OK – Is Bikram Yoga REALLY safe/healthy!!!

[UKYogi]

#1543

I am asking this question here on this forum as I have been extremely impressed with the level of knowledge and expertise offered by other yogis.

So I am hoping that the answers to this question can be objective enough to provide some insight into the overall health aspects of this practice.

I have been practicing now for almost 3 months, at a frequency of 3-4 times a week.. I am not sure that I can honestly say I have noticed any significant health benefits, actually on the contrary; Apart from almost passing out during the 90 minutes of “toruture”, shallow breath in class and immediately following class, unable to sleep at all after class, and constantly feeling like my body is on fire… So I ask myself why am I doing this? I have tried to ask these questions to my instructor, but only to get a biased answer which is.. keep coming the benefits are astounding!!! So I am HOT all the time, have shallow breathing, my body aches and is stiff beyond any level I have experienced before…. My friend said her thryoid began to over work.. so she is now on meds, and the alkaline level in her body significantly went in the opposite direction.. i.e. way too alkaline so her dr is trying to get that back in balance…

I hope someone can provide me with some clarity as to the value of Bikram yoga vs “regular” yoga.

I really look forward to any insight anyone can provide for me.

Thanks

Janet

[xtiinalove]

#5377

Hi Janet!

In short. YES. Hot Yoga is excercise and excercise is good for you.

As for the benefits of heat vs no heat… try practicing the asanas in a non-heated room and feel the difference. The heat DEFINATELY turns it up a notch, makes it harder to focus, increases cardiovascular function and makes you sweat like crazy!

You’re HOT? You ache beyond any level you have experienced before? Good! That means it’s working!

BUT… if you’re feeling overwhelmed/ stressed– especially to the point where your breath is consistantly compromised– you might need to back off a little. Try two classes a week to start. Do half the postures if necessary, and spend the rest of the time standing or kneeling and breathing consciously. Eventually (likely more quickly than you think!) with patience and compassion you’ll build the stamina and confidence to complete the series without DYING.

Also check in with your diet… are you eating enough? Are you getting enough electrolytes? If you’re doing 4 classes a week suppliments such as Nuun or Vita C could make a world of difference.

Also wondering how long you take for savasana at the end of class? This yoga is POWERFULL stuff. You’re pumpin’ your body full of prana and it can take a while to calm down. Although you might feel like sprinting out of the room ASAP… it’s ideal to lie still until your heart rate returns to normal. Sometimes takes me 15 mins or more! With our busy lives it’s not always practical, but if you can make the time for yourself it’s certainly nice. I sometimes roll over on my tummy too and have a little snooze…

;0

Can’t comment on you’re friend’s thyroid problems as I’m not a doctor… though I do wonder how she made the thyroid/yoga connection and what the symptoms were?

Anyway, hope this helps bring a little JOY into your practice!

NAMASTE

C.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#5378

Hi Janet

Thank you for the detail you posted. You are obviously troubled by this. I think that with a little more investigation we can crack this nut!

A few things came to mind. Can you firstly tell me if there is anything in particular that makes your yoga your own personal torture chamber? It could be your difficulty breathing and then again it could be challenge with particular poses.

I was wondering how much the ‘torture’ and the shallow breathing could be related. Oftentimes we let the achievement of doing the class get the better of us rather than taking each mindful moment one at a time (where you focus on what matters at that instant, in that pose and in your practice). In other words and phrased as a question: Are there times when you are working hard and you notice while in the poses that your breath becomes ragged?

Perhaps you find that your breath is shallow all the time. There could be many reasons for this. I would really like to recommend having a look my video on breathing technique. This at least could be a way to understand the mechanics of your breath. Perhaps it will give you the technical focus which may even relieve your torture! 😉 Take a look at Effective Breathing In Hot Yoga.

Feeling hot all the time: Please Janet, are you feeling hot all the time, or is it just during and immediately following class? Is it at all possible that hormones are at all involved here? It is also possible that when you get your breathing sorted out that your heat problem could disappear.

