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in reply to: Hand flat no the floor? #4967
Hi Cindy
I thought so, but I just wanted to be sure. 😉
One of the main considerations is that when you push your hand into the floor your are still keeping your shoulder down, so yes I think you are fine doing that. In an effort to get the twisting or certain other circumstances many push into the floor and scrunch up through the neck. Another important barometer is hips firmly and squarely on the floor.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Chronic
I would certainly love to hear the thinking behind this belief. I was trawling the net to see what popular opinion is and I just found a whole lot of repeated stories from 2 sides of the fence. I could not find anything close to what you were referring to.
The main one (and I am simply reporting not giving my opinion) was wash it off straight away because sweat clogs pores. The other side came from people giving their opinion and experience about sweat and acne. Still no one can agree whether you should wash it off or leave it there – it seems to be very personal. All information found was anecdotal. And I am yet to find any scientific, trial based information that talks about allowing sweat to dry on the face. Nothing wrong with anecdotal information (after all, much of the excitement around hot yoga benefits is based on people’s subjective stories) but it is certainly the way that much misinformation is generated and spread if it is based on hearsay or simply regurgitated untested so called facts.
I look forward to hearing and learning from you and perhaps hearing others’ opinions and what works for them. FWIW: I never wipe sweat regardless of conditions. It doesn’t bother me if it dries and it often does before I get to the shower. And what works for me and makes sense to me is that after my practice I have a very brief shower with water and no soap just to rinse off the sweat.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hand flat no the floor? #4961Hi Cindy
When you say the ball of the hand do you mean the heel of the palm where your wrist attaches? Or do you mean where you fingers attach to the palm?
If I understand you correctly then I think what you are doing is just fine. You are trying to externally rotate your arms in this pose.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Doing pranayama pose outside the hot yoga studio #4951Hi Tasha
I sometimes do the Pranayama breathing exercise from the beginning of class, in my office! You don’t need to do it in the heat. It is a great way to build your breathing potential as well as center yourself. A great way to settle emotional upsets and bring you into the present moment too.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Chronic
Oh dear! That old problem is still a big and prevalent one.
I have no experience with infrared heaters but I do know that they have been commented on in a number of posts. What I did was simply put the word ‘infrared’ in the search facility and came up with these posts on heating at home! I hope they can point you in the right direction and give you some answers.
In the meantime you may get some responses from others in the forum (who either have a good solution for home studio heating, or maybe even some words from people who attend a studio with infrared heating).
Let us know what you decide to to!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Very sore left lateral heel & left gluteal. #4941Hi oaklyn
I am hoping you can give me some more details!
You mention your heel hurts. Is it ONLY in Standing Head to Knee? Is it only on the outside of the heel (as mentioned in the topic header)? Does it feel worse when you lift your leg up perhaps because the outside of the foot gets more weighted?
Do you pigeon toe your feet in Standing Sep Leg Intense Stretch? Are your legs straight or bent in this pose?
Is it only your left butt that hurts in Sep Leg Head to Knee? And at what point does it hurt in the pose?
I am of the opinion that the yoga will fix most things – but not all. You appear convinced that something is not working for you. Listen to that voice.
I would really appreciate knowing more so if you are willing to share more details that would be great.
In particular note the poses where you are feeling pain in your left heel, left gluteals and left knee, when you notice the problem and anything else you deem relevant.
I know these challenges are important commitments that are not made lightly. It is an external commitment that doesn’t take into account injuries and worsening conditions. You may not like to hear this (and I baulk at even typing it) but there may be a time where you have to honor the commitment you have to yourself and acknowledge that there are more important things at stake!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Working into this pose!!! #4937Hi freiamaya
Reading your response I think I can add something more and give you a hierarchy of rules to follow. That way you will know exactly what to do when. Coincidentally someone posted about this same pose yesterday. I figured you would gain a lot from incorporating that advice into your action plan!!! ‘Torqued’ made me realize that you may need the use of the wall! Sometimes it is worth standing next to the wall if the risk of falling is great.
