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in reply to: Balance and Thinking working against each other #9171
I’m sorry it happens for you, but glad I’m not the only one! Its like you suddenly become aware of yourself, and it just ruins the focus. I hope the singing helps with it. The only other thing I say to myself is “Tighten the bow”…..which summarizes all the physical stuff I need to be doing. I can work that in between song verses. 😉
Good luck with your progress!
– Kristin
in reply to: Balance and Thinking working against each other #9166So last night I tried something new…..singing! Ok, not out loud, but in my head. During standing bow pose, this actually helped some. Thank you Tony Bennett. I don’t intend to keep singing through all my classes forever, but I hope this will at least break that cycle of anticipation. And besides, if any pose deserves a musical soundtrack, its Standing Bow. 🙂
I still need to work on this and would still appreciate any tips anyone has to offer.
– Kristin
in reply to: Bikram yoga at home #9161I just saw an ad for a Dyson space heater, and it has a “precise thermostat” that goes up to 99 degrees. That may work?
-Kristin
in reply to: Did I actually do that?! #9105Good for you! I love hearing positive stories like this.
I can tell you the Master Class book is very well done, and will give you a lot of technique in an organized way that even Bikram’s book doesn’t give you. Beautifully photographed as well. I’d love to have some of those shots on my wall!
-Kristin
in reply to: Head to Knee #9104Agreed, of course!
I have one final question on this….the instruction also says to bend the knee if you must. Well doing so still doesn’t get my head on the knee, so I’ve wondered if I should go ahead and straighten the leg, touch forehead to wherever it touches on the leg, THEN work forehead toward knee? It just seems that straightening the leg would at least remove one variable in this complex equation.
My instructors say keep bending the knee, and so I do. Do you have an opinion on this?
-Kristin
in reply to: Head to Knee #9099Hi tmdriver,
I’ve just posted about this same issue (see “Anatomy is destiny?” in this posture thread). I’ve had lots of backchannel discussion about this too. I’ve tried wider stance, shorter stance, etc. And like you, I can’t get my forehead to my knee. I finally realized that is unlikely to happen for me…and also realized in the process that lots of other people at my studio don’t have their “exactly forehead to their exactly knee” either.
Can you get forehead to knee in other postures? I can’t, and I happen to be of longer torso and shorter legs. So for some of us, forehead to knee may be unrealistic. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try every time.
Gabrielle may have better insight for you, but I wanted to chime in at and least say, “Yeah! That seems like it will never happen for me either!”. 🙂
-Kristin
in reply to: Anatomy is Destiny? #9084I’m less frustrated with Rabbit only because I know I’m benefitting from it and its not killing me like the other one. I only mentioned it to let you know that “head to knee” is a problem in all of those postures, not just the one I posted about.
Where do I feel the stretch? If I’m doing it right, I do feel it in my back, particularly lower to mid back. And by “right” I just mean that I often have to remind myself to: keep the feet on the floor, roll the heels back together, roll the shoulders back away from my head, lift up from the hips, etc. There are so many things going on in that pose I just have to go through a checklist to get everything corrected. Once I do, I feel the stretch in the back, compression in the throat, and very little pressure on the head.
good thing it doesn’t matter how big of a gap there is! Sometimes I walk the knees up closer as instructed, but I can’t usually get the knees any closer than maybe another inch at most.
Thank you for insights, I’m going to try the modification to my stance and report back!
-Kristin
in reply to: Anatomy is Destiny? #9014Thank you for replying…..after some investigation (and recruiting my husband to help me answer these questions) here is what I’ve come up with:
>> How far are you feet apart? Measure from heel to heel.
Approximately 36″. We are taught in class to have our feet about 6″ from either side of the mat, so that ends up at about 36″. I have played with this distance (shorter, wider) to see if it helps, but haven’t seen much impact.>> Are you heels aligned? (My guess is yes. But if you are having hip issues you may find that this is difficult and they may not be exactly in line and one could be a bit out to the side. (Any balance issues?)
I do make sure my heels are lined up to begin with, then pivot on the heels so that they don’t move. Yes, I do sometimes have balance issues. This happens as my hands get near the floor, and sometimes when coming out of the posture. One instructor advised me to make sure my legs and core were very strong, and this did help a lot with balance coming out of the posture. In my efforts to bend my back as much as possible, I focus my vision on my chest instead of my stomach.
>> Where exactly do you place your hands on the floor in order to push up?
I have them in front of my foot, perhaps 6″ apart. So where they would be if they were in namaskar, but they are separated. I have also played with this, moving them to different places to see if I could get more movement in the spine, but have not improved anything with these changes. I admit my experiments are haphazard at best and welcome any suggestions here.
>> What could you tell me about your hip alignment? You may not be aware of it or you may know it’s perfectly aligned (parallel to ceiling or floor) or that one side or both unable to swing them into the right place.