Unable to sleep: Have you been unable to fall asleep for the entire 3 months of practice or has this developed? Are you practicing at the end of the day? Sometimes if your schedule allows, changing your practice time to earlier in the day can make the difference.

When it comes to stiffness I really don’t think that it is to do with going too many times per week (under normal circumstances). A practice of 3-4 times weekly should be quite ‘comfortable’ to achieve. If your body is aching then it could be to do with your technique in particular poses. There are classic poses which are usually the culprits. For example many students will have their legs apart too wide in Standing Separate Leg Intense Stretch or they will straighten their legs when bending them and focusing on a long straight back will actually be far more satisfying – and MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY open up their bodies and guard against stiffness. The first place to check this out would be a short article I wrote with pictures called Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga. There are plenty of threads on the forum which may also be of interest.

I don’t know how you are going with your technique so I can ask you to tell me, once you have applied the above techniques:
>> Whether they worked for you
>> What poses are now bothering you?

PS while I wrote this xtiinalove’s post came in! Thanks! I agree that it is not possible to link the thyroid issue and the yoga with the limited information we have so far. Although I recognize you are concerned for your friend and as a result wonder whether you are doing the right thing let’s just focus on you.

I think I will leave the Bikram vs regular yoga question out for the time being! There’s already enough for us to ponder here …

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[UKYogi]

#5379

THANK YOU SOOOO much for this wonderful insight and information.

I have a lot to digest here 🙂

I am a vegetarian, and weigh 110lbs so hmmm I wonder if I do eat enough throughout the day.. I drink as much water as I can and I take x3 Electrolyte Stamina tabs before class and 3 after class.. with the hope that it helps with my dizziness etc.. hmmm has it helped – I am not sure – the jury is still out 🙂

Hey Gabrielle, yes with regards to feeling HOT.. I feel HOT all the time, but I am sooo hot when I am in bed I cannot sleep, combined with the muscle fatigue in my arms and legs.. I find myself tossing and turning to “stretch out” or release the fatigue I feel in my muscles.. I don’t know what to day –

I LOVE the cardio aspect of the yoga and do know any cardio is of great benefit, I just wonder if I am over working my body – I guess I am analyzing this way too much as I want ONLY the best for my body, as we get older I guess we become more conscious of our health and well being as well as how our body is reacting.

Hmmm the last Savasanna yep.. I am up and out LOL!!!! so I will try and give it more time to relax after the class and see if that helps. unfortuantely due to my work schedule I have to do the 6:30 class which means I am still fairly “up” well after and cannot wind down.

Thank you all so much for your advice, and input. I will certainly take it all on board, and tweak what I need. I am probably an “A” student and focus on getting the poses just right – without just relaxing into it and doing what I can without going over board.

Gabrielle I watched your breathing video and I am DEFINITELY going to incorporate your technique tonight 🙂

Thank you all so much.

Janet

[Anonymous]

#5382

Also, are you getting to class early enough to lie the the room and acclimatize? THIS was super-important for me when I started. Proper hydration before and after class is important, too. As is electrolyte replacement, and you may try taking something like EmergenC in your water bottle for now. And as a vegetarian, you may wish to up your protein to assist in muscle repair, through beans or lentils or tofu…And breathing IS the key. I recall my first few classes where I thought I couldn’t get any AIR in, as if the air had been sucked out of the room. I was burning hot, too. I really had to focus on opening my heart center and making sure my breaths were full, not shallow. THIS is always in the front of my mind during class, and especially during camel pose.

Personally, I would also get an appointment with my MD for bloodwork — you MAY be having thyroid issues or blood iron level issues or hormonal challenges that are coincidental but not as a result of Bikram’s Yoga. Better safe than sorry, IMHO…

Friea

[fobarrett]

#5385

Janet,
Since I have very little flexibility, each practice takes me beyond where I’ve ever been before, and my back takes an overnight’s rest to recover. Proper hydration (water, Zico, Ultima Replenisher, etc.) and one motrin before bedtime takes the edge off and lets me get the recovery I need. Good luck and keep at it!
–Stretch

[UKYogi]

#5387

Thank you everyone for your input and support.

