How do you do double?

[tashacricket]

#2675

Hello everyone! I am a newbie to Bikram. I took 10 classes (not in a row) and four days ago started a 30 day challenge to help me develop my practice. I am doing it on my own, not with a group. I understand that if you miss a class you can do a double to make it up. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but with winter here you never know if mother nature will have other plans and if it snows I may not make it to my studio. I thought a double meant two classes back to back. Can you do two classes in a day with several hours break in between? Is one way more preferable than the other? Also, if you do back to back, do you change into dry clothes and drink in the short break between? I worry about having too much liquid sloshing around there! Please advise!
Thank you so much for your help 🙂

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11177

Hi tashacricket

Welcome to the forum! There are thankfully loads of posts that answer the questions you have asked that can already be found on the forum. Have you taken a look at using the search facility up the top? You can type in the word challenge and see which relevant threads come up.

In a nutshell:
Commit to 6 classes per week. Never 7. (That’s NOT to say you can’t do 7.) The commitment to 6 classes allows you to take a day off when you decide AT THE TIME, IN THE MOMENT, that you need to take a day off. This is yoga, not a competition, not a sport. The whole ideology of ‘listening to your body’ can be thrown right out of the window if you decide to ‘power through’ an issue you have that is harming you. Those issues most commonly include heat exhaustion, back aches, shoulder and neck aches, sciatica to name a few. These issues rear their ugly head time and time again for the people who have the artificial goal of simply doing 30 classes in 30 days.

Bikram NEVER said to do 30 classes in a row. He said to do 6 days a week and rest one day a week. Somehow this has morphed into a ridiculous commitment of 30 that somehow has the rule that one should do doubles on days to make up for lost classes. I know there is damage being done by the sheer mass of people who come here complaining about aches and pains and exhaustion (heat and physical) due to relentless practice.

Practise YOGA and take a day off. Allow your body to rest and recover (a real NEED not just a whimsy).

NOW, you CAN actually practise EVERY DAY if you really want to. But ONLY do it, if you get to your day off (or any day!) and you can say to yourself that could be something such as, “Yep, I am ready, my body and mind are feeling fine and I can sense I don’t need a day off” then go. Give yourself the opportunity to be in the moment and work out what you need.

You’ll know whether your mind is sabotaging your efforts if you find yourself making excuses. Equally if there are no excuses and you assess at that moment that you could possibly do a second class on that day (whether it is a back-to-back or other) then go with that feeling. Just don’t PLAN those specifically. Allow yourself the possibility to practise a second time and be prepared by having a second towel ready, or water, or extra yoga gear so that you don’t have any impediments and it’s an EASY decision to make and is not made out of obligation to a non-sustainable artificial or unrealistic goal.

I have never changed into dry clothes for a back-to-back but I have used a clean towel if the first one was too wet. But drink as needed (that’s a given).

My recommendations are to allow yourself to retro-morph 😉 your 30 day challenge back into a 6 times per week challenge so that you’re practising somewhere from 25-6 classes to 30 (and possibly more) over the 30 days (and possibly 30 days straight). Lock yourself into more infinite possibilities and limit your personal risk (personal, physical) and really practise yoga!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[tashacricket]

#11178

Thank you SO much for your reply, Gabrielle! No, I had no idea that my idea of the challenge is different than what Bikram said! I just did 7 days in the row, and yesterday somehow I skinned my knees during practice. It has been a great experience so far, and I am really improving dramatically day by day. My last two classes I executed toe stand pose easily much to my delight and surprise. I also have felt a tremendous surge in general happiness and feeling of well being- and going to class has been a joy and not a chore. However, I woke up this morning with the skin on my knees tender and my body saying “Not today!” For the first time since I started, I just didn’t want to go. I felt so badly about skipping a day, I was thinking of going anyways. However, I now feel good about listening to my body and taking a day of rest. Thank you! I will expolore this forum for other important information. Very helpful indeed!

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11179

You’re very welcome, tashacricket

It’s good to feel the effects of a more holistic approach to yoga and still get the opportunity to reach and even exceed your own expectations or goals and give yourself much needed rest.

One of the things that I have done and recommended has been this: In order to give yourself the illusion of a day off, do a class in the morning of one day, and do an evening or late class of the next. It actually feels like 2 whole days to yourself. Try it.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[tashacricket]

#11180

Yes, I will give that a try! Morning class one day and evening the next sounds like a great idea!

[tashacricket]

#11182

I bought Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class book, and I see in the start of the book he tells a student (and I’m paraphrasing), “do yoga every day for two months except Sunday. Only crazy people do yoga on a Sunday” 🙂 In other words, as you recommend here do six days, one day of rest. Yesterday my home studio announced a group challenge was starting. I am on day 10 of mine and afterwards asked the owner if I could join and discussed with her I wanted to do a 60 day, 6 days a week. She very kindly told me no, yoga challenge had to be every day, or doubles on a missed day. No worries 🙂 I plan on doing what is good for me and a 60 day, 6X weekly unless I am just up for a 7 sounds good to me 🙂 Going with the flow. I’m just going to pretend I’m part of the group challenge even if I don’t get my name on the board 😀

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11184

Funny story! Well, I would love to say informed as to your progress. Have fun

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[mzsocialworker1]

#11191

When my studio does challenges, they ask for you to try to do 20 classes in a month. Honestly, I think this is more realistic, especially of you work and have kids or other commitments.

I have also done a double but went to one early AM and one PM class and thought I did well.

No matter how you plan it, listen to your body and take those breaks!

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