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in reply to: Hip Replacement and Eagle Pose #5659
Hi Heather
No apologies for the long post required! Those kind of details are really appreciated.
I actually think you have it nailed despite your lack of neural feedback. Learning your best well-aligned position, getting your wrap without going too low is what I would also suggest. You won’t be sinking as deeply into your hips or sitting so heavily with your upper leg surrendering onto your balancing leg but with square hips and upright body you are doing a great job!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Thoracic Scoliosis! #5658Hi Andrew
You make some valid points. How do you put your mind on alignment at the same time as letting go?
With a mild scoliosis condition I do believe you can pay a moment’s attention to your alignment and then surrender to the floor. What you can be doing is following your breath and noticing what you notice in your body in regard to your alignment.
Maybe I can tell you what I do:
>> I fix my alignment by momentarily checking my legs AS I LIE DOWN and this is usually all it takes.
>> As I sit here answering your question, I realize I rarely have to second guess the position (check it) because I place my feet in position, my bottom slides back to the right spot. As I maneuver myself I automatically make any necessary adjustments and then I roll my torso down to the floor.
>> As I am now attuned as to how correct position feels, I can test it every once in a while (maybe once every … maybe, 30 – 50 Savasanas) by lifting my head up for an instant (or more correctly I check it before I put my head down).
>> Once I am in alignment I surrender to my Savasana. My job is then to breathe and take inventory.For me, when I surrender to the habitual pattern in my body which can be comfortable (of course) then I am more likely to notice that I am not in alignment. The mindfulness starts as you moving into your position. Your Savasana is not lie back and ignore your body! 😉
Actually I just recently wrote about this here: Feet Together for Savasana?. Please take a look at the post I made in particular the longer of the 2 of my posts which is in response to a yogi who says he is not even aware what his feet are doing!
You want to teach your body how it should feel to be in alignment. Over time it feels normal (especially with a mild condition) and your body starts to use your muscles in balance.
Your meditation is actually enhanced if you can focus on your breath, and all the while scan your body and be totally dispassionate (not react) to what you feel. This will have far reaching benefits. Notice the tensions, notice the softness, notice how your heels touch the floor, notice how one hip is higher than the other, notice how certain parts of your spine contact preferentially on the floor and notice your breath. Don’t try to correct yourself any further, trust your alignment is fine, don’t judge anything, just notice.
On a different note, if you have just done some lovely work in your poses which are helping you realign your body, then perhaps lying in Savasana in poor alignment could be partially undoing your work. Would love to know what you think!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: hot yoga for hearing impaired #5657Hi moonblue
With respect to your hearing and your other post about knees etc, I am wondering if you think that there are things you are missing from your practice because of your hearing. If you are predominantly relying on your visual skills, sometimes not enjoying the delivery of the class and not able to pick up pose distinctions either because they just aren’t there or because you don’t hear them, then perhaps there are ways to improve your practice through other means. The forum is a good start, reading others’ posts, posting your own and so on … 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: yes – it's another knee inquiry #5656Hi moonblue
In general if you have good technique and no predisposition to a problem (any problem) then the yoga shouldn’t worsen something and it shouldn’t cause a condition.
I am quite particular about the care and attention to the approach to yoga poses (and hence the existence of this website and my manual and pose tutorials). It is possible that there are techniques that you have been using that have not supported your body the best way possible. I cannot tell from the limited interaction we have had so far. I am happy to continue down that track with you. Let me know what you are thinking!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: yes – it's another knee inquiry #5649Howdy moonblue
It seems that although sports injuries through weight bearing and torsional movements as well as general age related degeneration are the main culprits, it is possible that yoga may have caused it.
You’ve been yoga-ing for 3 years and your condition has developed during that time. Is there any other activity that you feel could be responsible? For example you could have jumped down heavily from a height for some reason!
Robert (my hubby) has a torn meniscus and he also has to avoid practicing one side of tree pose in the classic Bikram way, he has to put the sole of his foot against his inner thigh. And for floor head to knee he has to leave his left leg extended out a little to the side instead of bending it in for the first side.
The above are just examples for you so you know how you can modify a pose if you need to.
Are you thinking of corrective surgery? Or will you let it ride for a while?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: other knee injury #5647Hi Lisa
Thanks for copying all that from the Pose Gallery.
What I think might be best is for you to do as you said, and kneel in Supta Vajrasana. In the meantime I would like you to focus on a few things so you can come back here with more observations:
>> lift up through your ankle in Standing Head to Knee and make sure you are not sinking in toward the midline. Probably for the moment, unless you are proficient at it, stay in the first part and don’t kick out. Let me know if you need the link for my video on alignment.