I actually went to see my accupuncturist last night about the incessant heat I feel all over my body since Bikram yoga. She recommended I minimize or totally stop this form of yoga, and provided me detailed rational why. . The heat she said is definitely something to be concerned about and it would appear I am actually suffering form heat exhaustion.. The body is unable to cool down which is definitely throwing everything out of balance.

I knew something was not right.

thanks everyone anyway for your support.

Janet

[Rebecca]

#5388

Even though I have stopped going to Bikram yoga, I still check in here … I am always curious what people are experiencing.

I stopped because of increasing back/buttock/leg pain which turned out to be caused a herniated L5-S1, and a bulging L4-L5. I was fully fine, functional and hiking, walking and active, with NO initiating “event” that “caused” the problem.

I, too, used to wonder if Bikram yoga was harmful to me. After a number of different doctor visits, an MRI, and physical therapy, I now believe, through the knowledge I’ve acquired from these professionals, that Bikram yoga may have either opened the door to my injury or been the direct cause of it.

Ligaments surrounding the spinal cord can be overstretched, weakening their ability to hold the lumbar spine and its inter-lumbar discs in place. Extreme forward bends and backward bends, though they are supposed to “counteract” one another for a balanced stretch, can contribute to this weakening, leading to bulging and/or herniated discs. This is a serious condition that, if you are not extremely lucky, can require surgery or years of discomfort and life-altering limitations.

I am currently in physical therapy and am seeing some improvement, but I am not being encouraged to believe I will ever be 100% in my lower spine again.

This is a serious injury, and I caution people about it. Saying whether Bikram yoga hurts or helps is really, I think, an individual thing, however. Some people are “tight” and some people are “loose” when it comes to tendons, ligaments and fascia; those who are already “loose” might want to go to more postural yoga styles like Iyengar, rather than the stretching style like Bikram.

I am no longer even slightly inclined to believe “no pain, no gain.” The overarching direction in recuperative exercises is, “If it hurts, stop.” Some people think hurting means they are extra alive, or extra strong, or extra determined, or will live extra long. The truth may be that hurting may be … hurting you, perhaps forever. Please be careful.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#5389

Hi Janet

Thanks for getting back to us with an update, that would probably have come as some surprise to you.

I ask you to have an open mind as you read the following ideas.

I have really thought about everything you have told me and I am having difficulty agreeing with the diagnosis from your accupuncturist. It COULD be that I don’t have all the information that would conclude heat exhaustion. Many people do leave certain vital points out of the forum perhaps because they don’t want to share it, or don’t think it is an important detail. If this is the case I have included a great link for you here that could help with the signs and to confirm your experience: Heat Exhaustion Information.

I am not sure that your core temperature could have been raised for 24/7 (as you indicated) as result of your yoga.
>> Firstly you would have intuitively taken steps to cool yourself down after class.
>> You were drinking “as much water as [you] can”
>> And you are taking what seems to be a very high amount of electrolytes – certainly at a level that seems sufficient.
>> These things would certainly lower your core temperature again and not keep your body hot.

I simply wonder if there is some other underlying cause or problem worthy of exploration.

I am just encouraging you to seek a second opinion perhaps from medical doctor or specialist. I will certainly do my research and welcome hearing what your accupuncturist said (and anyone out there) regarding this very interesting conversation. BTW I am willing to be wrong on this. It just seems reviewing the full notes on heat exhaustion that what you have told us doesn’t fit in with that diagnosis except for that you feel hot and that during class you have shallow breathing. The ability to breathe deeply is a skill that can be re-learned and it personally took me months to find again.

There is one thing that nobody considered and is worthy of mention. It could be that the studio you go to super-heats the room. There are plenty of studios out there that heat to temperatures of 110-130 degrees Fahrenheit (temperatures well above what is considered to be safe >42 degrees Celsius and up to 55 degrees C). Combine that with high humidity (which is a combination of ambient temperature as well as the moisture from having so many students in class) and it is possible for core temperature to raise too high.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#5390

Hi Rebecca

Thank you for your thoughts.