So in review:
Work on locking out your leg. Stand upright with the fingers interlocked at the knee, arms relaxed and straight, letting the leg hang against your hands with relaxed foot. Work like crazy on locking your leg so that it becomes second nature. This should be quite a stable and comfortable position so get back to me if it is not.
I would now see how it is to do second set standing upright, arms hanging by your sides, with the leg at right angles for a while to build core and hip flexor strength. 30 seconds is challenging enough. 😉
Once you can do all that, try bending over. After the training in points 1 and 2 you will probably have learned balance. But just in case, move to the wall. Don’t lean against it. Just stand inches away so that you can put an arm against it to steady yourself at that moment of need. If you have to put a hand on the wall the whole pose then you need to go back to step 1 and 2.
and just for completeness here are those other 2 points from my last answer, again:
When you start rounding over to attempt the hands under foot, instead of putting your hands on your shin which forces it backward, try gently laying your flat hands, thumbs forward on the sides of your lower leg, either near your calves or your ankles. You will be surprised at how light your touch can be and still afford you support and stability.
Suck in that stomach, draw in that core, keep your spine protected and feel the toning your mid-section.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: cannot reach my feet #4934Hi Torqued
Caught your other message!!! :cheese:
You are so right. If the wall will help you out short term so that you can practice balance without the risk of falling then I am all for it. It is very reassuring to know that you won’t hurt yourself. It doesn’t take long at all to cement the new activity and make it a good habit. Then you can move away from the wall and shift your focus to deepening other aspects of the pose!
Congrats and thanks for sharing that with us.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Working into this pose!!! #4926Hi Freiamaya
Thanks for posting.
I am pleased to read about your experimentations. What have your instructors told you to do by the way?
That first exercise you mentioned is a good one to try again. You noticed you were leaning backward while standing there with locked leg and the other leg at right angles. This is an extremely challenging position that you were trying. In fact I challenge ANYONE to stand there for 60 seconds with their leg up in perfect alignment without rounding over to hold the foot. You will really strengthen the muscles of both legs in this way, and particularly feel your hip flexors.
I would encourage you to try that same position again with the aim of staying upright (and not leaning backward). It is little wonder that you found ways to make it easier for you. 😉
The problem with grabbing the shin is that you really can’t easily keep the leg at right angles. The pressure of your hands on the shin will naturally force the lower leg back so that the angle is less than 90 degrees.
Have you ever tried standing upright and grabbing your relaxed bent up leg just below the knee (with straight arms)? It is certainly an interim step.
Funny thing is that you would probably find part 2 (extended leg) easier for you because your torso lifts. However the issue is FIRSTLY in getting there.
So get back to me and maybe try the following things.
>> Focus on standing leg strength.
>> Get some MORE practice bending up the leg and standing completely upright (not backwards) for 60 seconds. You have to keep your core strong to do this so this training is invaluable.
>> Bend up the leg and instead of putting your hands on your shin which forces it backward, try gently laying your flat hands, thumbs forward on the sides of your lower leg, either near your calves or your ankles. You will be surprised at how light your touch can be and still afford you support and stability.
>> Suck in that stomach, draw in that core, keep your spine protected and feel the toning your mid-section. 😉Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: hip and bones update #4923Great news about the meds.
You’re just going from strength to strength. Woo hoo!Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: hip and bones update #4921Hi Amy
Thought I would just experiment with the online chat function first – no one there (except Robert and I only have to walk down the hall to see him!).
Robert’s whole leg episode predates his yoga experience. I don’t know if that would have any bearings on anything. Methinks that you have put your leg through a much greater range of motion during your rehab than Robert simply due to your respective exercise choices. I imagine this means a slightly different set of circumstances. I think you are on the right track when it comes to your healing ‘schedule’. Your yoga practice has definitely sped things up for you. The hardware in your leg supports your healing but it also gets in the way of it to some degree. As Robert noted that his comfort and function improved when it was just him in there! :cheese:
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: tight shoulders and neck! #4905Hi Kirsten
I am happy that your awareness in this area is already giving you some good results.