>> In Standing Bow I don’t know how deeply you go into this pose but do the same as described above and work on solid hip and leg alignment and don’t be concerned about the depth at all. Kick back and up preserving your hip alignment. I have a feeling your left hip may be rotating.
>> I am not sure about what is going on in Camel. But as this next week to 10 days is about noticing I am pretty sure you will find some more distinctions for us both to focus in on. Sometimes all you need is a conservative approach, that restorative kneel and to look after yourself in terms of good alignment to get back on track. You can determine in time if you need to have it further investigated professionally to rule out torn meniscus, ligament problems etc.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: The teacher AND my practice #5646Hi Spring
Well I think that it sounds as if you are on the way to more comfortably organizing your thoughts and feelings on the issue.
Even though they can mean the same things, ‘giving in’ and ‘surrender’ have different resonance. In the context of your yoga practice: Giving in to me means against your will. Surrender is more about moving with the flow and doing what is asked of you safely and in a way that works with 100% trust, not just of yourself but of your environment (physical conditions of heat and humidity, position in the room, the teacher, the instructions etc).
It seems to me that for those 3 things listed above that you ‘cross the line’ from surrender to a position that compromises your values, not to mention your safety.
Does that sit well for you when I say it like that? Perhaps there is a better way to describe it.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: The teacher AND my practice #5638Hi Juliana
My point exactly. A great proportion of this forum is about technique. And it IS open to discussion. It is about adults having courteous discussion without taking issue with others’ personalities or actions. I appreciate you love Bikram yoga. Will you kindly accept that I do too? I can also appreciate that you want to contribute. And you ARE welcome to. I would like to request some curiosity and some willingness to see things in a different light. Curiosity is a vital technique to living too, you know. Without curiosity we will accept what is and not move forward.
I do feel saddened that it seems you do take my words personally. One of the powerful sayings I quoted before is something I can certainly recommend to anyone: “What you think of me is none of my business”. If you felt at all upset by what I wrote then you are taking something personally and it is an area for examination. If you find yourself wanting to have the last word or feel angry about something then it is not my ‘stuff’ for want of a better phrase.
I have faith that we can move forward from here.
I leave you to enjoy your day!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: The teacher AND my practice #5634Hi Spring
It is very frustrating isn’t it? To be told to do something that simply doesn’t make sense.
2. The sit-up. Today a teacher spent quite a bit of time telling us to exhale twice after we’d dived for the feet. Each sit-up he reiterated and then had someone demonstrate. I continue to exhale on the way up to “L-sit” and then again as I move forward. The teacher was very frustrated that we weren’t following his specific direction.
Let’s see. To do that the version 2.0 way 😉 you must inhale your arms up over your head while you are lying down and presumably you must have to sit up either
>> on your inhale and then ‘double exhale’. Or
>> inhale to position your arms and then hold your breath, sit up and then ‘double exhale’
>> inhale to position your arms exhale and quickly inhale so that you have time to ‘double exhale’ after you’ve sat up (or maybe that’s a triple exhale 😆 )>> OR maybe you could inhale and use one inhale to engage your core and get up off the ground safely and then second exhale to bring your body forward, again, safely.
It is empowering to do it in a way that works for the body. It is a challenge to do what’s right for your body when someone is dogmatically pushing for what you know is an inferior technique. As you say, it doesn’t usually matter. So … I would be curious about what you are feeling and needing at the moment when you think you should give in. That is your key! That is your meditation and where you will find your peace. We can explore that together if you like.
In my experience it doesn’t just feel strange Juliana, it feels wrong. Perhaps you can take your own advice and try it for 30 days. 😉 The truth is, that when students do it the way I teach they instantly feel it works. They don’t have to wait 30 days. It doesn’t just apply to the sit-up but it is a generalized principle that is useful in a number of poses.
I also don’t believe that there is room in your heart and mind for me and what I teach. I feel saddened by what I perceive to be public admonishments for me and what I do despite an overwhelming public response and acceptance and widespread acknowledgment from teachers and students who enjoy the addition I make to the hot yoga community.
I see your name on the forum and I know that I can look forward to an amusing attempt to take a dig at me personally. I have not done this to you and nor will I. There are others who don’t agree with me and who do so with an enquiring mind. I warmly accept their ideas and we debate them and work out what works. I will change my mind if given sound, reasonable, anatomical and functional reasons to do so. And yes I will try new and old techniques.
Your loyalty to Bikram is your business. Your opinion is yours too. Your opinion of me is also your business. As is famously said: What you think of me is none of my business.