I am no longer even slightly inclined to believe “no pain, no gain.” The overarching direction in recuperative exercises is, “If it hurts, stop.” Some people think hurting means they are extra alive, or extra strong, or extra determined, or will live extra long. The truth may be that hurting may be … hurting you, perhaps forever. Please be careful.

May I just put in here that there are studios or teachers that DO go along with the “no pain, no gain” theory. I must point out that if that was your experience in the studio you chose to go to then I am sorry that you were not guided into a great practice with solid instruction. It is unfortunate that some actually recite certain phrases like “go back til it hurts”. I am not alone when I say that this is wrong.

Any good instructor would never, ever tell you to “go back until it hurts”. There is a difference between eliciting a pain response and taking your body to a point of resistance where, when the correct techniques are applied that it creates opening and encourages strength building.

You are right when you say “if it hurts, stop”. Pain is subjective of course and we all have what is commonly referred to as our ‘edge’.

As for the yoga actually causing your disc problems I guess you can never really be sure. I have read that a huge majority of people have herniation of discs that are completely asymptomatic for many years and cause no problems at all. You would be lucky to be even guess what was the root cause of a longstanding condition?

I truly wish you well on your journey toward recovery. I am pretty confident that in the hands of a good instructor (in whatever style) you would be feeling better and experiencing progress or at least in the past could have avoided getting into the serious predicament you find yourself in.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ philosophy, exercise or tool (unfortunately 😉 ). We all have to follow our own path and be happy with our choices too.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[UKYogi]

#5393

Hey Gabrielle

Thank you so much for your input.
I would like anyone reading this to first of all say.. that my acupuncturist is NOT by any means saying Bikram yoga is bad, although she did say she is questioning the health validity and may not be for everyone. She said she is currently treating a few people right now with issues which she believes stemmed from exercising in those heat temperatures.

The issue I have had is I am peri menopausal, and get hot flashes.. and have for over a year.. since starting Bikram yoga, I have not going maintained the heat but its no longer a flash.. LOL!! but consistently 24hrs a day.. my body is just oozing heat.. I am unable to ever cool down, nor am I able to sleep. My acupuncturist indicated that in Chinese medicine, as heat already dehydrates ones body, adding additional heat through this intense form of exersion on the body is just compounding the problem – and I mean the problem I have.. others maybe ok.. but for me.. it has affected me. She said I am not sure that you are physically able to hydrate your body enough to address what the body needs and some with regards to the amount of fluid we are losing through this form of exercising. She said I personally may not be adequately able to replace the fluids sufficiently and thus affecting my bodily thermostat.. she ALSO said when one is exercising the thyroid and the heat on top of that could send the body into turmoil.. Now one thing she said to me was. people are doing Bikram yoga, but have no idea of their “constitutional” state of health and the underlying issues could be compounded by this.

So that being said, it was her recommendation to lay off it.. and since I have not been to yoga for 4 days – my body is no longer in that constant state of heat – so I have to believe there was some truth to it.

I have seen people in my class almost collapsing.. and to be honest now I am not doing it keep asking myself.. “why was I putting myself through that torture” 🙂

I am now enrolling in “regular” no heat yoga..

I think the key is to be cognisant of your body and recognize when things do not seem right. The instructors are just merely reciting Bikrams mantra, but its up to us to protect our bodies and do what we feel we need to do at the right time.

Best wishes everyone

Janet

[Katrina Klein]

#5394

Hello Janet,

Check this site for yourself: http://www.WomentoWomen.com
MD’s, Harvard graduates serving online for over 25yrs many
Women’s Health needs.

Do your research, query with them, it’s free to read/learn, then decide
for yourself.

Katrina Klein

[UKYogi]

#5395

thanks .. I already did 🙂

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#5397

Hi Janet

I actually thought it would be about menopause but I alluded to it and didn’t come out with it directly but instead invited you to reveal that yourself. Hence from my first post:

Feeling hot all the time: Please Janet, are you feeling hot all the time, or is it just during and immediately following class? Is it at all possible that hormones are at all involved here?

and this one:

Many people do leave certain vital points out of the forum perhaps because they don’t want to share it, or don’t think it is an important detail.

