Hey up Gabrielle,

My question is about all those mums who put on weight after child birth. What yoga poses and diet would you recommend to them to retain their previous figure?

I have a student who has two kids, after the birth of her second child she didn’t take proper care and now her weight has become a problem for her, especially around her tummy, butts and cellulite.

Kind regards,

Naheed
Posted by Naheed on 01/21 at 11:10 AM

Hello Naheed

The Hot Yoga system is so comprehensive that I would recommend doing the whole series if you can and especially if you can combine the poses with the heat (to body temperature).
When it comes to diet, I don’t like to put strict guidelines down. BECAUSE… when you practice the yoga frequently enough your body’s systems start to work more effectively as if you have had a ‘grease and oil change’!!! It starts to function more effectively. Weight can fall off you.

What most students find is that they tone their body and their systems work better and as a result they start to make good unconscious decisions about the food that they eat. They often lose weight without trying, not just because of the exercise itself, but because they instinctively prefer to eat a healthier more balanced diet. In the beginning of my practice I was amazed at what I was choosing to eat - and what I was leaving out.

Thanks for the question
Gabrielle

Posted by Jared

I am in complete agreement with the above, but would like to add something. If your really want to melt the weight off (I really mean you want to do it) is to go Raw for about six weeks. No cooked or processed foods and all you can eat so there is no size restrictions on the amount you eat (eat til full) and the weight will melt off you. It also works as a cleanse for the body and that can be a major benefit.

There are a number of cook books that can help you eat well during this period of time.

Raw Food Real World (a favorite of my wife and I)
Cafe Gratitude Uncook book (from our favorite raw restaurant.)

Have fun

Namaste

Thanks Jared

I will enjoy investigating your suggestions. I have been a subscriber to raw food sites before and have never gone exclusively raw. I have however (prior to yoga - when I had weight to lose) simplified my diet to one food per meal and used ‘food combining’ principles as I built up the complexity of the meals over time to create a functional plan, and that was excellent. It never felt like a ‘diet’.

Getting conscious about food choice is what eating plans are good for. And if you use them long enough with the right mentality, they become your way of life. I love the idea of eating (the right stuff) until you are satisfied and not denying yourself. No guilt. Create balance. Plus you retrain your palate in the meantime.

Enjoy life!!!

Cheers!
Gabrielle

Posted by Jared

Thanks for the comment!

Hi Gabriel and Jared, great to read both your posts! I am starting both tomorrow - that is, raw and bikram. I have been wanting to cleanse - either juice feasting or a somewhat modified form including raw vegetable soups - but I think I have quite a bit of cleansing/eliminating to do, that I become overwhelmed with lethargy and anything physical is put aside. And so my instinct is telling me that physical activity (and sweating) must be part of the ‘purging’. So I put together a program which includes (and centres around raw/live and alkaline eating and drinking on a daily basis: (for 60 days)

- 3-4 litres of ‘green drink’ (dehydrated greens and alkaline water)
- 1 litre vegetable juice
- 1-2 raw meals daily including big raw salad
- Tbsp Udo’s Choice oil and Tbsp Hemp oil
- Tbsp bee pollen
- MSM daily
- Enzymes with juice and meals
- Oxy-Oxyc (an oxygen based colon cleanser to help assist elimination time and frequency)
- Zeolite (Natural Cellular Defense) which helps eliminate heavy metals and toxins
- daily bikram
- daily meditation 2 x daily
- deep breathing 4 x 10 deep breaths daily (in addition to bikram breaths/breathing)

It seems I have been drawn into raw/natural heatlh/fasting etc but I at times seem to lapse into the S.A.D. (’standard American diet) with loads of crap and wine.. and I am aware that this is stemming from issues that are/maybe mental,physical and spiritual.

I hope I haven’t gone on too much! LOL! Would love to hear your thoughts - and in honesty part of this program is a sincere way to drop about 10-12kg off my 5’2” frame (I am currently around 60kg and have been approx 47 kg most of my 34 years - and I am fully aware that the physical weight is not the biggy, but body composition..) Needless to say I am not comfortable in my skin!

I am wondering if you would recommend a rebouding workout to include some cardio as well (I have an ‘Urban Rebounding’ cardio workout) or whether to just dive into the yoga (doubles etc) as time and energy permits, as one of my main goals is to ‘lean’ and tone back down to a very petite figure - that is I don’t want to bulk up or remain the same size but have turned flab to muscle.

Thanks for your time in reading this, and Gabriel, congratulations and a sincere thank you in setting up a fantastic forum for all to benefit from!

Namaste,
Ruby.

Hello Ruby

Wow, as if it isn’t enough to just start Bikram Yoga. As if it isn’t enough to start a 60 day challenge. AND as if it isn’t enough to go on that incredible cleansing plan. But Mighty-Amazing-Ruby, you are doing all 3 (well I hope I have that first point correct, you are starting your first day at Bikram yoga tomorrow, right?). That is an incredible plan you have embarked upon so congratulations. I hope that you keep us posted on your progress.

Re returning to your former shape: 60 days of Bikram Yoga alone would probably do that for you. You ask if you should include some cardio. Let me make this as plain as I can… I sincerely think that you don’t have time to do anything else!!! Your question makes me believe that you are an inexperienced Bikramite otherwise you would realize that there is plenty of cardio in there for you. You will become lean, toned and lose weight (although I prefer to say ‘lose shape’). Your muscles will lengthen and strengthen so bulking up is probably not going to happen.

