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| I'm new to this forum. I went to my first Bikram class two days ago and then again today. I'm sore but not excessively. The weird thing is that I got a sore throat and lost my voice. I'm assuming it's a coincidence but I'm wondering if the breathing in a hot room had any affect. I was doing Ujjayi breathing throughout the class.
I'm curious to find out what type of symtoms appeared for the members of this forum after a Bikram class?
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| Are you assuming illness when you ask for other >>symptoms<
Anything's possible. The heat is a dry heat, so if you're at all run down a sore throat and laryngitis would be a common result.
Imagine being at home with all the heat on, breathing heavily through your mouth (Most Bikram doesn't teach proper breathing, i.e. through the nose to moisten air) for an hour and a half. What would your throat feel like?
Or imagine you've woken up on a winter morning after sleeping without a vaporizer.... |
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| Christine, please remember she wrote that she did Ujjayi breathing throughout the class. I guess that now in winter times, coming out of the hot studio into a cold winters night can cause these syndroms as well. Always happens to me when I go to the sauna during the cold season.
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| Dearheart, even Ujjayi breath can wear on the throat and vocal cords if done improperly.
I didn't miss the point that she stated she was Ujjayi breathing, although I see I didn't make this last point.
Truly, if Ujjayi is done properly, the throat isn't taxed. Slow and even through the nose gives the nasal tissues time to humidify the air. Fast and abrupt, the throat works too hard and it's a really drying.
The change of temperature has very little to do with anything. If anything, the breath vaporizing would moisturize the throat. That's why one does not blow on a campfire or match when creating a fire in the snow. No, it wasn't the girlscouts, it was the Bobsey Twins and growing up in Michigan that taught me that.
Christine |
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| Really, the temperature has nothing to do with this? All I know is, when for example sailing over extended periods in cold weather, or having a inside-outside sauna day, that's a certain way to turn me into Harry Belafonte immedietly 
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| Thank you for your replies. While I did do the Ujjayi breathing slowly, I participated in the mouth breathing which was a mistake. I'm upset with myself because I know that my vocal cords are sensitive and yet I did it anyway. In my opinion, Bikram yoga is not yoga (or my definition of yoga). It certainly is not for beginners even though it's a beginning class. With that said, I really like the feeling I get afterwards. I felt like I went to an aerobics class but without all that pounding on the joints. I think can be a good form of exercise for those who are adequately hydrated and know their limits.
afroyogi, going from hot to cold has the same affect on me too. I had forgotten because it's been at least 10 years since I've had laryngitis. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
 
| Welcome to the bikram club. In spite of all of the criticism I hear about Bikram in these forums,
I love the way it makes me feel, look etc.
It's an addiction. Also, My Bikram teachers all tell us to breath through our nose. The statement
that was made to me is that breathing through your mouth causes you to "give your energy away"
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| gogirl58 - 2005-01-01 2:16 PM
Welcome to the bikram club. In spite of all of the criticism I hear about Bikram in these forums,
I love the way it makes me feel, look etc.
It's an addiction. Also, My Bikram teachers all tell us to breath through our nose. The statement
that was made to me is that breathing through your mouth causes you to "give your energy away"
In my class I think that some could get the idea that mouth breathing is OK. The beginning breathing exercise clearly was done with the mouth open. I went to normal Ujjayi breathing since that's my habit, but I never heard the instructor do this.
Especially in the second part of the class there's ample opportunity for sips of water. For a throat condition, I'd consider that essential.
I do know that Bikram is great for the sinuses. The first time I did it, I had a lot of drainage. I consider it one of the pluses.
Love the way it loosens the joints, and that it does a lot of floor work.
Edited by MrD 2005-01-03 3:08 PM
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| Recently for the first time in a while, my throat has also been a little sore after class. I had thought that it might be the weather. LA has had heavy rain storms and the weather is cool. I remember, however, that this used to happen to me when I first started too. Does anybody think that extra hydration could help on this? I have been drinking the same as always but the classes have been a lot more crowded the last two weeks (new year resolutions maybe) and therefore, more hot and humid than normal and I have not (yet) been hydrating more to compensate. |
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| You mentioned in your other e-mail that you feel like you are working harder. Are you breathing through your mouth more now? It really does make a huge difference if you do since it dries out the vocal cords that way. I was told that if you need to do mouth breathing you are working too hard and should ease up on the poses (unless of course you are getting over a cold and are still congested). Also are your breaths low in the diaphragm or really just in the upper part of your lungs? The extra oxygen can make a significant difference in fatigue/energy I feel. I sing and teach voice and find a lot of people don't begin to use the full capacity of their lungs and have a hard time releasing low enough or understanding it, unless a teacher really guides them. I especially notice it in the final breathing asana - kapalbhati. |
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| These replies have been very helpful.
Sanjayw, the conditions of the Bikram classes I took were similiar to what you described. It was very crowded and hotter than usual. Several students left before finishing. I drank 32 oz in class but probably did not come into the class hydrated at the level required for the "abnormal" conditions. It's also raining and cold here in N. Calif.
Edited by ava 2005-01-05 10:47 AM
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| I have an extreme sore throat this week too - and it started after a crowded bikram class this week -- could the heat and the crowd cause airborne illnesses? I do not know. I also "cheat" a little in the beggining and ending breathing -- I breathe thru my nose a little more than my mouth. I feel more comforable with this type breathing and it calms me, especially at the end. I feel in yoga -- its my practice, and if I want to breathe in a way that makes me comfortable, I can. Sometimes, I feel the teacher is looking at me as if I am not in psych with the breathing - but oh well - its MY PRACTICE! |
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Lost my voice
