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| I decided to get involved in Yoga because of chronic back and neck pain that I have come to believe stems not from disc problems as some doctors have suggested (but not proven or been able to treat) but rather from an overall tightness/stress in body musculature, and horrible flexiblity since 5th grade or so.
Bikram seemed like a good choice given the focus on these areas, and the hot room concept to increase flexibility also seemed logical. I am seeking physical change not mental change; most complaints I read about Bikram are that the instructors are mean and you don't get mind relaxation etc - none of which I care about.
I went to two classes so far 4 days apart. In the first class, I got about 1/2 way through the standing poses and had to lay down and try not to freak out and run out of the room due to the overwhelming heat factor and my way elevated heart rate (and the profuse sweating). I stuck it out and was able to rejoin the exercises to some extent when it switched to the floor poses.
In the second class, I felt that I actually had a harder time. I got exhausted at about the same point but wasn't able to recover this time and rejoin the exercises, and was really just wishing that I could do these exercises in a room that was like 10-20 degrees cooler! I do feel that they are helpful to address my issues, and would like to actually be able to complete the circuit.
I'm 33, have a desk job and haven't really done any exercise since moving to the suburbs from NYC three years ago. You could say I've gained a few but am not out of control. I'm not shocked that I'm out of shape and struggling to keep up.
I guess coming around to my point/question:
(1) Am I going to ever be able to bear this heat? I feel like if all I did was sit still for 90 minutes I would still be dying.
(2) Did anyone have a similar experience, and how were they able to work through it?
(3) Am I struggling with the heat or am I struggling with being out of shape?
(4) Keep it up or do some other type of yoga?
All constructive responses welcome
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| Welcome to yoga and the Forums Steven! Your reactions and questions are not uncommon at all. I attended Bikram sessions 3 times a week for 3 years and felt as you did. Will you be able to bear the heat? Maybe...maybe not. In addition to the heat and humidity, you're struggling with being out of shape as well as the newness of it all. Probably with continued practice you'll be able to tolerate the heat better. Eventually I discovered the intense heat hindered rather than helped my practice so I moved on to other types of yoga. The two major priciples of yoga I advocate are: it's YOUR practice and yoga is not supposed to hurt--to include mentally & emotionally along with the physical. |
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| Here is a neat article I found about heat acclimation. (Note that it takes about two weeks and you need daily exposure.)
http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/heataccl/heataccl.html
I think you are struggling with the heat. I have struggled as well, and continue to at times. When you acclimate to the heat, then you will be able to get through the series much better. I have been doing bikram for 6-7 weeks, and I still have struggles with the heat, but I also feel tremendous benefits. A couple of things I have found that help:
1. choose a cooler spot--you can find these by asking around or trial and error
2. don't kill yourself in half moon and other early poses. You are supposed to "stay within your breath," but I realized that in my zeal I was overdoing it in half moon, and after that I could never quite catch my breath.
3. Take just small sips of water during class so as not to upset your stomach.
4. Rest before you feel overwhelmed. When you start feeling dizzy is a good time to take a couple of seconds and wait until it passes. Pushing through that feeling may leave you in a bad state later. Most instructors are very understanding if you stop for one set or half a set, or take a knee. Everyone has been there.
Personally, I don't see the problem with practicing the asanas outside of the hot room. I am hoping to do some of this later on myself. But as a beginner, I am finding the supervision and corrections very helpful. Just the other day, an instructor coached me into toe stand, when I didn't think I can do it. And yesterday, the dialogue lulled me into fixed firm, which I also didn't think I was ready for.
Ferret
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| Thanks for the replies. Ferret, #2 particularly rings true for me; perhaps my focus should be on pacing and breathing more than trying to get the most out of each pose (at least at this early phase).
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| Hello, welcome to the forum, and don't worry!!  What you are describing is soooooo normal for a beginner! The rule of thumb that I learned is that it takes about 4 consecutive classes to really acclimate to the heat, and a bit longer if you have days off in between.
So the answer to (1) is YES, there's no reason why not The answer to (2) is YES, about a million other people have had this experience, I know people who are instructors right now who ran screaming out of their first class after the first 20 minutes. As for (3), is it the postures or the heat, well, it's probably both! Hehe. The postures are not easy and neither is the hot room! Which bring me to (4), two classes is way too early to give up. You've barely dipped your toe in. It will get soooo much easier (and then it will get harder again, but that's another story!)
I think ferret and bruce both gave you really good advice. I'll add a couple tips of my own. First, be sure you are hydrated! Drink more water than you think you need to, BEFORE you get to class. The more hydrated you are, the more your body will be able to sweat, which cools you down.
Focus on breathing throughout class, and ESPECIALLY focus on the first breathing exercise. That is the part that teaches your body to breathe in the hot room. The more you breathe, the better you will feel. Once your body learns to sweat and your lungs learn to breathe, you will have a much better time. I used to think the yoga room was just outrageously hot, and now I rarely even notice the temperature. Pretty much ANYONE can acclimate to the room over time. Eventually it starts to feel GOOD, and you will only complain about the heat if you think it's not hot ENOUGH. (Does that sound crazy or what?! But that is what happens...)
You are SO new. Just show up and breathe. Everything else is optional. |
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| thedancingj - 2009-06-03 12:20 PM
You are SO new. Just show up and breathe. Everything else is optional.