I am so pleased you have the answers that you need. There are some women who sail along in the hot room during this time and there are others who, despite mind over matter or whatever they try they regrettably have to change their hot yoga habit for a while by reducing their classes or doing it without the heat or in lower heat or not at all.

I hope I didn’t appear untoward about your acupuncturist and it actually didn’t enter my mind that they would be pro or anti Bikram yoga. I was missing that vital piece of info just revealed!!! 😉

Exercising in the heat can be very dangerous and not just for hot yogis. Without knowing any more about your studio it seems to me that just from your comment about people collapsing, that the heat really seems to be too high there. In a well controlled heat environment it is very uncommon for people to collapse.

Good luck, Janet. Thank you so much for sharing with us

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[movinmargo]

#5433

I’m not glad to hear about some of your difficulties w/ the Bikram practice; but I at least dont feel alone in feeling that way too.
I often say the same thing to myself, “why am I doing this”? : I can be very sore, tender and stiff, especially the morning after. Thats even after epson salt baths.
I started this yoga in LA 8yrs ago. I did it for a couple of years and then didnt start up again until this past Fall. Back then instructors and others would always say to me, “keep coming”, just “keep coming back”. And even though I could hardly get out of bed the next day I would. Until I didnt anymore.
Last year I finally found some help with some of my back issues. This person addressed immediately my “soaz”? muscle. and he worked on it for a couple of months; and after I finally after years didnt have my back muscle problem. Then this year I started with Bikram again.
What draws me to want to keep going, I don’t know? I do know Bikram(Hot yoga) is not for everyone. This is the first time on this site, and maybe I can learn a bit from Gabrielle. Maybe some adjustments to my practice would be very helpful. I’ve taken a ton of classes in different studios(including Bikrams), naturally always hearing a tidbit from each instructor. I have rarely seen the teachers give attention to students postures.( a little though)
Last week I was at a class and the instructor had said, that he would be outside after class if anyone had any questions. I had never heard a “bikram” instructor say that.
Also, I notice that woman who even practice alot, will be flabby or less than tone around the stomach area; its always perplexing to me. I do know that I have been very conscious lately of really trying to hold my stomach in, but find it very difficult to do that when I am trying to focus on my breath in the midst of a difficult posture for me, and the teacher is saying, “tuck the stomach in”…..and I’m thinking how the heck can I take a breath in and get my stomach in the same time.
I came to this website, thinking maybe I should try some of Gabrielles info. before I give up on Bikram(“hot yoga)
Any suggestions, greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mag

[UKYogi]

#5434

It seems to me – and I could be wrong that other Joint issues have developed since I stopped going to Bikram yoga.. I have severe pains in my elbows..I mean sooo severe I am going to get xrays tomorrow. and they did not start until I did the lotus (laying on your arms -palm facing down) I think this pose has damaged the tendons in my arms.. I even asked a friend of mine if she had any problems and she said she has the same problem and also has develped problems now with her knees..

I don’t know .. “something” is not quite right.. I have read posts after posts about people getting injured during bikram yoga.. I think the heat makes people push their body much harder than they really should and are actually damaging ligaminets in the process… I don’t know.. all I can say is now that I have stopped going.. my “body heat” has regulated.. and now once I get this arm/elbow pain treated I will be happy…

Just feeling a tad frustrated to say the least.. I wonder if the instructors actually “truly” understand waht this form of yoga is actually doing to the body.. because if they did they would not push the attendees as much to keep stretching stretching stretching.. until someone gets injured..

[Anonymous]

#5438

I too had really painful elbows when I started with locust pose. I even experienced a huge CRACK in my right elbow during class. Much MORE than a regular joint pop…this was a HUGE crack…with alot of pain and difficulty straightening my arm (pain during straightening but no restricted movement)…I think what happened were that years of tissue adhesions finally broke free through Bikrams. Now, physiotherapists do the same thing — break adhesions with manipulation and deep heat — when they find them, so I wasn’t too alarmed. I actually researched it and this is what I found:

From http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/325046-overview
“In combination with a physical therapy program utilizing range of motion (ROM) and stretching activities, the localized, intra-articular heating produced by ultrasonography greatly facilitates the mobilization of joint adhesions or capsular restrictions caused by tightness or scarring.”