This is where my husband helped. I’ve always thought I was really pushing my hips around fully, as instructed. He said they weren’t quite all the way around and moved them into place for me. Then I bent over to get my head to knee, and for both sides, the mirror-side hip was higher than the other. With that feedback, I was able to adjust them to level. While this certainly felt different, it didn’t seem to change my head to knee issue.
Even if I don’t resolve the head to knee issue, I at least have some things to work on in terms of hip alignment.
Thank you again for your input.
-Kristin
Congratulations on lowering your cholesterol in such a short time span! I’m surprised that your HDL is so low….most Bikram practitioners I’ve talked to tend to have very high HDL. But your LDL is obviously in a good range now. And no meds is a great thing. Good for you.
-Kristin
I’m curious what the values where, particularly for the “good” and “bad” cholesterol. My sister’s overall cholesterol was high also (she does Bikram) but her good cholesterol was very high and the bad was very low. Yet the docs still wanted to put her on meds for it.
also, have you had it checked in the past? Does the current level reflect a change for you?
in reply to: Hair in the way of practice- especially in rabbit! #8902Great, I’ll look for those!
-Kristin
in reply to: Hair in the way of practice- especially in rabbit! #8899I wear mine in two low pigtails….doesn’t interfere with savasana or rabbit. By the end of class I look a fright, but its the only “style” I’ve found that works consistently for me.
Gabrielle….I’ve tried headbands, but they seem to want to slip off during things like back bends. How do you keep yours on?
-Kristin
in reply to: Stomach cellulite and loose skin #8857I don’t know where you are practicing or under what conditions. In Bikram yoga, you need not only the mat, but a towel for all that sweat. There are mats that incorporate a kind of towel on the top, but I use a mat plus a separate absorbent towel. The thickness of your mat may depend on the surface used in the studio. My studio has carpet, so my mat is the standard thickness. Some studios have harder floors, so you might want a thicker mat.
-Kristin
in reply to: Stomach cellulite and loose skin #8854You’re quite welcome! I’ve been in that place, feeling like I had no control over my weight or the way I felt. Hungry all the time, getting the “shakes”, trying to avoid fats and only gaining weight. Once I learned about better nutrition, I was amazed at how fast the fat came off and how much more stamina I had for exercise.
You can do this, and you will be so much happier for it.
Good luck.
-Kristin
in reply to: Stomach cellulite and loose skin #8852I think you realize already that the diet will have to change. You are getting hypoglycemic attacks because you are eating high glycemic foods…..sugar/simple carbohydrates. The swing you get in blood sugar keeps making you crave them more. This is a hard cycle for some people to break, but if you plan out a week’s worth of well balanced meals without the sugar, you will find your cravings will go away sooner than you might think. I am a fan of the Zone diet (read more about it to learn more about the glycemic index and which foods to choose) but a raw food diet will also provide you with better carbohydrates than what you are getting from sugar.
Once you have that under control (especially if you follow a good balance of macronutrients – protein, carbs, fat) you will be able to burn fat much more efficiently and have a lot more energy. Cellulite is just fat….so you should be able to reduce your body fat with a healthy diet and good exercise. My cravings for bad things is much lower because of my Bikram practice.
I can’t promise you won’t have any loose skin, but you will certainly be more toned, have less fat, and hopefully like what you are seeing in the mirror. I’ve noticed a very positive improvement in my overall tone with Bikram yoga. At first I doubted the upper body was getting a good enough workout, but boy was I wrong! I’m the same age as you. So hang in there, honor yourself with only the healthiest of foods, and enjoy your hot yoga.
Namaste!
-Kristin
in reply to: Heat and Oxygenated blood? #8772It is on their website….here is the link:
http://bikramyogasavannah.com/studio/
The other studio I mentioned that monitors CO2 levels is in Chicago. A friend of mine had asked about room conditions in an email and they told him that conditions are closely monitored, they use fresh air, and they monitor CO2.
hope that helps!
in reply to: Hip issues and triangle pose #8765It can be hard to get the hips low in Triangle, especially if they are tight. I wonder if you are taking a wide enough step? Should have your ankles about under your wrists as your arms are straight out to the side. The dialogue advises bouncing a bit to get down low enough. Are you having any pain in Triangle? Or is it just tightness?
-Kristin
in reply to: Heat and Oxygenated blood? #8764I can’t speak for every studio, but I know my studio confirms that they are bringing in fresh air to the room, not recirculating stale air. I know of another studio that actually has a CO2 monitor in the room to know what the conditions are.
-Kristin
Well it sounds like you are doing exactly the right thing, which is to focus on the breathing and calm it all down, and keep the eyes still. I find that when I am out of breath I start that shallow gasping breath, which always makes it worse…I feel like it increases my heart rate. Its hard to do, but I try to inhale for a count of 2 and exhale over 6, to slow it down.
Some of Gabrielle’s tips on here have helped, including standing in savasana with the “elbows in the back pocket”, using the throat to breathe, and so forth.
It sounds like you are getting the panic feeling even during a pose. I was wondering if the stillness between poses let your mind come to focus on feeling out of breath, then get occupied with it.