This is very good advice. If you are "struggling", you are doing something wrong. Relax and breathe. Don't worry about what you think the other people are thinking. They are all too busy to even notice you. Yoga should be neither easy nor a struggle. Try to find balance between force and surrender, as that awareness will help you in all aspects of your life. If you cannot find balance after a month or so of stready practice, try some yoga classes that are at normal room temperature and determine if it is the heat or just your getting into shape. No matter what you decide, you will only keep it up long term if you are enjoying yourself.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Hi Steven,
I just also wanted to add here that the struggle we find ourselves in the beginning, is because we are entering into new terrain within our bodies. Let's face it, most of us who are new to yoga have NEVER put ourselves into these kinds of positions (postures=asanas) much less do we ever hang out in this kind of heated environment...these 2 extremely challenging situations are hard for our minds to grasp at first. I do agree with everyone, its YOUR practice and if you are in pain and it remains a "struggle", something is not right and you should adjust accordingly. I personally do Bikram at home in a moderate heated room, no more than 90 degrees and usually at a constant 80-85 with no problems. Bikram is a wonderful sequence of asanas that have a unique way of balancing the human body. On the other hand, if done incorrectly, can really mess with you on all levels. It takes time to learn this and tweak it according to your individual needs. Stay open, try to find something to "like" and just enjoy and savor each good moment and experience, notice the unpleasant things that will come to surface - back out a little bit and get back into it when you need to. Allow yourself freedom to explore your body...after all this is how we learn our bodies. Best wishes and good luck! |
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| I think all the advice here is quite good. I would just add a couple more points:
1. Don't be freaked out by how much you sweat.
Everyone sweats a different amount. By the end of the first breathing exercise I have sweat streaming off my body and I need to raise my arms slowly going into half moon or else sweat flies everywhere. Other people hardly seem to break a sweat.
2. The importance of breathing cannot be over-stated.
Fast, out of control breathing will really fuck you up and freak you out. You say you are mainly interested in the physical and not the mental, but they are related and inseparable. When your breathing gets out of control you mind freaks out and then your body freaks out and you get crazy dizzy and sick.
3. Come to class well hydrated.
4. Try to go everyday at the beginning.
You will get used to the heat much faster.
5. Turn your brain off.
If all you can think about is how hot it is then you will feel it's even hotter than it already is. Let the instructor be your brain and if you have to think about anything, think about your breath.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
| I wonder how hot it is? If you are in a studio with consistently more that 105 degrees, that can be too hot, particularly in the beginning. I would also try to go earlier in the day, it's cooler generally and less humid. (generally) |
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| gogirl58 - 2009-06-07 1:46 AM
I wonder how hot it is? If you are in a studio with consistently more that 105 degrees, that can be too hot, particularly in the beginning. I would also try to go earlier in the day, it's cooler generally and less humid. (generally)
Yeah, but... after only TWO classes, even just 100 degrees is still going to feel unreasonably hot. That's so normal. You've just gotta trust that it's good for you and embrace it at some point, instead of trying to hide in that cool corner.  (Tho I wouldn't recommend going directly under the heaters, either...) |
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Member
Posts: 13
Location: Texas | chumsferd - 2009-06-04 11:46 PM
I think all the advice here is quite good. I would just add a couple more points:
1. Don't be freaked out by how much you sweat.
Everyone sweats a different amount. By the end of the first breathing exercise I have sweat streaming off my body and I need to raise my arms slowly going into half moon or else sweat flies everywhere. Other people hardly seem to break a sweat.
2. The importance of breathing cannot be over-stated.
Fast, out of control breathing will really fuck you up and freak you out. You say you are mainly interested in the physical and not the mental, but they are related and inseparable. When your breathing gets out of control you mind freaks out and then your body freaks out and you get crazy dizzy and sick.
3. Come to class well hydrated.
4. Try to go everyday at the beginning.
You will get used to the heat much faster.
5. Turn your brain off.
If all you can think about is how hot it is then you will feel it's even hotter than it already is. Let the instructor be your brain and if you have to think about anything, think about your breath.
I'm 39, have an office job, a bit out of shape, and could stand to lose a few pounds.
I started Bikram Yoga about 2.5 months ago and have taken 50+ classes in that time. I was up to 16 days in a row before having to take a few off due to a stomach virus and am now back up to 14 days in a row of Bikram.
As a relative newbie to Bikram, I found much of the advice above helpful to me.
One thing that I did in the beginning was to not wear myself out by trying to do both sets of each pose. Well.. I did that in the very first class and was totally wiped out by the time we made it to the floor! After that, I decided that I would do 1 set for each pose and breathe, breathe, breathe! Once I could do 1 set of all poses, I started adding in the 2nd sets for poses. I can now do both sets for nearly all poses except for triangle pose on most days.
How well hydrated I am makes a world of difference. I try to drink at least half my weight in ounces of water throughout the day.
Eating too close to class makes class rather miserable for me too. I'll usually have a good lunch and then make a fruit smoothie at least a couple hours before class.
When I started, there was no way I was getting anywhere near grabbing my feet in standing head to knee and seated separate leg head to knee... After not quite 2 months, I was finally able to get my fingers under my feet... they're not interlocked, but they're under there! I also was able to touch my toes for the first time with the situp last week. For me, these have been the 2 most dramatic "improvements" in my practice.
Check your ego at the door. If you're standing on your mat just trying to catch your breath while every other person in the room is doing the pose, so what? Those other people have nothing to do with your yoga practice. |
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| Thanks for the advice everyone
I'll try and implement some of the advice and report back on the results
Unfortunately going every day will not be possible, I will likely be able to go 1-3 times a week based on family/work commitments. Obviously not ideal but better than zero, right?? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
| Maybe its better than every day. It depends on what else is happening with me, but sometimes I think every day is too much. |
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Struggling