I figured that my restricted range of motion in my elbows was being addressed by heat and manipulation in a Bikram’s class much like treatment provided in a physiotherapists office…

In any event, I kept with the Bikrams. I worked to my pain threshold and BACKED OFF just a bit as I always do, and after 6 months, my elbows are completely fine. And I can actually place my palms face down on the floor. I never thought I’d be able to do that.

IMHO, I don’t think an xray is going to show any tendon damage as xrays generally just show the bone, but best of luck. Personally, I would have CONTINUED the Bikrams because I’ll bet you anything that if you just worked it, the pain would go away in time and your flexibility in that area would improve immensely. And like I said, it may be that you have had freeing of joint adhesions and this will be better for you in the long run. Lets face it — if you have adhesions/capsular contraction, it will only get worse not better with time.

Finally, I think the instructors DO know what the yoga does to the body, and it really is up to the individual to know themselves, know their limits, use common sense and react to class instructions accordingly.

I’ve noticed nothing but positive benefits from Bikrams’ with respect to my lower back and overall flexibility. I am now working on my chronically painful right hamstring! Hopefully in another 6 months this will be resolved.

Freia

[Rebecca]

#5440

As Gabrielle said in her post, exercising in the heat can be dangerous. More emphasis should be given to this fact when people sign up for Bikram yoga. A handout, perhaps, clearly describing the potentially harmful effects of this yoga (both the heat and the stretching) and not just the “benefits” they and you hope will happen. A balanced presentation would allow people (at least those who are inclined to study it) to proceed with caution, NOT the belief that it will cure their aches and pains, make them lose weight, etc. etc.

I no longer believe (as I said in my post above) that we should just soldier on or push through. I especially do not believe we should attempt to self-diagnose “cracks” and “pops” and pains of various body parts.

We should listen to our bodies, as many have said. Pain is the body’s signal that something is wrong. Yes, it may go away … or, as in my case, it could indicate a serious underlying cause that is made worse by continuing to stretch, push and pull “through the pain.”

Very true … it’s a different experience for everyone … but up front we are not encouraged by instructors (or possibly inclined by our own personality type!) to really believe that.

[even]

#5814

As a life-long vegetarian myself, I think nutrition could be mentioned…

Have you measured your intake of ‘good fats’ lately? You will be able to find research on Omega-3s, vitamin D, etc. and an imbalance in this area can lead to excessive menopausal symptoms (extra heat, mood swings, etc.).
As for joints– sea food and chicken cartilage are a source of nutrition for our joints and something vegetarians wouldn’t be getting.

I’m not suggesting that you need to start dosing with loads of supplements, just that your Bikram practice may be showing you some areas of deficiency that you might not have known about before. Especially as you go through a change in life stages, your nutritional needs may change dramatically.

Bikram’s series or hot yoga will help with joint issues such as inflammation, scar tissue from old injuries or surgery, or stiffness from lack of use and resulting circulation problems. However, if you think about it logically, there needs to be some source of nutrients for your body to deliver to the joints as they heal. My personal experience as well as experience as a teacher has shown me that hot yoga will accelerate healing in the body, but you need to fuel the fire!

[decatur1945]

#5817

I spent many years involved with athletics. It is my opinion that our bodies will tell us how far we should go. I do not believe that it is always wise to push through pain, as pain is our bodies way of telling us something is wrong. I do believe that you can push yourself little by little through tough positions, but to just push through can cause injury.

Just my opinion.

[Gus1]

#7731

Personally I think beginners should be limited to 2 maybe 3 classes per week max so they have time to adjust and build up the bodies ability to handle the heat. This should especially be the case if they have never done yoga before and or haven’t developed good lung capacity…basically if you stress you bodies cooling mechanism too much too quickly you will send it out of wack. I think this is what happened to you. It also sounds like you are not breathing enough during class which if you dont do you will start to faint and feel dizzy etc. The most important thing a bikram yoga teacher much stress to new students is to breath. It must be constantly reiterated imo.

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