Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)

Hi Annie

OK now I can continue with the rest of my answer!!! 😆

Bikram teacher training is predicated on your ability to recite a particular set of words so that you can be certified as a teacher. You asked for some ideas on how you could best prepare yourself. Here are mine:

Teaching people a yoga class is not a recital, it is a individualized narrative said in the moment to a unique set of students with unique needs. While using the prescribed dialog is the way that Bikram uses to certify you, I do believe you can better prepare yourself so that learning his dialog is even easier, and more importantly makes more sense to you in the process.

Before I went to training, I honestly didn’t realize that I would be asked to just memorize the pages. I thought I would be learning the poses in a different more holistic way. So what I did was listen in class, and even taped a couple of classes with permission from my teachers of course, and I went home and pieced together my own kind of narrative. I literally typed out my own class.

My own pre-work made me understand the poses inside out. I found that a large proportion of people at training got caught up in trying to memorize the exact words and because of it they found it really difficult. They would mostly get stuck and not remember the next line. They weren’t making the connection between the poses and the ‘dialog’. That happens a lot when you try to memorize something without having a ‘hook’ for your memory. What often happens is you start to blurt out your words, get distracted somehow, and then wham, the next word gets lost. You can’t remember that word, you can’t remember the words before because in your memory you have linked everything into one long recital (pose by pose). Find a way to KNOW what you are reciting. When I understood the poses (which is easy when you have the passion!) then memorizing that particular set of words becomes a cinch.

So …

1 Construct your own class based on what you have been taught, pose by pose
2 Break your poses down into process. For example, how to set-up, how to enter, what to do in the pose, how to release.
3 Only once you have finished your homework, go to the ‘dialog’ and read it. It will be infinitely more easy to learn.
4 Here’s the clincher: If you lose your way while reciting your dialog at training (and most people do at some time or another) you will KNOW where you are at, can pick up with your own words. This flow will keep your mind moving and you will remember the ‘dialog’ words and flow back into them seamlessly.
5 When you leave training you will be a better teacher.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Cindy

It doesn’t matter re telling others but as you say it could affect your experience on the day from being internal (and all your own) to external. I wonder about making some requests to the key folk on the lead up. Probably the easiest would be to request the teachers on the day to say nothing to the classes you are in.

Try lying down (whether on your back or on your tummy) and put something to cover your eyes (like an eye pillow or a rolled up towel). That should stop people invading your space.

Re water: If you are not in the habit of drinking in class then you may feel more comfortable not drinking. 😉 For the first class that is. I think that if you have 30 minutes between your classes that that should be sufficient to take quite a significant volume. But keep the water handy just in case you need it in the second class. Have it on hand to drink a mouthful at a few points in the class, if you need to. My guess is that you will be surprised by how your body and mind handle the second class even more easily than the first.

Can’t wait to hear how you go

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Bonnie

Just thought you might appreciate knowing how the forum works. “Most Recent Topics” appear on the top left hand side of the home page of the forum. When you place a new topic it appears up the top of the list (as the most recent). As others post new questions or topics your post will start to drop down from 2nd to 10th most recent topic and then it will disappear off the list.

When you originally posted your topic it appeared up the top.

Your original post was placed in the VIP forum. So while your post is visible on your screen because you are currently a Private Member, it is not visible to general registered members.

I hope that clears it up. Robert and I don’t move posts around unless absolutely necessary (and of course we have never moved yours :cheese:).

Thanks so much for your input! And have loads of fun on your challenge. Keep us posted. 😉

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi yogafan

You know the only way to learn balance is to um, learn balance. In short, the way out of this problem is to do yoga, put yourself in the right alignment and be prepared to fall out as you learn how to create the stability in your body. If you have to stand next to the wall it doesn’t matter. Do what it takes. Just rereading your post, I am wondering if you are supporting yourself on your treadmill. Does this mean that you are practicing exclusively at home. Please let me know.

In my studio we always take a different approach. At the moment your focus is too wide (you are trying to do too many things at once before time). You are working on extending your leg prematurely, and in doing so you are putting your back at risk. My guess is that your hamstrings could be ‘complaining’ and tightening up in an effort to support you.

So my advice to you is this: please do not extend your lifted leg AT ALL until you can safely and properly hold your lifted leg at 90 degrees in correct alignment for the entire 60 seconds. The second picture down in the pose gallery of Standing Head to Knee is the only position you should be practicing right now.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi mtcat

It is interesting that you have noticed that and linked it to your increased practice over only a month. There are many elements of a good healthy diet that usually help nail health. Notable of these are being well enough hydrated plus having enough calcium, zinc, magnesium, vitamins A, B and C and even protein. If the increase in classes is the cause then I am wondering if you have kept the same eating and drinking habits of your less frequent practice or if you have made any changes. If you aren’t already taking some kind of supplement that could help (see above 😉 ). Increasing your raw food component can also help! I am interested to hear your thoughts.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Cindy

Perhaps in an ideal world with an ideal body which has ideal proportions and functionality we could all do that! Don’t worry about it! Lock your knees and squeeze your butt, squeeze your thighs together, point your toes and bring your feet together. Try to square your hips to the ground and see if the tops of your ankles are flat down. And then work on your backbend. :cheese: Over time your heels may come back together (and they may not 😉 ).

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Cindy

Thank you kindly! :cheese:

I really think it is a GREAT idea to mix it up a bit. Go back to the back corner. Then pop yourself in the middle. Sometimes, in a crowded class, stand behind people in a way that you cannot see the mirror and see if you can find your balance by focusing on the body or thing or whatever you find in front of you. Remember to keep the focus off the floor. Your eye will often search for something that is not moving. And in many poses the body in front will be stationary. But if it is not your eyes will learn to soften in their gaze and you will manage!