Much of the asymmetry in your poses will even out with a regular frequent practice where you focus on alignment and not depth. Your issue could have something to do with the shoulders and neck and equally it could have been generated further down the spine. For example your spine might be affected by a slight twist or curve (I find my Half Moon to the left is more difficult to align everything because of a scoliosis condition which resolves more and more the more frequently I practice). What I am saying is that the effect of a problem does not always accurately reflect the cause.
As you may have read in other posts about necks is that pain and discomfort can be quite fear-inducing when it comes to dropping the head back. If you can’t do this or haven’t tried this before then simply stay in the starting position in the first backbend with the head dropped back. The idea is to drop it back, look backward, arms over head and allow yourself to let your head’s full weight go back. It is important to use the eyes. You will gain confidence and little by little you can go back further. Always come back to a position where there is NO TENSION in your neck and shoulders and for the moment don’t worry about your arms. Just bring them back to the point where your shoulders stay down.
I have a technique that I use routinely with this problem but I won’t share it here because it really needs to be shown and it is important that it is not misinterpreted. If anyone is interested then please PM me.
A very important thing for you to focus on is your technique in Pranayama breathing. Your ability to do this correctly will open your neck safely. Check out the posts on Pranayama here, also paying attention to your shoulders. If you haven’t already then my video called A Transformational Technique For Your Practice would really help you out especially if you can apply it routinely.
Let me know how you go with this and how your neck tension is resolving.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: help for a newbie to this pose! #4902Hi Kirsten and outward1
Great to see that resolved! Kirsten, if I can add that for any arms over head exercise for you, take those principles you learned in Half Moon (referred to in your other post) and apply them. Any place where you feel tension is worthy of your immediate attention (despite any instruction you may hear which as outward1 says should be heard by you as applying to others!). Look after this single element and your whole life will change. Sounds dramatic – but this is the place where most people express their tension, in their head, neck and shoulders!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Scoliosis in upper back and neck #4891Hi Mark
I don’t know if you realize this but I have a scoliosis too. Strange but true. 😉
It almost completely disappeared with a very regular and very frequent practice – and especially when I did 99 classes in 60 days at Bikram teacher training years ago.
You will find some points of interest in this post about Scoliosis and if you want to find out more then use the search facility at the top of the page. Use any word or combination of words.
As far as continuing your chiropractic treatment it could really be worth a try to go as often as you can for a month (or more) and see how you feel and what changes you can feel in your body (and as you say, consider not making appointments). Your chiropractor may also notice much change.
You do have to go A LOT. Try going 5 times minimum and even try 6+ classes per week. I know this approach really worked for me and the effects were noticeable very early on. So NO I don’t think you are being unrealistic at all. I had no idea my body was going to change. Now you can supercharge your intention and your consciousness about the impending change. Remember alignment is key and great mindfulness is necessary. Don’t push yourself to get depth, work your best alignment and check into your body at all times.
Having answered many personal emails about scoliosis I can PROMISE you that the results I have heard from others with even really severe problems have started correcting within a number of classes. If only I had known I would have this fab forum I would have kept all those emails. One that I fondly remember is a woman with terrible problems – her scoliosis was very severe and the torsion in her upper body twisted her body and even made breathing difficult. She wrote back to me and said that her dance teacher commented to her (without her knowing she was going to yoga) that her chest was more open and her body more upright. And that was only after 4 classes.
I am not sure why Rabbit or Cobra would be the only poses to avoid. You mention that you don’t feel limited by your spine. Maybe it would be worth finding out what is in your doc’s mind for him to say that. Get specifics! If not Cobra why is Camel OK? We would both need more information on that advice if you think you need to go down that path.
You seem to have a good handle on what your limitations are and you will definitely benefit greatly with practice!
Come back and tell us your thoughts.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: pregnancy and hot yoga #4890Hi Annie
Congratulations!