What is it inside of your heart that wants to make sure that you share your poor opinion of me with everyone not just here but on other websites. At least here I can be grateful that your opinions here are toned down.
I have a request: I would like to allow people to be who they are, would you be willing to do the same for people here? If you want to contribute to this forum, please do so with respect and courtesy for everyone.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: complete locust pose #5628Hi Richard
It must feel great for you to be able to do that pose.
I am sure you will know from your own experience that it does take great strength, upper body and core strength included, to get into the “full version”. There is a point in that travel where it ceases to be just about strength but also includes quite a bit of surrender and flexibility (once your legs start to bend and to get your feet near or on your head). This is where you are not fighting to keep your legs up against gravity. And also that upward travel of the legs has some momentum as they legs pass through the angles of effort through to where gravity assists the fall on the ‘other side of the hill’.
What you say is partly correct: it’s neither one nor the other. :cheese: It can be that the person photographed has not yet sufficient strength to get to the “full” version and it can also be that they choose to continue the challenge by holding the body at that angle from the floor.
There is no direction to keep the sternum on the floor. Those students who are able to go into the full version of this pose are not supposed to do it on their first set and only tend to attempt it on the second. Both parts of the pose challenge the student differently.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hip Replacement and Eagle Pose #5625Aahhhh
I remember what else I included:
What you are doing is an excellent way to deal with your issue in the meantime. Great thinking! :cheese: And it’s perfect for continuing that way if you discover that your prosthesis or hip or any anatomical structure is at risk. It is worth really knowing if that is the case.
If you are willing to answer those questions in the above post then that would be great.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Feet Together for Savasana? #5624Hi Barky
Here are some thoughts that occurred to me on reading your comment.
There are people who do lie with a lot of tension in their bodies WHILE they are in Savasana. You can see tension through their hips and legs right down through their toes with their feet together. To give them the formula to find a good position in Savasana means they can learn a triggered state of relaxation. Feet together and toes fall out is one such formula.
I do think there other dimensions to Savasana and to discover them is part of one’s individual journey in yoga and self-discovery.
The ability to recognize that your body is in its relaxed (or tensed) state and the ability to let go of the tension in the body, all the while being patently aware of the sensations felt right throughout are actually important skills that one can learn and practice.
Meditation practices teach mastery of the mind among other things! There are ways to learn to meditate that result in shallow to very deep results. In this case a heightened awareness of the position of your body and feet (and the rest of your body) plus the awareness of your breath in and out of the body is a skill of meditation that is learned over time that allows you to deepen mind body connection. This is ultimately a major aim of one’s yoga practice.
It is possible to lie there and be oblivious to what your feet are doing. In doing so, I wonder whether that brings on a trance state which means an inability to truly tune into the body.
Wondering what might be in store for you if your awareness was more attuned to what is going on and to focus the mind rather than letting go – which was a not-so-subtle challenge for you! 😉 Letting go is something that I love to do at the end of class in final Savasana but during class I want to be more ‘mindful’. What do you think?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Gabrielle – Questions about Pada/Paschimo tutorial #5623Hi Jen
Thank you for your feedback. Let’s have a discussion!
I believe that looking down at the floor will add more dimension to the ability to elongate the spine and create more traction (improve the reciprocal inhibition effects). I do see your point about the cranking. I guess however there are students with a rounding element to the spine that would definitely benefit from the extended neck. I would always encourage the eyes to look downward to the floor in this instance. If you see students creating too much effort to do that, then that would be the time to intervene. I am willing to hear more about what you do and why!
You are absolutely right about getting the hips even. It can affect the pose for sure. I find it is more an issue in the legs apart position. Reasons are not just habit, leaning into a hip preferentially, or even relative leg length but the evenness of the pull on the feet and the release of the muscles in the back of the body (particularly the legs). And you got me! It is definitely a worthwhile practical tip to encourage your students to do. Thanks for the reminder. I always like to encourage the hips even position and square at the beginning in set-up before descent And then there is less to correct (as you know!) those tiny corrections are monitored in the room after that.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hip Replacement and Eagle Pose #5622Hi Heather and Amy
About 24 hours ago I posted an answer to this question and I don’t know where it went. So I will write my notes again.
Here’s the gist of what I said:
Heather I wanted to know if you had spoken to your surgeon about what exactly could be the structure that is clicking. It is worth knowing from a mechanical standpoint so that you can work out your envelope of movement. You want to be able to move functionally and without fear that you are doing damage!
I also wondered whether you could tell me where exactly the clicking occurred.
>> Does it happen at the moment you lift the leg off the ground after you are crouching?