Actually I have a funny story. When I first started this yoga and before I had my own studio I attended a studio where I was the most frequent practitioner. It didn’t matter at what time I arrived, or how crowded the studio was, people would always scoot over to let me in the front row. I really TRIED to get toward the back or in the middle and they wouldn’t ‘let’ me despite protestations of ‘it’s OK’ or ‘no thanks’. 😆

For some reason, and I don’t know why, being in the front row in a Bikram or hot yoga class seems to be some kind of badge of honor. That is actually something I don’t agree with because it is divisive and also a little too ego-driven. It IS helpful for a first timer to be behind regular practitioners (and I will place them in full sight behind a regular or 2 in such a way that they don’t need to look around, plus the benefit of being behind others is that they get to see the front and back of a pose thanks to the mirror). I don’t however like to tell people who have been only several times that they have to go to the back row so that the regulars can have the mirror. Hmmmm… went off track just a touch. 😉 So, move around and enjoy the difference.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Rubstar and Amy

And I would add that if you are numb or have tingly sensations then you could be low on some of your essentials (which would replenish with an electrolyte supplement as Amy has suggested). Incorrect levels of Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium mean your muscles and your heart (amongst other things) don’t function optimally!

Rubystar if you were to do a class of Ashtanga right now how would your jump throughs be and other movements of a similar nature? Easy? Or have you lost some core muscle tone since your surgery? I am curious to know…

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi kjeffery

You aim for what you term ‘normal breathing’. You will notice that your tummy doesn’t quite stay distended because of the full torso stretch the further up your arms get. But yes, belly out on inhale, suck it in on the exhale.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Erica

Yes it has been answered before but no matter! Here goes: better to do yoga in no heat than no yoga at all. :cheese:

The heat does make it more satisfying and ‘better’ because you can go more deeply into poses and more safely too. You may not have a heater but close the windows and maybe wear clothing that covers you a bit more. You will be sweating before long. Sunlight in your room may be sufficient to heat it up enough to break a sweat even without too much movement.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Russ

Amy brings up some valid points.

I wanted to add a story. It is going to sound fabricated simply because of the similarities, but it is verifiable. At my first studios a couple of my students (S and Y) were a married couple. They absolutely loved the yoga and were getting many benefits from it. They were coming between 4-6 times per week, each. They reversed signs of arthritic conditions and cholesterol and BP dropped, they became fit and flexible. They both reported tremendous feelings of wellbeing. They continued to come for about 18 months.

Until … their Ayuverdic practitioner told them that the yoga was no good for them and that they should avoid exercising in the heat. About a year later I bumped into S (the husband) at the park and enquired about he and Y his wife. He told me that he was about to go into hospital for a back operation! (Of course I know their histories and this was definitely something that would have been prevented had he continued doing what he loved, and had not been so dramatically influenced).

Why do I tell you this story? Because it is important to know that when you subscribe to a belief system that it affects the way you respond. So if you are getting tremendous benefits then see what you can do to find a way within the system that works for you.

You may indeed be in a studio where the temp is too high. Many studios simply don’t know the temperatures that they run at. If the heat index is very high you could be suffering there (combination of the effects of temp and humidity). I am not sure but it seems that you are practicing in the evening. Is it possible to experiment practicing at a different time?

I was also wondering about your heart rate soaring in class. I guess I was thinking about how your breathwork is and how that could be affected by the heat, and even levels of angst about your current issues that you are experiencing. I know it is very hard to dial back on effort expended but is it possible to try altering things one at a time to see if there is anything that starts to change your responses? Sometimes it is simply slowing down the speed of entry and exit into poses and really coordinating movements with your cycle of breath that can make a difference here. For example if I release from Standing Separate Leg Intense Stretch and come up straight away, it has a completely different effect to me releasing my hands, waiting 1 second as I exhale and let the circulation reestablish and then coming up quite deliberately on an inhale. My heart beat re-regulates FAR more quickly. In the past my BP has been considered very low (90/60) and on occasion if I came up too quickly I would feel a difference in heart rate and dizziness. Although that may not be a key for you, it may give you some ideas on how to adapt your practice to serve you. First step is finding out your physical conditions. If your studio doesn’t show temperature and humidity readings, go out and get a cheap gage that you can take to class. See if you can position in at mid height and put it in different spots in the room too. Your studio may have a cool spot. Practice there. See what happens. Think about going for a complete check up. See if you are lacking any essential elements in your blood.

That may be enough food for thought. I would love to hear how that rings for you.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Quantum

I am not sure if you have read the existing post on sit-ups but in case you haven’t, here is the link: Proper situp form. In fact I will shift this post to the sit-up section! In it I detail bending up the legs for the second part of the sit-up. There are numerous ways to ensure you protect the back including proper use of the arms.

If your back cannot cope with a sit-up at this point in time then I would recommend avoiding them for a while. I like to teach that you bend the legs, roll to one side (and alternate sides for multiple sit-ups) place the hands under the shoulders, and push up from the floor. You want to avoid a twist in the spine so when you push up look at your hands and also let the arms take the weight.

In the meantime work on your core strength. Every so often you have to test your ability to do the sit-up.

There are alternatives to sit-ups and also alternative Savasana positions. For some people who have reactive lower back it is simply too difficult and time consuming to keep getting themselves to the floor to lie on their backs and then roll to the side and get up again. The transits cause them a lot of pain, can take forever and then they don’t have enough time to devote to their poses. For those who own the Hot Yoga MasterClass you can reference pages 183-185 and 198-203.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