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| Hi All, I'm new here. Very new to Yoga. I took my first Bikram class last Friday. Contrary to what I have read, I loved it. Today though, I had a terrible day. I had a tough instructor yesterday but did ok. Today was tough too, and I couldn't do anything. I was falling over. I couldn't hold a pose. I'm frustrated.
I guess I just want to hear that my knees will get strong enough to lock. My neck won't hurt so that I can roll it backwards and I will be able to hold my poses.
Any advice/experience you would like to share would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
~Trish
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| I'm a new yogi as well.
Look at it like falling out of a posture. Sure you can't do them all perfectly every time. But if you fall out, just get back in and just keep trying. And if you're tired today, come back tomorrow and give it another go. I've had wonderful classes and terrible classes. When I keep coming back, I realize that it's a daily practice. Some days are better than others.
Your knees will get stronger, your neck will improve. It will not happen immediately and you'll improve over time. The amount of time depends upon your body and how much you practice. Give it your all as often as you can and focus on the present.
My knees are sometimes able to lock in some of the postures. I just do the best I can each one and that's all I can do. Everyone in the class is at a different place - advanced practitioners may sit out or hold back on a pose one day, and complete the advanced postures another.
My advice - focus on what you can do, but don't dwell on it. Don't focus on what you can't do because with practice, it will come. |
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| keep with it, ask these questions of your teacher. |
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| Thanks! That sort of brings me to my next question. I am still choosing between two studios. One is pretty lax and the other one strict. In the lax studio, I could get the postures down without my knee locked. That was ok with them.
In the tougher class the teachers didn't want to to attempt anything until I could stand there with my knee locked. It was frustrating.
I sort of enjoyed the first classes more, but wonder if my practice is going to suffer without the toughness. I was sort of put off by the "do it, do it, do it" from the second studio.
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks again,
~Trish |
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| If you push too hard you will injure yourself. If you pamper yourself, you won't improve. You need to find a balance. For me, finding the balance is the yoga that I practice on the mat and try to I do all day. |
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Veteran
Posts: 243
 
| for studios- the "lax" studio might have just been taking it a bit easier on you as a beginner- I notice for first-timers they will not correct every single pose because that would be exhausting for both participant and teacher and in time the beginner will observe and learn corrections. My studio is very strict about letting people kick out with a locked leg and I have to say, it pays off to just wait until your knee is locked for the 60 seconds before trying to kick out. The discipline of bikram yoga takes some getting used to but is well worth it I think.
and to make you feel better (hopefully) I think I change soooo slowly- I've been taking classes almost 2 years and still don't have full expression of most of the postures- but change does come and as many will tell you, yoga is about the journey, not the destination! |
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| Hello Trish. Welcome to yoga dot com.
As I am not a Bikram practitioner I cannot speak to you from the inside out of that practice. But I can respond to your questions in paragraph two.
I do not "get" the idea of locking joints. In just about all weight-bearing activities the locking of joints is deleterious to connective tissue. But again, I cannot speak for your practice. When working the legs in poses I find more integrity in aligning the femur (or thigh bone) with the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula).
It is likely the muscles around your joints will get stronger with continued physical practice (asana). Wether that will or should facilitate "locking" is another issue which may not be relevant to this post.
As for your neck, if the pain you are currently experiencing is from impinging the nerve root with improper action AND you are taught and learn proper action, then YES your neck will stop hurting. Likewise if you are inhibited in your genetic range of motion you may also, over time and with the proper work, release those muscles and move toward your appropriate ROM without pain.
Of course the corollary for each of the above also apply.
Holding poses in that practice may be best spoken to by one who is doing it.
Vote4Pedro - 2008-04-08 9:41 PM
Hi All, I'm new here. Very new to Yoga. I took my first Bikram class last Friday. Contrary to what I have read, I loved it. Today though, I had a terrible day. I had a tough instructor yesterday but did ok. Today was tough too, and I couldn't do anything. I was falling over. I couldn't hold a pose. I'm frustrated.