Even though you didn’t practice or teach hot yoga during your first pregnancy, your body has acclimatized to the heat before. The conditions in your current studio appear safe to me (that is my opinion). If you haven’t practiced yet in the heat then the gentle way to do that would be to teach a few classes. Then go practice.
Regarding cooler conditions: is there a window that you can open even a millimeter? Is there a door under which fresh air can pass that you can position yourself close to? I know to those out there who aren’t pregnant that those ideas seem really trivial but believe me sometimes a girl has just got to have some air. There is an enormous amount going on in there. Mind you, I only remember requiring the air in my first couple of months. It was quite amusing: I was teaching and I lay down on the floor where it is already cooler, next to the door to get the cool air flowing around me!
After that there were no problems for me. Maybe we will read some responses from other hot yoga mamas!
BTW: the red flags were warnings probably based on fear and ignorance. And as you know those strong opinions usually come from people who have usually not ever practiced in a hot room before, let alone been pregnant in a hot room!
As with anyone, if you don’t drink enough, if your diet is not supplying you with what you need then you must supplement. Drink plenty. Maybe you will consider taking a special pregnancy supplement. That is certainly up to you.
There are – as you say – other posts about pregnancy and even teaching hot yoga during pregnancy that apply to you.
Now the decision is up to you.
Do what feels right Annie
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Rotating shoulders #4884Hi Feenix
The important element that will make the difference for you is to externally rotate your arm – both lower as well as upper arm. This rotation is what you saw in the arm of the first contestant of that video. It is a long video of almost 90 minutes so I only watched the example you referred to. What he did do which in my opinion was overdoing it a bit, was to swing the whole body to the side, along with his arm so that the hip moved significantly. As a result both hips were no longer aligned. So in fact the movement that you saw with the shoulder was an exaggerated movement that you can emulate (but also try to do it without involving a twist of the hips).
Your kicking leg will help that movement. Nothing wrong at all with starting that way – I know we do it at our studio. It is certainly a worthwhile extension of turning your hand out to the side.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Getting in and out of Savasana #4883Hi Carolyn
It may be that for a couple of poses you could be introducing too much unnecessary movement. Often the teacher will tell you to “come up and kneel at the top of the towel”. This means that not only must you get on all fours and crawl up to the top of the mat, but when you are finished you have to crawl backwards or come back to the center of the mat again before lying down. I am pretty sure you can (almost if not completely) avoid the pain that this is causing.
Try this: do your sit-up and turn around. Wherever your knees are, do the pose there. Then when you are finished the pose, sit back down, roll onto one hip, turn around where your bum is and extend your legs where they are and then lie down. Job’s done!
You shouldn’t have much work on your knees at all.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Position of the head and neck during pranayama #4879:cheese:
It’s all in the wording isn’t it?When you said arms over you head I imagined straight arms over your head rather than just ‘elbows up’. 😆
Now I also realize that you were looking at the photos on my other website quickfityoga.
Is it at all possible that your adjustment was to cross your thumbs when your elbows were together either at the beginning of the exercise or at the end of an exhale?
The most important thing is that you keep your fingers completely interwoven right down to the ‘webbing’. I am pretty sure that EVERYONE (without injury) can do that. But as you say, with differently proportioned hands the thumbs can behave differently across the board.
For example if I keep my thumbs crossed the whole time then my elbows barely get to the height of my shoulders (my arms get to a horizontal position). And if I try to get them up further then my shoulders rise up and cause cramping. This goes against the whole aim of the pose. I don’t have short thumbs but I have very long hands so there is no way to keep them crossed.
I suggest you start with crossed thumbs at the beginning of the exercise and then keep your fingers interlocked. Then as your elbows come up, keep focus on the sensation of your fingers contacting at the base. There is a gentle force you need to apply to keep your hands together at these points. This will help you create the leverage in the movements of this pose particularly as you coordinate the movement of the head and arms in unison. That force will help you open your neck safely and with control (because of the pressure against the jaw) and will allow you to open up your shoulders.
