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| Checked out a "Hot Yoga" school in my neighborhood today. I was a little under the weather, but didn't think it'd be a big deal... I've been doing Ashtanga off and on for about 10 years now, and consistently for the last year.
My old Ashtanga school used to close the windows on a hot summer day and jokingly say it was a "hot yoga" class.
Today's experience was nothing like that...first thing I noticed was that the students were packed into a small room like sardines. Mats were arranged like a checkerboard, with little room between them.
The heat was oppressive. It was muggy. There was no ventilation I could see. I can't imagine there was even enough oxygen in the room for us all. As far as I could tell, no one else in the room seemed to be bothered by this.
Breathing was like trying to breath pea soup. Eventually I got dizzy, and kept having to go to ground. Not being able to work past it, I went to leave. The instructor made a scene of it, telling me that I needed to stay and show perseverance, even if it meant just sitting. I felt her insistence imposing and very un-yoga.
Unable to pass up a challenge, I know I'll be back, once I get over my current cold... But I was surprised by both the unpleasantness and difficulty of this experience... Apparently this was the "Baptiste" class.
Even after only 40 minutes of this class I went home feeling like I'd had the crap kicked out of me... I don't think I've ever had a yoga class make me feel so horrible.
I'm not sure how much of this was me having a bad day, a crappy school, or "Baptiste". What gives?
Edited by LollerBrader 2011-02-01 11:08 PM
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Extreme Veteran
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| What a teacher! Making a scene out of it. He cannot insist on you staying. You can do what you want! You can stay,go,dance,lay on your back, sit, follow the class, follow some of the class, follow the teacher round the room making faces and you are even allowed to fart. If you want to go , please go, but remember you can do what you like. |
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Member
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| I know exactly what you mean. I keep going because my body can do the most amazing things in the heat and humidity and my lungs have expanded to make the whole experience bearable. And at times, I go in to an almost trancelike state of focus, calm, and determination. They tell you not to leave the room because they are liable and they want you to push past your normal feelings of panic and desire to flee. |
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New User
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| saigon71 - 2011-02-02 8:04 AM
I know exactly what you mean. I keep going because my body can do the most amazing things in the heat and humidity and my lungs have expanded to make the whole experience bearable. And at times, I go in to an almost trancelike state of focus, calm, and determination. They tell you not to leave the room because they are liable and they want you to push past your normal feelings of panic and desire to flee.
If I understand right, then, this is just part of the normal baptiste "breaking in" process?
I don't mind so much - Although it does seem somewhat objectionable, If this is the way it's done, it makes it easier to go with the flow.... so to speak. |
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Member
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| I have only done Baptiste once, but my Bikram studio is sometimes packed, hot, and I feel like I am suffocating and want to run. I do think it takes time for your lungs to get you enough oxygen in these conditions and for your body to adjust to cooling itself properly. If you choose to continue, you will find that your food and hydration choices play into your experience as well. I think if you stick it out you will be amazed at the results. So many people try it and just decide it isn't for them because it can be uncomfortable. Our whole society is geared to avoid any physical discomfort. It feels really good to go in the opposite direction and it is very rewarding. |
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Extreme Veteran
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| Our whole society doesnt know they are in discomfort sometimes and just continue. Most people slouch on their chairs/sofas because they think its comfortable, women get used to high heels and some cant wear any other shoe (ofcourse women look good in them, but ask any osteo about how damaging they are). So many people take pain killers to try and mask discomforts too (Much of America is messed up on all the above). Many even make love violently including teachers like Bikram who boasts of causing women pain with sex (no disrespect to his yoga techniques and classes though which can be wonderful). Then often in Yoga because so many are numbed in their ability to sense, they feel certain postures are comfortable when they can't really tell. |
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| saigon71 - 2011-02-02 5:54 PM
Our whole society is geared to avoid any physical discomfort. It feels really good to go in the opposite direction and it is very rewarding.
The human body/mind has evolved (as have other animals and even plants) to seek pleasure and avoid discomfort. Generally, pleasure means that you are doing something that is beneficial and discomfort means that you are injuring yourself. This is only generally true and there are exceptions, but the biggest problem is being aware of our actual pleasure and pain and not our mental projections. In other words, we need to be able to distinguish between pleasure and pain and our imagination or our ideas and feelings about pleasure and pain.
If you want to change or grow, there is discomfort involved, as change requires leaving your "comfort zone". However, the discomfort itself does not lead to anything good. It is the change or growth that is good. Sure, it feels really good when you stop beating yourself, but that does not mean that beating yourself is a good thing. The Calvinist idea that the more you suffer in this life the more rewards you will receive in the next is an insidious philosophy that usually leads to the mistreatment of oneself and others.