Re cleanse plus yoga = powerful combination: Ruby please be attuned to your body. I am not sure if you have ever done a cleanse before but they can certainly upset the apple cart metabolically speaking. Going to Bikram Yoga has been known to kickstart many of the body’s systems and facilitate its own deep work. So just be aware of that!

There are many things that can manifest that may (or may not be) a result of starting your practice (this includes diarrhea). With your cleansing work you may need to take it easy in some poses. One in particular is called Wind Removing pose (on the floor).

Re lethargy: Your practice can initially either make you more tired or more energized. Can’t tell you which. Just listen. Get the right amount of rest. Obviously your meditation will help.

Re meditation: 2 sessions PLUS a Bikram class makes 3 meditation sessions. I wonder if you are working during the next 2 months.

I am very inspired by your motivation and action. The great thing is that besides so many other things you will once again feel comfortable in your skin, physically, mentally and emotionally!!!

Namaste
Gabrielle

PS I’d love this forum to be one of your support mechanisms - how about it yogis and yoginis?

PPS Just want to flag something briefly. You have committed yourself to a very intense and rigorous physical schedule. I just want you to be sure that your diet has the right balance (of protein and carbs for your purpose). You seem to be very well prepared so I imagine you have not just included raw foods but plenty of *live* raw food (ie sprouts: nature’s power pack!).

i’ve recently given birth, my baby is 6 months now.

Bikram Yoga has surely kicked me into gear! i was working out with weights and running for 40 mins as soon as i was able to (i had a C section). after two very intense months of running, my knees were killing me with pain. i switched to Bikram and felt so great (more alert, sleeping better, eating sensibly and just lighter), i completely gave up lifting/running to focus on my practice. i used to drink tons of coffee to help me stay away and alert from sleepless nights with my baby --now i don’t need the caffeine rush at all. it is amazing how your body transforms with dedication to your practice and eating sensibly (i do not diet but really try to balance my food with lots of fish/veg/chicken and water).

my personal goal is to be able to practice while i prepare for my next pregancy.

Hi

I had a baby 9 and a half weeks ago and have been doing Bikram on a friends suggestion 3 times a week for the past 3 weeks. I am just astounded in the way it is making me feel primarily because even if I have only had 4 hours sleep the night before I come out of class feeling like I have had a full 8 hours.

So I am hooked and thought this is fantastic and something I could see doing for the rest of my life. I was therefore very disappointed when I spoke to a personal pilates trainer (friend of a friend) who told me that I shouldn’t be doing Bikram at all because of the Relaxin still in my body and that I could be doing permanent damage to my ligaments/joints. This woman purports to be a bit of an expert in post natal training so I am not sure what to do. Anybody got any thoughts?

Hello Norah

Wow. What a great success story on so many levels. For me, gym was never able to provide me with that same deep sense of satisfaction. It always seemed to be more about what I THOUGHT I needed to do. So it must be so satisfying to find something that you want to do, that fits in naturally and becomes your lifestyle - effortlessly (well, you know what I mean!). This yoga becomes a non-negotiable part of your existence feeding your soul and cleansing your whole being. Fantastic results.

Namaste
Gabrielle

Hello Jackscat

Congratulations on having your baby! I hope there are other mothers out there who can offer you their experiences in doing Bikram Yoga after birth.

Here is what happened to me:
I joined pre-natal yoga classes literally just to meet other first time moms. This was an Iyengar class - which offered some great ideas for body preparation, in helping open up the pelvis. I took these ideas and incorporated them into my Bikram practice because I had plenty of time while everyone was lying belly-down.

I did one Iyengar class per week (sometimes less) during months 5, 6 and 7. And I did between 2 and 5 Bikram classes per week til my daughter was born. I remember doing a one-set series in the hospital on day 2 . And I started the yoga in earnest a couple of months after.

I remember the Iyengar yoga teacher talking about how important it was to try to reverse the effects of this pelvic opening after birth by steering away from certain poses. One thing I think about the Bikram series is that it doesn’t really focus on pelvic opening and that is why I was able to draw knowledge from other yogas to provide this.

I did notice changes in my body when I went back to Bikram yoga. Amazingly double leg Wind Removing pose which was always so easy, was EXTREMELY DIFFICULT - go figure! In the double leg portion, my knees would not come together and I could barely grab the opposite leg with my arm. I needed teacher assistance. Over time my body has gone back to normal. Well almost normal. Although I won’t go into specifics here (ask if you like) but not all my poses are as deep as they used to be - this could also have to do with my reduced frequency of practice with my changed lifestyle.

Your friend’s friend is right about the relaxin but what experience does she have with Bikram Yoga? It is at least worth asking. The people who have the strongest negative opinions about Bikram yoga are, in my experience, the ones who seem to know the least. This woman could be concerned for you, without personally knowing what the series can do.

There are plenty of professionals who use Bikram yoga as their own holistic health regime. These include doctors, Pilates instructors, osteopaths, chiropractors, gynecologists, you name it. They all swear by it.  You need to decide based on your gut feeling.

If you feel that your body is changing in a way that supports this other person’s opinion then by all means attend a weekly Pilates class. I would actually recommend that in any case. It will certainly get you back to better re-developing your core muscle strength. Your perineal muscles can take a while to recover after pregnancy and childbirth. Better to focus on that now especially if you are planning another pregnancy.

It worked for me and thousands of others. I know that if I didn’t do the yoga my pelvis may indeed have ‘set’ in its open state. It took concerted effort to get it back to where it was. It was possible because of this yoga.

Namaste
Gabrielle