When it comes to your thumbs, allow them to slide apart maintaining that finger contact I described. Most people can’t keep them touching, let alone crossed. Robert for example, can get his elbows up and his thumb tips will JUST overlap. There is no way at all I could do that.
They will slide apart to some degree for everybody (anatomical fact – but willing to be shown pictures that refutes it 😉 ) so on the exhale keep those finger bases together and allow the thumbs to slide back over each other to be definitely and actively crossed by the time you have finished your exhales.
Part of the aim of the exercise is to open the shoulders and the neck and build control and strength in the muscles. You can’t do that by limiting the travel of your arms by keeping your thumbs crossed. Try it!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Position of the head and neck during pranayama #4876Hi again!
So which pose are you referring to because the arms don’t go above the head in Pranayama. Are you perhaps referring to Half Moon?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Position of the head and neck during pranayama #4873Hi Jesi
Thanks for posting! I took a look at the photo – well I think I was looking at the photo to which you are referring and I can see her thumbs interlocked. You are talking about the top photo aren’t you?
Yes I agree with Bikram (of course!): when you bring your elbows together at the end of the exhalation your thumbs should be crossed. I certainly couldn’t physically keep my thumbs crossed with my arms up near my ears. 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Jordana
How would you feel about trying to wear your occlusal splint for longer? In fact, if it is well fitted (and yes they need adjustments sometimes) you will get used to it and love the feeling of relaxation you get in your jaws. It is generally recommended that you wear these things for at least 14 hours a day. Pretty much just take it out when you are eating.
As for Standing Head to Knee I don’t know enough about what you are doing to give you anything constructive. I would be happy to go down that path with you. If it is related to your TM joints then we can continue chatting here. Otherwise we could ‘take’ this conversation to the poses section! 😉
As for Rabbit, if head and knees touching is great if you can manage it but there are many other parts of the technique that are vital too. We can pull this one apart too.
There is lots of information on both these poses at Standing Head to Knee posts and Rabbit posts. And these may help you work out if your issues have been talked about before.
Happy to help, so just ask away – with specific details because I can’t see you! :cheese:
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Jordana
A well-fitted occlusal splint is designed to remove the guiding influences of your teeth, lengthen your muscles around your mouth and direct your jaw into a position that will encourage the dissolving of stress in the head, neck and shoulders. And of course you can’t grind your teeth when you have it on! The longer you have it on the better.
When are you and aren’t you wearing your splint? Are you wearing your splint during class? And what do you notice about those 2 poses that makes it difficult for you?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: hot yoga for hearing impaired #4859Hi Chet
Thanks! There is absolutely no reason why any hearing impaired person can’t keep going to yoga! You may need to do some study out of the studio to bone up on what you have to do so you don’t have to look around to learn. And yes my manual would be great for that because it has the photos of the techniques and equally important many of the mistakes are pictured as well.
The operations I had were stapedectomies where just about all of each of the stapes was removed. I had each op one year apart. A super-tiny piston was implanted into the ear to re-establish some sound conductive capabilities in the ear.
I am going to give some details about the situation for completeness.
Very basically and without too much detail at all, we hear because of sensory neural input (through sound that is processed purely through the cochlear and the auditory nerve) and also conduction of vibrations through the bones (these are the lower frequency sounds).
I have both kinds of loss. The sensory neural loss which I self-diagnosed a few years ago (thanks to the internet, because the specialist didn’t work it out) as being caused by the mumps when I was about 7. I didn’t realize I was half deaf in that ear until pregnancy decades later! I was however aware from that age that I had tinnitus ‘in’ that ear.
Pregnancy is an extremely common cause of hearing loss (from minor to major loss) and it is due to the hormonal effects on the ossicles in the ear. The hammer, anvil and stirrup ankylose or harden and no longer freely vibrate (they no longer conduct vibrations). For me the conduction loss was severe and for some reason too, I also occasioned much sensory neural loss in the mumps affected ear at that time. For some reason the other ‘good’ ear also suffered much loss and I ended up being almost stone deaf in both ears. The most dramatic loss happened over a 6 month period 5 or 6 years ago.