If you are aware of the "larger picture", you can put current pleasure and pain into that picture and have a healthy relationship with both. They are both telling you something.
Yes, in many ways we live in a society of sissies, but self abuse is not answer. |
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Member
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| I don't consider Bikram Yoga to be self-abuse. I consider it to be challenging. And very rewarding. I thought this was as a forum for people who do Bikram Yoga, not for people who don't believe in it. I am not going to stop doing Bikram Yoga. Not if you tell me it is self abuse, not if you tell me Ashtananga is better, not if Congress passes a law against it. I am going to do it and I am going to tell other people to do it, and when they say it was really hard for them, I'm going to tell them it gets easier and that it is worth pushing past the discomfort because I feel amazing after doing it consistently for a year. |
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Extreme Veteran
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| Glad to agree with you Jimg!!! Bikram Yoga can be great and I love it! But I don't like people to suffer and teachers to make a scene because someone isn't being a robot and doing as programmed. |
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| saigon71 - 2011-02-04 4:07 PM
I don't consider Bikram Yoga to be self-abuse. I consider it to be challenging. And very rewarding. I thought this was as a forum for people who do Bikram Yoga, not for people who don't believe in it. I am not going to stop doing Bikram Yoga. Not if you tell me it is self abuse, not if you tell me Ashtananga is better, not if Congress passes a law against it. I am going to do it and I am going to tell other people to do it, and when they say it was really hard for them, I'm going to tell them it gets easier and that it is worth pushing past the discomfort because I feel amazing after doing it consistently for a year.
saigon71,
I re-read what I wrote and noticed that nowhere did I say that Bikram yoga was self-abuse, although now that you bring it up, I would say that it could be for some people and not be for others. Nobody asked you to stop doing Bikram yoga and I really don't understand why you are being so defensive. Everyone needs to be aware of and honor the difference between pushing yourself in a healthy way (building yourself up) and abusing yourself (tearing yourself down), no matter what style of yoga you practice or what you do in life. I am of the school of thought that a good yoga practice makes one more balanced rather than fanatical for or against any idea or practice.
jimg
PS This thread was about a Baptiste class and not a Bikram class, despite being in the Bikram section.
Edited by jimg 2011-02-04 5:31 PM
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| annnd the forum is officially back to normal |
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| dhanurasana - 2011-02-04 7:07 PM
annnd the forum is officially back to normal
That was awesome.
Actually the forum is back to normal EXCEPT FOR ME!! I can't log onto my account, and then I realized that although all (most?) of my posts are still there, my name has disappeared from them. What are these shenanigans?! I am not spam!
This is thedancingj. |
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| As usual, I will ignore the discussion and address the original poster. Heh.
For Bikram and for Baptiste (not the same thing, but reasonably similar), it is normal for the room to be very hot and humid. As you noticed, no one else seemed terribly bothered. That is because, once you get used to it, it feels awesome. It makes you really strong. I used to practice at a REALLY humid studio in the summer, and after a while I felt like I could probably use my lungs to convert water into oxygen if I REALLY needed to.
When I teach (Bikram), I encourage the new folks to stay in the room, but I never make a "scene" out of it if someone wants to go. Because, you know, maybe they have a cold or something. I just tell them, "ok, try to come back soon." Sometimes there is a real liability issue (we really don't want dazed students wandering into the bathroom, slipping, and getting a concussion), so it depends on the studio set-up. If there's someone out at the desk to make sure everyone ok, then I'm not going to stress too much if someone goes out for some air. But if the teacher is alone at the studio, and dazed students are wandering around outside, that can be tricky.
Anyway, I'd give it another shot when you're feeling better so you can see what it's like to do the whole class!
This is still thedancingj. |
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| i'm confused...
is this the dancing j? |
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| Oh, I get it. It's very clever.
(Thank you.)
How's that working out for you?
(What?)
Being clever.
(.... great.)
Keep it up, then! |
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| i'm glad i was able to participate in this conversation |
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Veteran
Posts: 243
| There's lots of good input here- you should know also that it is very common for people there the first time to want to leave and give up in the middle of the class. At least at our studio it's the teacher's job to try and encourage the person to stay, and also try to get the person back in if they leave. It's part of the job for the teacher and part of the deal for the first-time student. Not having been there I can't assess if the teacher "made a scene" but it might have not been as extreme as you felt it to be. (Then again, maybe it was, there are definitely drill sargeants out there!). Do go back for a second class- it takes a couple of classes to get used to the heat, and then decide if it is something for you! |
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Miserable baptiste experience today.