I wish I could be of help. I wish you the best in this current challenge. Namaste.
-Kristin
PS: thanks for the concern…my neck is back to 100% normal now. At least now I know how NOT to come out of fixed firm pose. %-P
I’m interested in your experiences because I have been impressed with Hot Yoga’s ability to treat anxiety. Much of what we do in that room is very similar to a technique psychologists use to teach relaxation and thus treat anxiety. At the same time, I can see where heat and feeling oxygen deprived would trigger that panic feeling.
I’m curious when you are feeling the panic come on? Is it always around the same time? Is it when you are calm between a pose or when you are active in a pose? Do you have any sense of what your eyes are doing as you start to feel that panic come on? Have you had any injuries lately that are impacting your practice?
I haven’t had panic issues in general, but after injuring my neck in a class, I did experience a bit of panic and felt like bolting from the room. I can tell I’m not relaxed as my breathing changes and my eyes dart around.
Also, tell us a bit more about how you attempt to handle the panic as you feel it coming on….what is going on in terms of breath, in the mind, and any other physiological sensations you notice.
You have obviously been dealing with it for years and I’m sure you can regain control over it. Just need to figure out the exact triggers and how to change the response.
-Kristin
I’m fairly new to this forum and just found your post. What an amazing journey! I have loved reading about your progress and your bulldog determination. Now that it is July, I’m wondering if you have made it back to class? Also, you mentioned earlier in your posts about wanting to eliminate the blood pressure medication. How has that gone?
You are an inspiration for sure. I have now decided to increase my practice frequency. Its a challenge to get to class often enough, but you have certainly shown what is possible!
-Kristin
in reply to: Health Club exercises #8703I agree, and would like to add that you can practice “locking the knee” (and leg) at all sorts of times. For example, when waiting at a deli counter or in line somewhere, I take a minute to lock the leg like I do in class. You can therefore get tons of practice in between classes and build up that leg strength without having to do anything fancy.
-Kristin
in reply to: Hurt my neck with this posture #8693Thanks! At the time I didn’t know what the heck I did, but after obsessing about it, I believe you are right. I do use my hands/elbows to come up, but as I was explaining what happened to the instructor, I was sort of half imitating it and immediately realized my shoulders were hunched up, and I could feel the tightness in the neck.
In one class it was ok, but I believe repeating it kind of ingrained the injury into my poor seizing muscles.
The only posture I still have trouble in since hurting my neck is Triangle…..with the left arm up. Once I move my arms to perpendicular, within seconds I can feel the neck tightening, so for now I’m leaving the arm down and keeping my head midline (facing the mirror). I can do the other side fine.
And you can bet I take my time coming out of of Fixed Firm, and make sure the head hangs back. I hadn’t thought of leading with the head, I’ll ponder that in my next class.
Thanks for the feedback!
in reply to: Hurt my neck with this posture #8691Agreed, and I have talked the instructors to death about it! I’ve asked for corrections if they ever see anything even slightly out of alignment. Fortunately, by modifying some postures (particularly those that can put tension in the neck/shoulders, like Half Moon), I’ve been making gradual progress. Not quite back to normal yet, but close!
It has been interesting viewing the class from a different perspective, as now I am highly aware of where my shoulders are in poses, and make a conscious effort to keep them down and the neck relaxed.
Thanks,
-Kristin
Hi and congrats on your first month of hot yoga! Since no one has replied yet, I will give you my 2 cents, but please know I am not an expert.
You will most definitely feel this posture in the hips, it is great for opening the hips. I started Bikram yoga in large part because of pain in my hips. When I started, I could do Triangle fine. Over time however, as my hips loosened up, my Triangle pose fell apart. I had to rebuild the posture as my legs developed the necessary muscle strength. If you do the pose right, you can’t help but use the leg muscles.
Your bent leg should have the thigh exactly parallel to the floor and the shin perpendicular to the floor, so you have a right angle at the knee. Don’t let your knee over-shoot the foot. The straight leg should be that…straight and locked. As you have your arms straight out to either side and parallel to the floor, the torso should be centered, not leaning, and your entire body should be in one plane. This means arms, legs, body, everything should be able to fit between two panes of glass. When you go to the next part, move only the arms, keeping them in this plane. I see many people lean forward at this point, which breaks the plane and causes the hips/butt to stick out to the back. Instead, get your initial set up right, then move ONLY the arms so that they are now perpendicular to the floor. The elbow of the lower arm should touch in front of the bent knee, and the fingers lightly touching between big and second toe.
Here you can check your alignment again, noticing a straight line along the straight leg and up the body, straight line of the two arms, creating a nice big triangle (there are smaller triangles too, so look for those).
Not only are you using the muscles in your legs, you are using EVERY muscle in this posture, which is part of what makes it so challenging. If you have the right form, I’m sure you will be engaging your leg muscles. Keep your body in that one plane (which often means pushing the hips a bit forward if they have snuck back). As you come out of the pose slowly, you should really feel it in the legs.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your practice!
-Kristin
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