TheHotYogaDoctor

I have just started Hot Yoga at home using the MaterClass DVD & book as I live too far away from a studio to make it practical to attend classes. I have been practising a variety of yoga on and off for years as well as intermittently running for fitness. I find that I regularly get cramps in my feet, sometimes in my calf as well as vertigo.

I have been to my GP several times for this and had many tests with nothing definitively wrong.

I was wondering if anyone else experiences these symptoms and has any ideas of how to alleviate them? Salt tablets don’t help

PS
I am loving the Yoga and am attempting to get the whole family to join in - although we can only practice at 31C, I still get a good sweat up, just need to warm up alittle slower

the only other thing that causes vertigo in me is a drop in blood sugar /blood pressure. are you getting up too fast? when does this happen for you?

I experience vertigo anywhere - anytime, often when I am walking both indoors and outdoors although I do experience worse bouts of it when standing up quickly. The feet cramps comes mostly when in sitting poses (I find it very difficult to sit on my feet the cramps are that bad).

and this just started after you began doing Bikram?

foot cramps for me are a direct signal that i need to take electrolytes…  that does the trick, and quickly.

I find that I get cramps in my feet during floor bow and locust.  I’ve also been getting cramps in my hips in sitting forehead to feet pose.  Any ideas?  i’ve tried electrolytes and it doesn’t really help me with the tight, cramping hips.

Welcome to the forum Sue and Shannon

Hi Sue

Just wondering if you are still getting your cramps in your feet. Would you please tell me which poses your feet cramp up in? And which poses your calves tend to cramp?

Hi Shannon

Regarding bow pose: Is it at all possible that your feet are flexed during floor bow? Or is it possible that your toes are strongly pointed?

For locust pose are your feet cramping in the single leg or double leg pose or both?

Re floor head to knee pose: Can you give me more information? Is the knee of your bent in leg (foot on inner thigh) up in the air? Do you reach out over your foot first and then try to get your forehead to your knee?

Looking forward to your responses

Namaste
Gabrielle

Hi Gabrielle.  During Floor Bow, my toes are strongly pointed and when I kick back harder, my calf cramps.  I get a cramp in Locust when pointing my toes in the single leg.  The hardest is the hip cramping in Floor head to feet.  When doing the sit-ups, I can get my forehead to my knees with no problem, but doing the stretch and trying to get my forehead to touch my toes, my hips freeze up and start to cramp. It’s when I’m trying to pull my chest through my arms and get my head closer to my toes.  What do you suggest?

Thanks.

Shannon

Hi Gabrielle

sorry about the delay in responding (I’ve been away from the computer for a few days). I experience most of my feet and calf cramps in Cobra, Single & Double leg lift, Locust and the Fixed Firm Pose and sometimes the Rabbit pose. I don’t experience cramp in the floor bow pose as my feet feel relaxed.

I am wondering if it might be caused by a nutrient deficiency or am I just not getting the poses quite right?

Sue

Hi Shannon

The strong pointing of your toes is the problem! Try this: make sure your grip is around the foot and that your hand does not grip around the ankle at all but is below your toes. The force through your kicking leg is through to your hand. That force has the effect of straightening up the line between your knee and your toes naturally, without forcing the point through your toes. In effect (as Sue mentions in her last post ) your feet are relaxed. The strength in the kick comes from moving the knees up off the floor and the foot trying to kick straight backwards but being stopped by your arm.

Your calves are really not involved in any appreciable way. In Locust try locking the leg through the quadriceps more strongly than engaging your calves. It is subtle but when I engage my calves more strongly I notice that my quadriceps unlock a bit. Let me know what happens for you.

For your sit-up, I am wondering if you are working with straight or bent legs. Please let me know.

Hi Sue

I think you may find something in the above paragraphs. There has been recent discussion about Rabbit pose which relates a similar problem to you. There should be no use of the calf muscles at all. Perhaps work on relaxing your feet fully in that pose, and bring your heels together. See the discussion here: Crampy Rabbit!.

Is there something more you can tell me about what happens and when in Supta Vajrasana?

Namaste
Gabrielle

I get foot cramping during the standing balancing series. It’s especially bad with standing head to knee and standing bow pulling. Balancing stick is ok, doesn’t really make my feet cramp, but it’s a little hard to get into when my feet already hurt. The cramping is in the front of the foot, balls of the feet and especially the toes.
I’m also a beginner, today begins my fourth week of practice, and I know that my alignment is not always correct (the instructor had to adjust me three times yesterday!)

I’m not super concerned, because the cramping doesn’t last and my feet feel fine after those poses, but it does make it even harder to stay in them. Anybody else feel the same thing?

Maybe the problem is a nerve injury in the ball of your foot. I’ve had this injury caused from running which I stopped years ago and wear orthodics in my shoes. So my foot does go a little numb in some of the standing balancing poses.

Hi Brenda and Patti

What I first thought of was the problem that many people have as a result of habitual shoe wearing. It’s bizarre to think that some people’s feet rarely get out of shoes.

I met a woman the other week in a shoe shop who has all sorts of sores on the soles of her feet and she is CONSTANTLY in pain. I had a conversation with her and found out that the ONLY time she doesn’t have some kind of shoe on is when she steps into the shower. TRUE!

I just tell you that story to point out that cultural convention may be to wear shoes of different designs and shapes. And that they have a bigger impact on your body than you think. Maybe what’s happening is your feet are needing time to recover and get used to connecting with the earth and in the process using muscles and tissues in a different way. Oh, and by the way, the woman to whom I refer always wears orthotics or special comfort shoes ... when what she REALLY needs is walking around on her own 2 feet!

Even in the 10 days or so since you posted you may find that your yoga is allowing you to access your feet in a more holistic way which could mean you are cramping less now.

I think from your post you were talking about your standing foot. Is that right? So Brenda, have there been any improvements?

Namaste
Gabrielle