Low blood pressure

Hello

Thanks for your question.

Can you help me with some answers to some questions:

1) Are you practicing the Bikram Hot Yoga series?
2) I guess I also need to know how long you have been practicing in the hot room for?
3) Are there any particular poses that you feel dizzy with? Or is it once you get to a particular pose?
4) What does it take for the dizziness to stop?
5) Does it happen every time you practice or just sometimes?
6) Is there anything about your breathing that you could tell me about? (Do you find it easy or difficult to breathe?) Is your breath deep, or shallow? How is your lung capacity developing? Can you breathe in for 6 whole counts of Pranayama easily without sneaking in another breath? Whatever you can tell me could help.

Would it help to tell me what your blood pressure readings are? For example I have 90/60 which is also considered low.

Awaiting your response!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi

The good news: is that I think your problem is manageable especially because you only experience it on certain poses.

Standing Head to Knee is quite a strenuous pose. And from Standing Sep Leg Stretching to Triangle to Sep Leg Head to Knee we have possibly the most strenuous standing poses of the series – all 3 in a row, PLUS 2 of them are inverted poses.

The first thing I would like you to focus on is your breath. You have no problem with your capacity. Often with anxiousness (and if you are feeling a little dizzy you could be triggering a slightly anxious state even on an unconscious level), students can alter their breathing. So focus on a fluid breath. Make it keep moving no matter what.

The second thing is this. In both the inverted poses that you mention (your separate leg poses) please make an effort to do the following:
when the teacher signals the end of the pose (they may say ‘release’, ‘change’ or whatever) stop where you are for a couple of seconds to let your circulation start to move around your body again. Then come up a little more slowly. I know this has worked for me and others who have had your problem, particularly in Sep Leg Stretching (let go of the grip and stay still, take a good breath or 2, then come up). You may find that you get to the left side of your mat again a second or 2 or 3 after everyone else.

The fact that Triangle is sandwiched between 2 inverted poses and is very strenuous could be the reason for your dizziness.

The other thing that is common (and remember I don’t know you or your practice so I am just going on my experience) is going too hard in the first part of class. It is very hard NOT to work hard in a Bikram class: there are the Savasanas between each pose which seem to invigorate us just enough to carry on with great gusto and energy.

The above issue is often related to some students who “muscle in” to their poses. This is more common with men. Yoga is about balance – and in this case there has to be a balance between strength and surrender. Give in to the work that your muscles are doing. Pull and create the tractions and also let go enough for the stretches to do their work.

I am eager to hear if these techniques work for you. I would like to know how you go before we go down the path of skipping poses.

And what’s that about poor english? Huhh? No problem there!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Adam

I am very happy to hear of your success in ‘finding’ hot yoga! I am guessing your wife is scared of what may happen to her in class.

Acclimatizing to the heat is an actual physiological process that takes up to 2 weeks to get all appropriate systems functioning well (if not better than before) at the higher temperatures. Over the course of 2 weeks her heart will actually be functioning more strongly and healthily, with a higher Cardiac Output and higher Stroke Volume! This is all good stuff. :cheese: It is also worth a little discomfort (which is usually mental by the way) to get through this process.

The great news is, is that you merely have to be in the heated room to start this process. So my advice to you is to let her know that regardless of what anyone says, she can make her steps as small as she likes. She will find that doing just some of the poses and sitting out the others or lying down will be fine.

I guess you are still wondering whether she will in fact pass out! Well that is going to depend on her, her beliefs, her physiology etc. I wonder what her BP readings actually are. Mine are usually about 90 over 55 or 60 so many people consider my BP to be very low. I consider it normal and healthy!

There are some clues above as to what your wife can do to approach her practice. In a nutshell…. breathe…. when arms come up over the head, breathe in, when they arms come down, coordinate it with an exhale. When she is inverted release from the pose, stay down there for a moment for an extra breath cycle before coming back up on your inhale.

That should cover you. Oh, and to ensure acclimatization, it is best for her to go about 4-5 times in the first 2 weeks.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