>> Does it happen at the moment you cross the upper leg over the balancing leg?
>> Does it happen at the moment you wrap the toes behind the other calf muscle?The only clue to your practice is the words you have offered. I have no idea what your technique is like. It is possible that there are elements of your practice in this pose that could be putting your at risk? (There is information in the forum, in the manual and even more in the pose tutorials.) It may be worth the trouble to check the forum as a first port of call. Check out things like your initial crouching position.
I believe that the ceramic prostheses are the most hard wearing over time. Check whether it is indeed a coating or if the whole component is ceramic. But the wear on the surface is many, many times less than the metal or other materials. I would find out what the click actually is.
I think I included everything from the initial post.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Suzy
Hydration is fairly simple to work out because you can use the color of your pee! This becomes a bit difficult if you are taking vitamins that make it bright yellow of course. Another way is the frequency of urination (or at least the volume). Your bladder will be able to distend more over time to stop going so often (as some people have that problem).
Knowing if you have enough electrolytes is trickier to work out. Eating well and including a good variety of healthy fresh fruit and vegetables etc can be sufficient. If you practice 8 times per week you would more likely need electrolyte supplementation than someone who practices 1-2 times.
You will probably recognize that you are not dehydrated from the list of signs of dehydration below. But know that over time if you are depleting your supplies of electrolytes you could have problems with firing of skeletal and cardiac muscles. You need Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium etc… You can of course find these things in food. Bananas are a known source of Potassium for example.
Here are some of the signs of dehydration.
Mild dehydration – thirst, dry mouth, dry skin, dark urine (typically small volume), feeling weak or tired, appetite loss (etc)
Severe dehydration – muscle cramps and tingling sensation in the extremities, increases in heart and breathing rate, decreases in sweating and urination, inability to produce tears, fever, headaches. BTW severe cases of dehydration need hospitalization because the situation can rapidly deteriorate and cause coma and death.Packaged coconut water is expensive and is very delicious and satisfying. As you know there are plenty of other electrolyte formulations. I would avoid those bright drinks. What we use is Ultima Replenisher. We used to use Emergen C. The Ultima is naturally derived, costs a little more than the Emergen C but I believe the contents are more bio-available. Both of these (even together) would cost less than a coconut water which makes them much more affordable. And of course, there’s food! :cheese:
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Weight Gain #5608Hello ydk…
I guess I want to ask you if the only reason you are doing the yoga is your weight loss. (I bet you it’s not!). Sometimes being too fixated or attached to a goal can play havoc with your mind and actually rob you of benefits. It can stop you from surrendering to your practice and make you work too hard. If you are really exhausted you deserve a break. Recovery is as much an essential ingredient of your regime as the actual exercise itself.
If you love running then you need to indulge that passion too. Maybe you are someone who needs a bit of both and allow some balance in your approach. Aim for something that is achievable. Maybe commit to 4 or 5 hot yoga classes per week and go for more if you really feel your body can handle it. Then those extra classes will be a bonus. And you won’t feel bad that you are letting yourself down if you can’t make the extra classes.
You have only been going for several weeks and it is worth it to give Bikram yoga a chance. Thousands of other hot yogis can’t be wrong. :cheese:
Come back here for support!!!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Male Fertility? #5607Hi Eli
I would be interested to find out what others have experienced. There are certainly a lot of Dads who are hot yoga students. 😉
In my experience women have had some great experiences with regulating hormonal systems and some have become mothers after being led to believe it was not possible.
Still I have not to date heard any scientific evidence to support or deny your hot yoga query.
Sitting in a hot tub, or even a sauna would put intense heat more in the proximity of your gonads with limited ability to cool down. I am positive that you have more capacity to modulate your temperature in the hot room with the movement and the sweat when you are in a hot room. What resonates with you? Is it something that you are seeking reassurance on and need to know you are doing the right thing by continuing your yoga practice?
I don’t have personal experience in this area. 😉 I hope someone pops by to shed some more light on the subject.
I just did a search on ‘bikram yoga sperm count’ and guess what came up first in the search engines: MY WEBSITE :cheese: Check out this forum posting Getting Pregnant. I hope that helps.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Suzy
Thank you for you lovely post. I am so happy you are enjoying your practice and thrilled that you can get support here at the forum.
Getting into your own groove with this yoga can take time or not! 😉 It really is an individual thing. And also your abilities and your resilience can change from time to time with changes in your life.
