Heat and Heart Rate ?

[gturner_n]

#2693

Doing yoga in a heated room makes total sense to me. Many years ago I tried a Bikram class and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. My heart rate went way up in a short amount of time and felt like it was going to explode from my chest. Now, I am even heavier than that time so I fear it will be even worse if I should try a Bikram class. I know that it is a heat thing because I have the same reaction when in a sauna or hot tub. If I could afford it I would totally have a home built yoga room where I could control the temp and slowly work up to increasingly higher temps. Any words of wisdom or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[mzsocialworker1]

#11251

My advice is to start slowly with small goals in mind.

Learn the breathing.

Become comfortable with sitting out if you start to feel sick or overwhelmed. Even if you think you need to push through it, maybe reward yourself with a break at a certain point in class (for me I sometimes sit out during or after triangle).

If you are lucky to have a teacher who opens the door at times throughout class, get to the studio early and claim a spot near there (I’m sure this is more in my head that I need this).

Also believe it or not getting to know people helps motivate me because when I see them do it, it gives me energy.

Same about sitting not necessarily in the front, but maybe the middle row where new students can watch you and send you motivation.

Lastly, we all know the importance of good hydration and not going to class on a full stomach…

It’s definitely baby steps with this yoga 🙂

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11264

Hello gturner_n

May I ask you this simple question? Are you the type of person who would easily self-motivate to practise at home? It’s a serious question. You mention you would do practise at home if you could afford to install a proper heat-controlled studio. So I thought I would start with that point.

Some people prefer home and the freedom that gives. Some prefer the studio. There are pros and cons to everything! 😉

Let me know! Then I can start with some recommendations.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[gturner_n]

#11267

Yes I can self motivate to practice at home. Looking forward to your suggestions.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#11268

Hello gturner_n

The reason I asked is that many people have either the thought or the fantasy that they could set up a studio at home. As I mentioned, there are pros and cons to practising the yoga in your chosen location. For example, even though I can and do practise at home, my preference is to go to a studio away from my house because I like that I have an appointed time to show up, the conditions are good, the showers are there, the whole experience is contextualised. Then I go home and I continue with my day. I do love the convenience of walking 20 metres to my own home studio too and there are also inherent challenges in that. Hence, would you be well motivated to set up at home?

If you’re well self-motivated then there are ways to set up systems at home that encourage frequent practice. We can delve into those!

So … you can probably see where I am going.

Practise at home. And NO, you don’t need the heat. Or at least for you, you don’t need the high heat. You may never be suited to the high heat of most public yoga studios. Not all studios heat as high as others. Your first visit may have been in a high-heat studio.

My recommendation for you would be to start a practice at home. By all means you can start with low heat conditions and work your way up. If you don’t already have a heater that you can turn on in your dedicated yoga space then you can warm yourself up via exercising (bike, brisk walk or whatever) for 5 minutes beforehand and avoid the heat. That way you can see if you can manage the yoga in different scenarios.

If this idea appeals to you then I can recommend some ways to go about setting up at home. It does not have to be high tech. After all, as far as I can see, you probably really need to start low and work your way up with reasonable temperatures.

Now, completely apart from the issue of the heat, is your general fitness level which I have no clue about. Perhaps you can enlighten me.

The heat is one thing that may have caused you to feel terrible the last time you did Bikram. But actually when you’re learning yoga there are other things going on.

Piggybacking along with the heat for you there could have been other issues. When one’s mind is overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks and instructions one is supposed to carry out, some normal functions get put aside… For example, you are very unlikely to remember much or anything about the quality of your breath at the time. This in and of itself, could have set up intense feelings of panic and inability. You may have attributed it solely to the heat but it’s highly probable that other factors were at play.

So depending on your response to this post, I will have varying things to suggest. Some of these could be resources that you can locate on this website.

If you are going to start at home you will need to be your own teacher. You will need to do this yoga safely and be responsible for you the comprehension levels and how they translate into a satisfying yoga practice that gives you great benefits. I definitely have many resources for that. I have to be honest and say that there is much information that is completely free on this website. Would it offend you if I suggest a selection of paid products that will help you (in the form of recordings etc)?

Please let me know.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

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