectly. With you I am certainly intrigued by the interesting list of body issues. Some of these could be related. For example, you say you are having hip issues, left sciatica, left foot pain and then right side tightness and pain in upper parts.

Can you firstly tell me how your body is coping OUTSIDE of class? Do you find you are walking differently because of the pain in your foot, or hips or both? This could give me some clues.

I have had the experience where my back was realigning and rediscovering better posture after having scoliosis. There were definitely some feelings of pain and discomfort associated. I can give you some things to be aware of.

The next thing to ask is if you ever use the app to zero in on a single pose? For example, Standing Separate Leg Intense Stretching pose is one of those that can cause sciatica if done the typical way that purports to follow the Bikram dialog. But 99.99% sure it won’t if you start with bent legs and focus on a straight back. May I ask you if you are making sure your back is straight before straightening your legs?

And that’s enough for this instalment! (*PS apologies, I had started this post and Firefox spontaneously shut down on me, installed an update and I lost my response.)

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Miss Belle

While the emphasis might be more on one thing than the other (ie more on leg than charging forward), unfortunately that doesn’t stop your unconscious mind trying to obey the instruction. That’s just the neurophysiological truth of the matter. The ‘charging forward’ command is affecting your balance, your back shape and other aspects of your pose.

I am pleased there is an emphasis on kick up and back. Let’s refine that. (Points later on)

Now for chin to shoulder instructions. This command is a misinterpretation of an action that doesn’t actually create the results you want.

One of the big problems with verbatim (or close to verbatim) dialog is that it’s taking you STRAIGHT into what the diehard Bikram devotees consider to be the ideal pose of a super flexible person (who may also happen to be competing in the yoga championships). The problem with that is that it doesn’t embrace yoga philosophy. It’s also the reason why new students are unable to understand the instruction with clarity (and have to watch and build their understanding through what is way too much trial and error over too long a time). The instruction we’re used to hearing in script studios tells a flexible and frequent practitioner how to get into a pose, with much ambiguity and not enough clarity. Generally beginners are left to work it out for themselves. In the case of this particular pose: The dialog takes students from standing, to standing splits but doesn’t specify more than the gross actions a very basic set-up charge, kick, stay there and kick, release. And that’s all.

Similarly in you’re told in Pada Hastasana to “lock your knees lock your knees lock your knees” and there might be nobody at all or even less than a handful of people who can do that in a packed yoga room. The instruction is not specific enough for those who happen to be in the room and doesn’t give the actual details of the actions required or a description of what you should look like if your knees are not locked (95% of people). A fair whack of the instruction that most hot yogis is hearing basically has people believing that their pose is really only perfect at the ideal endpoint rather than perfect at the point they are at. It’s got everything to do with technique.

So I am going to have to ask you to take a leap of faith and ignore 2 very important instructions you have heard forever and just pretend that you don’t hear them or compute them. In the meantime you’ll be substituting them with better, more specific instruction and you’ll be checking into your body (how very yoga of you!) and paying attention to where you’re body is creating and dependent on the forces of traction, strength and release that you feel as you set up, enter and exit.

Are you with me? By the way, full photographs and explanations are on pages 120-129 of my book (Hot Yoga MasterClass).

So, what you actually need to do is this:
>> Stand, feet parallel (line up the feet so that the feet are touching usually along the big toes, not ankles necessarily touching each other, there may be a small space between your heels, this way hips and knees are already square and not fanning out at all) engage both legs to keep your hips even, then pick up your foot as usual.
>> Arm up, don’t make it touch the side of your head. When it’s up there make sure the shoulder blade is dropped down and back. This will in all likelihood introduce a little space between head and arm, but your chin will be up parallel to the floor and you’ll already feel more graceful and purposeful in your new stance.
>> The knees by the way, don’t touch. To touch them means to push them together and this already twists your hips. So keep the hips square and create a little traction by simply pushing the knee back enough to feel the beginnings of your pose without entering it. That’s your starting point.
>> When you are given the cue to enter you will do 2 things differently. 1: ONLY drive your pose by pushing your knee back up toward the ceiling at the same time as your shin moving toward the back wall. These 2 actions are separate things you can focus on. They are what pull your arm into that wonderful traction. And 2: Keep your front arm high the whole time. Resist it coming forward. If it drops (a la ‘charging forward and chin to shoulder’ style’) then lift it up again. If you notice your chin dropping, then lift it again so that your head and neck are relaxed and your chin is parallel to the floor.

Notice how you stay in traction in your body and arm and you form that wonderful arc in your back the whole time. It feels amazing. You’ll get to a certain point where you can’t create any more arc. At this sign you pivot (the whole parabolic shape from lifted arm to kicking leg through that arc of a spine) around your hip to bring your abdomen down parallel to the floor.

That is more than enough to work with for now.
I really look forward to hearing about your experience.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Betty

You’re right. Some folk have a reaction to that product. And again, as you say, there are better places to get your Vitamin C. Nature is a very good place! 🙂

If you were trying to superload yourself with Vit C for immune reasons (any kind of condition for which you thought you might need grams of the stuff) what product would you be choosing if you deemed that some berries or oranges were not enough? I am interested to hear anyone’s suggestions.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Becka

Thank you so much for all the details. They are very helpful and not overdoing it at all! I will get to this response tomorrow. Just have been so busy and wanted to let you know that I’m on it.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello

This is a specific process I am taking you through. If you read my responses you will note that I have asked you to stay straight AND vertical. That may not have been clearly indicated enough. In other words. I am saying … please do NOT go back at all. Stay sitting upright. Stay upright and vertical and sit there kneeling for minutes at a time.

