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| So far I like Bikram’s and am 25 days into my first 30 day challenge. I am healthy and strong so it’s a good fit for me. However I notice some people that are really in poor condition that really suffer in the class. I was also looking at a few blogs about the teachers training. All this talk about people puking and passing out. I like a challenge and all but what’s the point of driving people to vomit if the goal is superior health and wellness? What am I missing here? I’m not being a wise ass but what are they trying to accomplish by putting people through so much abuse? |
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| I've been to just over 20 Bikram classes. So far, I've seen two people leave the room because they thought they needed to vomit. One was in her first class, and was out of condition. The other had returned to Bikram after a prolonged absence. The teachers didn't drive them to this point, I don't think. Instead, they both pushed themselves too far.
I have puked during or after exercise several times, dating back to high school. My basketball coach did abuse us, and several kids would throw up during or after practice from the intensity of the workouts. Later, when starting to lift weights or something similarly intense, I have sometimes had to lie down to overcome attacks of nausea, from overwork. While this sort of experience is very unpleasant, I don't think its been particularly dangerous.
I think its relatively easy for people to hit the same sort of levels of intensity in a Bikram class. But, at least in the studio where I go, the overwork is not the result of anything abusive on the part of the teachers. Some people (and I tend to fall into this category) simply push themselves too hard. The encouragement from the teachers might act as a boost to that overpushing. But even then, I think its a stretch to call the encouragement that I hear from the teachers "abuse."
Of course, other studios might differ.
Duffy |
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| I used to have a track coach who wasn't satisfied with our workout until we DID puke. None too healthy, IMO.
As the others have said, I don't think it's about the teachers driving students so hard they puke during practice. I've certainly noticed students who consistently hold their breath and push themselves during the postures--especially newer students with an athletic/sports background. I'll hear a lot of grunts, groans, panting during the postures, and huge gusts of expelled breath after each one. I'm actually surprised that none of these people HAVE puked or passed out during class!
Edited by Chatoyancy 2008-04-14 5:48 PM
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| Yeahhh... puking is definitely not a GOAL in a normal Bikram class.  I agree - it's generally the unexperienced students who have this problem due to improper breathing, struggling too hard, not pacing themselves, eating too soon before class, being hung over, etc. Or maybe if you are a really unhealthy person to begin with, your body will have an intense reaction to the hot room. But in the 200+ classes I've done since last September I've never once puked or passed out or anything like that. (Ok - except for this one time when I tasted muffin during locust - but that was my own fault for a) eating too close to class and b) practicing while I was totally jet-lagged AND sunburned. So I wasn't being smart.)
I have no idea about teacher training. It is a totally different beast, and I haven't been. (YET) But I know that the process they put the trainees through is totally different from a normal class experience - in that situation I think they ARE trying to beat them down a bit so that they can come out stronger on the other side, and so that they will be able to have empathy for the struggling of their beginning students!! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 399
 
Location: Oregon | In the four years I've practiced Bikrams, I've never seen anyone puke in the studio. I have seen people leave the room on occasion. It's often mentioned in camel that you may feel light headed, dizzy or nauseous--and that that's normal. Actually puking (or fainting) can happen. It just doesn't happen all that often. That's what I hear officially.
Unofficially, a friend of a friend recently got into Bikrams and really threw himself into it doing 60 days straight. Somewhere around day 25 he said he puked up something blue. It was totally gross, he said. No idea on earth what it was, couldn't trace it to anything he ate.
One of the teachers at the studio commented on hearing that kind of story before. Her theory is that Bikrams (to me that means the heat, intensity, series) gives the body such a work out that everything starts working optimally or more efficiently and it expels stuff that's built up over time.
I'll admit, I've drunk the kool-aide on that aspect of Bikrams. I totally believe it. |
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| The heat can get overwhelming in the beginning. Eating to close to class or having a few "beverages" the night before can get you in trouble. Vomiting itself is not a big deal. If it happens continously then yes its worth investigating. |
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Member
Posts: 42
| at teacher training a couple of things are going on;
a- a hot room with 300 people in it, gets much hotter.
b- stress and anticipation and nerves seemed to get a lot of men at the beginning.
c- it's acapulco mexico
d - the classes are really hard, take two of the hardest classes you've ever had on the same day, then repeat that for five days. I'm guessing throwing up, dizziness, and exhaustion might come into play.
it's way rougher than I thought it would be. But at least this week I'm not sick.. last week was much worse.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | DJ Dre - 2008-04-14 7:50 PM
Unofficially, a friend of a friend recently got into Bikrams and really threw himself into it doing 60 days straight. Somewhere around day 25 he said he puked up something blue. It was totally gross, he said. No idea on earth what it was, couldn't trace it to anything he ate.
Hmm?? This is very interesting. Once after one of my Bikram sessions at home. I made a vegetarian dish of steamed broccoli and wood ear mushrooms, with rice. After I ate it, an hour or so later, I started vomiting. It was actually scary because it didn't stop until much later the next day, after I got to my TCMD's office, 2 hours driving down the road with these symptoms!!! YUCK. Anyway, I just let him do his thing with the needles and pretty much re-balance my system. Even he was perplexed because he knows my routine, less heat and all, at home. He was okay with me doing Bikram with the heat. He would not approve of the 100+ temp for me though. Anyway, we both came to the conclusion that it was most likely the wood ear mushrooms, because he said that happens in China sometimes. I had just opened the package. These were from Whole Foods Market, not from Chinatown. Sooo, now I wonder. I haven't eaten a woodear mushroom since and that's been a few years ago. Gosh, it sure would be nice to know for sure. Woodears are soo tasty. Oh well, I guess its really true that Yoga brings up EVERYTHING huh??  |
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| Often the puking is the result of dehydration and or heat exhastion. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | or bad mushrooms,  |
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Regular
Posts: 60
| Coming back after a long layoff I usually go to the back of the class near an exit;) Works pretty good for me. I also have learned to put my ego on hold and lay down when I need to. I'm lucky in that the instructors remind people to lie down or go to the back of the class if they have various reasons for not being able to push themselves. |
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| I nearly puked this saturday in a class. I felt realy dizzy during the opening moves and just had to stand down for a couple of sets. I stood over the fan and just sat and then hopped right back into it.
I did sneak some food right before the class 
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What's with the puking?