I can recall friends and students of mine reporting that their first classes either wiped them out or they felt a certain buzz that energized them for hours or days. You will notice changes, the timetable of those changes will be unique to you.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Feet Together for Savasana? #5600Hi Steve and Suzy
In the hot yoga class you generally do sit-ups to flow into other poses after these Savasana poses. It does give some economy of movement and becomes less distracting if you can simply draw your toes back up and you’re done.
Steve, if your heels come slightly apart as your legs relax into their external rotation, there is no issue with that. Often I will correct the misalignment and draw the whole body into line by starting with the feet (and legs) when the legs are at an angle to the body, but that is less about ensuring heel contact (although that is the direction that we always start with).
Suzy, if your question was about having the toes touching in Savasana, the answer is no, just let your legs totally relax and roll outward from the hips down pivoting around the heels. That is how the heels should theoretically come together and the toes fall apart!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Sol
It seems as though you haven’t yet gone back to hot yoga. I would probably want to know if you are aware of particular movements that tend to exacerbate your condition and produce pain.
Without knowing exactly what kind of FAI, and without knowing your practice strengths and weaknesses it is difficult to say exactly what poses would do you harm or good.
As strength is what you need to build on, a really great starting point would be to check out some precision instructions and techniques. For example you could take a look around the forum. I know that you can definitely become a lot more flexible, but that is not really what you are looking for.
So it pays then to focus on solid alignment before depth. I would start from the ground up and make sure feet are well aligned so that will filter right up through the body. I would ensure your ‘leg lock’ is strong. I would review the blog Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga so that when you apply stretches they don’t strain but open and strengthen at the same time. There are principles that apply across the board in many hot yoga poses.
I am wondering what it would be like for you to go to a few classes with great awareness and as a kind of fact-finding mission. Then come back and ask some questions. You are unlikely to cause problems with a few classes and it would even let you know if it feels right for you to continue. Remember the yoga in itself will not necessarily improve your core strength without you knowing how to activate it yourself (whether consciously or unconsciously). It will help you to find out whether you are able to do that so that you have something to build on.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: very painful Knee #5595Hi Jed
I hear you! Yes, as requested before, please don’t do Toe Stand. Just do your best at Tree pose. Robert actually has to avoid one side by bringing the sole of his foot to his inner thigh (above the knee is what he can do. If you can’t then you put it below and never at the knee, by the way 😉 ).
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: very painful Knee #5593Hi Jed
Robert and I were talking about your knee and the issue the other day and both of us wondered if it might be a torn meniscus. Please come back and tell us what the results of your tests are.
And now I realize I answered your last post in my head and not with a keyboard. From what you have said I meant to post about the possibility of a tear.
Robert has a torn meniscus and has to adapt some poses. I think I will invite Robert to join this conversation.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Bikram for weight loss – any stories for me?! #5589Hi Tasha
So you have lost weight and shape and you can still eat chocolate! Are you enjoying your life and your chocolate? :cheese: I have no answers for the chocolate cravings. Everyone is different. Also I don’t know what you craved either: it could have been a good quality dark chocolate filled with antioxidants or it could have been an ooey gooey Mars bar.
I wonder what the feeling is like in your body with only 1 hot yoga class per week. So many people come to the forum and wonder if they should even bother without the heat. The answer: Of course!!! It just feels better in the heat but then it is better not to get attached to recreating the same sensations all the time.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: alignment concerns #5588Hi Lisa
Here are some questions and answers as a result of your last post. You have covered a number of poses and I wonder if you have searched the forum for your answers yet because many will be here already. Feel free to post in pose specific areas too. It can be helpful to read questions and answers in context.
Please come back and tell me if your renewed regular practice has brought about any improvements.
I would like to look into your hip issue especially with triangle and tree. It would be helpful to get more specific information about what happens and when.
I am pleased to hear your lower back issues with cobra and camel are improving. Just continue to elongate before starting your backbend.
With head to knee – the first time you mention it, are you saying your lower back hurts in the standing pose, the floor pose, or both?
In spinal twist, perhaps you could move your foot a little further away from your knee. Try that and if it doesn’t alleviate pain, come back and give me more of a description! 😉
You also said that your Sit-Up hurts your lower back after Floor Head to Knee. This seems to indicate to me that you could be straining your back in this pose and could also be doing the sit-up incorrectly.
And finally, now that you are back at yoga, how is your neck in Pranayama breathing? Regular practice and working out the mechanics of this pose can often be all it takes. Let me know.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: home heaters #5585Hi yogurt and Lisa
Thanks for that very helpful information. It’s great to have a brand for people to investigate.
The reflective insulation is a very important aspect. In our studios we have covered glass with reflective insulative films by 3M. It reduces loss through the windows. That and double glazing would work a treat!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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