I guess I just want to hear that my knees will get strong enough to lock. My neck won't hurt so that I can roll it backwards and I will be able to hold my poses.
Any advice/experience you would like to share would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
~Trish
Edited by purnayoga 2008-04-09 3:01 PM
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| I have to agree with purnayoga, from the same position of not being a bikram practitioner, about wondering why you are *trying* to lock your knees. I hear that and ... ow! 'Danger Will Robinson!"  Actually locking the joints puts additional pressure on the cartilage and ligaments supporting the structure, and requires a different set of actions to unlock the joint than to just create a bend. So perhaps I am misreading, but... why are you trying to lock your knees? |
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| Purnayoga,
I’ll second that contention. The part that you don’t “get” the idea of locking joints that is. I am relatively new to Bikram’s but I may shed some light on the concept of locking out the joints from my background in Olympic style weightlifting. I always cringe whenever I hear misinformed trainers instruct people not to locks the joints when lifting weights. This is stupid. Contrary to popular mythology NOT locking joints puts the joint and surrounding muscles in a compromising situation and sets one up for trauma. Locking the joints protects one from injury. Unfortunately people confuse locking the joints with hyper extending them. It’s not the same. The locking of the knee was about the only thing that made perfect sense to me when I started Bikram’s. I would have it no other way. Trying to hold out one leg extended on a bent standing leg is preposterous.
Vote4Pedro,
Concentrate on flexing the thigh muscle and pulling up the knee cap. From my understand you are simply trying to recruit the power of your thigh muscles when locking the knee.
Edited by Rant 2008-04-09 3:38 PM
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| I'm with you. I have always thought it was bad. Bikram teaches his instructors that it is critical to lock the knee. Although I am enjoying the practice, I also take that dude with a grain of salt. He's an experienced Yogi, but not a doctor. It is though something the instructors get on you HARD about.
Rant, what is the difference between locking and hyperextending my knees? I think my knee issues come from years of hyperextending them. When I lock them, they naturally hyperextend. If I dont' they are slightly bent. I don't understand. Could you elaborate?
I wish there was just a "Hot Yoga" class close by. I am having a hard time with Bikram the person. Especially after doing some research on him.
I want to concentrate and for me, that requires a little kinder quieter instruction. If I want to hear "Push! Push! Pull harder!", I'd hire a personal trainer or go to Boot Camp. That's not what I want.
I LOVE the heat though. I feel addicted anyway. I'm torn.
Edited by Vote4Pedro 2008-04-09 3:44 PM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Hey Pedro,
BTW, I loved that movie!!! I'm not speaking for Rant, which btw, was a perfect analogy of the locking the knee issue. I too hyperextend and have had knee issues when I first started Bikram and didn't know better. My teacher finally told me one day, "Cyndi, you are hyper-extending your knee, back off and simply straighten your leg". In fact, she went on to say that it was more important to have a strong straight leg before you move further into the posture. She would make all us newbies stand on a perfectly straight leg and have a CLEAR understanding about what that meant. Sooo, how to do that in a Bikram class?? Well, fortunately, I was in a wise Bikram taught teacher's class, most people are not and will not get that same opportunity. If you can simply stand on a straight leg like I mentioned without being prodded and pushed further than you are capable, then you'll learn what this locking the knee term really means. It's a very confusing issue. We've had lots of discussions and debates about it here on this forum. Try this practice at home before you attend class, and/or try finding another style of yoga to learn alignment, then re-visit Bikram after you have some alignment training under your belt. Problem is...most people don't go back to Bikram classes after we learn these alignment techniques. Good luck. |
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| I also agree with Rant's description about "locking the knee" and avoiding hyperextension.