Luckily for me my first implant (different specialist btw) was a good success. So a year later I had the other ear operated on. Before the ops I could not hear without my hearing aids. This made going to class a new learning experience. Now with my lower frequency hearing re-established I can hear without my aids. Speech however is basically higher frequency sounds so for fuller comprehension I must wear my aids.
Losing and then recovering my hearing has been an incredible journey. It has really given me an understanding of the brain and the difficulties one can have processing sounds and making sense of them. Having hearing aids has an immediate positive effect on my tinnitus and of course in being able to comprehend speech.
If anyone is reading this and thinks they may have some hearing loss then I thoroughly recommend going to an audiologist and getting your ears tested. Hearing aids these days are almost invisible (mine hang behind the ear and still no one ever sees them!) and you can test them out in a surgery without even needing a mold (impression) taken. Being able to hear again was a huge gift and I am grateful for it daily!
If this forum can help someone to take the steps to improve their hearing then that would be great. I remember that a student of mine had poor hearing in his right ear. This meant that he cocked his head so that one ear was closer to the source of sound. His whole body was contorted by this activity and cemented his posture into an asymmetrical position where lots of problems occurred as a result. Coming to yoga for him was initially quite challenging.
If you are someone who feels that they are ‘one step behind the conversation’ or no longer feels comfortable in noisy environments (dining out is no longer fun) or you hear something and say ‘what’ and while the person is repeating it realize what they were saying after all (but just really needed a second or 2 extra to work it out) then please get your ears checked. It could change your life!
Anyone else out there with a story? I am so happy to have this topic on the forum.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: hot yoga for hearing impaired #4856Hi mumsie
Are there other hearing impaired students out there????
Yes! ME 😉
It’s an amazing coincidence but I have just this week had a similar conversation with a woman who had hearing in one ear and then through an unfortunate turn of events lost her remaining hearing.
It is VERY common for people to have to watch what others are doing to get their cues. Much of the time initial techniques are gained this way regardless of ability to hear, see or learn. So for the hearing impaired using visual cues is almost unavoidable. As you have realized there are times when you can’t see what others are doing either because of visual focus, or because the angle of vision means you can’t glean the details to work out precisely what is being done. This goes for anyone: what you see may or may not be what is best to do.
I do believe you can enjoy the benefits of a public class even if you can’t understand the teacher. You can take advantage of the heat, the group experience. Each class for you will be an exercise in attention to your breath, your own practice and your mindfulness of the practice of each pose within your practice. You won’t have the conscious mind distraction of hearing what is being said so in fact your class could be harder for you to stay focused. Your job will be to keep your presence and stay away from auto-pilot as much as you can. This is where you can use the manual to your benefit – to create your in-class instruction.
You don’t need to read the manual all at once. Now that you know the basics of what is required of you in terms of order of poses, you can now read the manual a bit at a time (per pose, or a couple of poses at a time). Increasing your awareness of what is required step by step will aid you enormously. The techniques you learn in one pose are not quarantined to that pose. The principles cross over.
I could hear well enough to learn the series long before I lost the lion’s share of my hearing a 6 years ago. When it was at its worst, (and I couldn’t wear my aids during class) and before I had my operations which restored much of my ability to hear, I had to use my peripheral vision and at times had to turn my head to work out the timing of entry and exit of some of the poses. Still I did enjoy my classes. After a while I recognized that I became attuned to the energy shifts in class so that my timing was pretty much spot on.
There are times I don’t get the timing quite right and I just commit to whatever action I have started. If I am coming out early or late, I just do it and do it with integrity. I don’t care about what anyone thinks. I just do the best I can. No apologies! So enjoy it! It’s your yoga.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂PS Thanks for the feedback on my manual :cheese:
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