Until further notice (hehe) you are to stay upright and vertical through the next parts of the process. Don’t try to go back. There are too many other things that your body is doing that are sabotaging your process.

And there are other things to do before going back.

Here’s your rule of thumb for going back. Please note, you are not ready for this. I am asking you to kneel and NOT go back. Here’s the rule: Until you can comfortably sit on the floor with your bottom between your heels and your ankles and feet and knees and quads feeling comfortable with the full weight of your straight and vertical body, you must stay seated and NOT GO BACK at all. That means if you are simply kneeling, then you do not go back either.

As you are going back before you are ready, you are making it harder for your body to open.

I won’t give you any further instructions at this moment beyond the following. Please do this for me: kneel with hips on your heels (NOT trying to get your hips on the floor) in a regular kneeling position with hips ON heels and knees together and sit there upright NO GOING BACKWARD. Just sit and see if you stay there for a minimum of 3 minutes. Do it several times a day. Maybe try that for 3 days and …

Then come back to me for the next part of the process!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello,

thank you for that detail. Your job is to sit in kneeling position (no space between the legs, tops of feet flat on the floor) until you feel comfortable there. You do realise I think, that I am talking about asking you to kneel with your feet together, not with them apart. I hope so. Sit there and notice if you feel any pain or strain or struggle to sit comfortably, at all. If you feel strain in the tops of your feet against the floor then try putting an extra layer of padding there (towel, or mat). This will be your mission (see waiver below) for a couple of weeks in class. Don’t go back at all while you are kneeling this way. You will find this is a great position for you to prepare you for the next steps. It’s very restorative for the knees and of course your quads feed into the knees so this will help you.

If you are super-comfortable in your kneeling position (and that is the waiver I mentioned!), AND it is only moving your knees apart that causes you discomfort pain or strain – however wide apart the knees – and you still can’t get your bottom down, then can you please do something for me?

Would you please get either cushions at home (eg from your couch, throw cushions or the squab) or rolled up towels or mats in the studio (take them there) and place them under your bottom. The idea is to be able to totally surrender your weight to gravity.

You see, at the moment, you are sitting there trying to go back, and your bottom is not on the floor. While you’re doing that, you’re holding yourself up off the floor to stop the pain in your legs. You’re lifting your hips a bit, your ankles are possibly hurting too. And all this is stopping you from making the progress you want – and need. 😉

So, find a position with your knees apart (not too wide as it is not necessary in this cushion/towel/mat supported position) and ONLY sit there with your back STRAIGHT and VERTICAL. NO GOING BACK. Please do not go back as you will defeat the purpose at this stage. OK?

IF your studio gets a little high and mighty and doesn’t want to let you do this (that’s really just because it’s not in the one-size-fits-all script which your body is not responding to!) then you can do this whole exercise at home. In fact you can sit there in the comfort of your own lounge room or wherever for minutes or extended periods of time, anytime you think of it. The more the better. The trick is to let gravity do the work for you.

The moment you feel you have to support yourself with your hands to stop pain, or anything at all that’s stopping you from surrendering your FULL WEIGHT into the cushions (mats or towels) then know that what you’re doing is not working. What you have to do is to put MORE space between your bottom and the floor. Add in a little more layer and try to surrender again.

Conversely, if you feel very weighty then experiment with taking a layer out by using thinner cushions, or with the mat or towel folded or rolled less bulkily.

Now you have a SYSTEM to improve.

I have used this with countless students and it works every single time. If it’s not working for you then please come back here because it will simply be that I may need to describe the goalposts and method again perhaps in different words. If it’s not that, it could be that you have removed layers too quickly or … we’ll see. I can ask you the right questions and work it out with you. OK?

Just a word of warning. Be aware of any pain in the knees. Know that placing excessive spacing right in behind the knee (touching the back of the knee) can cause ligament damage. So avoid this ever happening and place your cushioning in under the bottom (and top half of the upper leg) and a good several inches away from the back of the knee. If you do feel pain in the knee you should assess if you placed padding too close. The other thing would be to put more padding under the bottom so that you can surrender easily and comfortably without any pain.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello again

So, from your account it seems you are progressing in this pose beyond your present abilities. If you’re willing to go through a process of a few back and forward messages and follow directions I am positive you will be doing this pose without pain before too long. I can’t say how long exactly. But I have used similar methods for countless folk who have advanced beyond their wildest expectations. And that of course means, not just looking good in this pose, but feeling great, and opening up their bodies so that other poses work better for them. What it also means is that your ‘old body’ hehe will feel better in AND outside of the yoga room.

So, are you with me?

First step is this:

Are you able to kneel. Simply kneel. Toes, heels and knees together. Tops of feet on the floor. Just kneel. Back straight. Hands resting on legs. Can you stay there for 3 mins? If you can’t stay there for 3 minutes how long can you stay there for?

If you need your hands on the floor to hold you up or stop something hurting then explain what’s going on, please.

Report back and we’ll take this step by step. 😉

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