Here's one way to get the idea of what a "locked" knee should feel like. Lay on your back on the floor. Straighten your legs, toes towards the ceiling and back of heels on the floor. Push the bottom of your heels away from you and, at the same time, tighten/flex your quads and raise/flex your kneecap. This is what a strong, straight leg should feel like. You shouldn't be able to hyperextend your knee, since the floor is preventing it from bowing.
I hope this was a good explanation. 
Good luck in your practice.
I'm currently trying to continue my yoga with a broken hand. The modifications are interesting 
Barb |
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| "Locking the knee" is one of the more unfortunate phrases that comes up. It leads to all sorts of misunderstanding. What you are really trying to do is lift your kneecaps, and to strongly engage your thighs, especially the quad muscle that is lifting the kneecap. Additional knee support will come from an active calf muscle. This is what the positions call for, and it takes some time to teach on its own. Telling someone simply to lock the knee, without first demonstrating this procedure of lifting the kneecap, is just an invitation to frustration and injury.
There are good days, and terrible days. Yesterday, I felt sick and could barely get through the class. Today, going into class, I felt much the same. But about halfway through awkward pose something clicked. I had about 5 breakthroughs in poses. Most amazing, for me, is that my feet came about 3 feet off the ground in locust. Usually, I have struggled with about a 3 inch lift. Today, they hit that point and then something just let go. It was totally amazing. When something like that happens, I try to think that that was what the frustration was for. Without it, the breakthrough would have been just ho-hum.
Duffy |
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| Hey Trish!
You're getting LOTS of good responses here. The descriptions of what it means to "lock the knee" are right on. Learning to "lock" the knee correctly is one of the most important AND one of the most difficult parts of the practice, but it IS essential!
It's possible that, as yoga-addict says, the more "lax" studio was just taking it easy on you because you were a beginner - I know that a lot of teachers try not to overwhelm beginners with tons of corrections right away. However, the other studio is right: you DO have to lock the knee in standing head to knee or the posture has not even STARTED yet. This is MUCH harder, but as usual, the right way is the hard way!!
Personally I would suggest that you notice whether the teachers at the more lax studio are allowing lots of other students to progress in the posture without getting the correct foundation. If you find that there are lots of other students who are kicking out on a bend leg and not being corrected, then I would say RUN DON'T WALK to the more strict teachers, because they are the ones who will do you more good in the long run. You might feel more accomplished when you can keep your leg relaxed and kick out, but it really does you no good. You will never get strong that way. You have to learn to LOCK! THE! KNEE!
And YES - as long as you don't take any shortcuts and keep trying the right way, you will improve MUCH faster than you can even imagine! |
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| This is all such valuable advice. I'm glad I found this place. Even though it's tough for me. I am going to join the harder class. I just wish the instructors would keep their voices down a little.
Thank you all so much!
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| I'll have to remember that tip about simply straightening the leg, as I hyper-extend to the point of resembling a flamingo. |
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| Let's suppose that the teachers at the "harder" studio are really on your side. They want you to improve your health, and they want to help you get the most benefit that you can from the class. They are trying their best to push you to that goal, and they truly have your best interest at heart. I hope that most of the above is, at least in large part, true. Everyone has good and bad days, and most people do not always have such pure motivation.
If all of that is true, then the same voice that was loud and berating might become encouraging and enthusiastic. Also, keep in mind that you might be projecting some of your own feelings about yourself onto the teachers words. If you are disappointed and frustrated with your own efforts, then you will likely hear the dialogue through that attitude. Try your best, and do the best you can at any moment, and the dialogue doesn't have to be anything more than guidance and encouragement.
On the other hand, if you can't come to think of the teachers as anything but loud after several weeks of giving it your best, then maybe there is something wrong with the teachers. It's possible, but at this early stage, I'm willing to bet that your teachers will all of a sudden seem kinder if you can become kinder to yourself.
Duffy
Edited by Duffy Pratt 2008-04-10 4:14 PM
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Encouragment/advice for my 5th
