The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Hot Yoga *faq* › Sweat?
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Do you wipe the sweat off?
At the moment i leave the sweat on, towards the end of my practice i open the windows & switch the heater off & practice for a further 1/2 hour to let the sweat dry on my skin, i heard this is best otherwise you can lose some kind of energy?
peace
Hi Chronic
I would certainly love to hear the thinking behind this belief. I was trawling the net to see what popular opinion is and I just found a whole lot of repeated stories from 2 sides of the fence. I could not find anything close to what you were referring to.
The main one (and I am simply reporting not giving my opinion) was wash it off straight away because sweat clogs pores. The other side came from people giving their opinion and experience about sweat and acne. Still no one can agree whether you should wash it off or leave it there – it seems to be very personal. All information found was anecdotal. And I am yet to find any scientific, trial based information that talks about allowing sweat to dry on the face. Nothing wrong with anecdotal information (after all, much of the excitement around hot yoga benefits is based on people’s subjective stories) but it is certainly the way that much misinformation is generated and spread if it is based on hearsay or simply regurgitated untested so called facts.
I look forward to hearing and learning from you and perhaps hearing others’ opinions and what works for them. FWIW: I never wipe sweat regardless of conditions. It doesn’t bother me if it dries and it often does before I get to the shower. And what works for me and makes sense to me is that after my practice I have a very brief shower with water and no soap just to rinse off the sweat.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Same here on the no soap thing, i reckon its best to keep the oils on the skin etc…but sweat must also be a bit toxic as thats its nature, to detoxify & cool the skin
I think the energy that i heard of being taken away by washing the sweat off is more of a spiritual energy rather than scientific
peace
I myself shower right away… though by the time I do get tot he shower I am air dried so to speak!! When I get out of class I put my stuff away get my shower stuff out and go to the bathroom ect…
I noticed in the studio it’s about 50 – 50 people who shower there and those that leave,The ancient Aztec’s are the ones who believed that wiping away the sweat after the Temazcal “sweatbath” could have negative affects.
here is an ineteresting article…http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Sweat_Lodge/id/1014
“Only when the body has stopped sweating should one get up and get dressed. Here, it is important to be well covered and to avoid ‘aires’, as the Mexicans say, or drafts (open car windows, for example). As the ‘pores’ of the body have been opened, care must be taken not to get cold during the succeeding twenty four hours. It is also important not to eat or drink cold foods nor to eat too heavily. Finally, some recommended not bathe for a day after wards, others say that it is permitted as long as it is done with warm (no scalding nor cold) water and care is taken with drafts afterwards.”
Ancient Aztecs beleived that some of the purificating properties could be lost by removing the sweat after a Temzcal treatment. This is a belief system that has long been transcended. I wouldn’t worry much about it!!
You are only subject to that which you hold in mind!
Gloria in Excelsus Deo!
Jeff
I take freezing cold showers after hot yoga i love them too much to give them up!
Mind over matter! 😉
peace
Hi Chronic
I am lucky enough to practice on the Gold Coast in Australia, and our studio is right across the road from the beach so after class we get to go for a swim in the ocean. Pure heaven! It def feels like a great way to cleanse and re-vitalise.
Namaste
StephHi Steph – yes the ocean-dip after is fabulous isn’t it! We’re on the Sunshine Coast, so I say “ditto”!
(By the way – nice to see you here again – can you update your email address pls in your profile as the old one was bouncing back? You can go here to do this: https://www.hotyogadoctor.com/index.php/site/forum/member/profile/)
Namaste
Robert
wow, i love swimming & i reckon after yoga it would be a great exercise, especially in the sea
the only thing is i hate chlorine, when i go on holiday i spend most of my time in the sea, i just can’t stand swimming in pools
i reckon i will start swimming again soon though as it is such great exercise & a nice compliment to yoga as you stretch with every stroke
peace
At the risk of oversimplifying this issue :/
It seems to me that “the sweat that comes out” during the detox would be highly correlated to the quality/quantity of the hydrating substances that had been introduced into the body previous to a vigorous session of hot yoga…
In my opinion, by preparing your body by loading up on natural hydrates and other healthy substances you can positively affect the quality of the resultant “liquid waste” and bypass many of the negative effects on the skin.
This obviously doesn’t speak to the situation of exposing your pores to a potentially bacteria-laden mat and towel, which in my opinion is the worst cause of all skin-related issues.
And even if my theory is a little suspect to some, the benefits gained from maintaining complete stillness (aka refraining from wiping sweat) definitely outweigh the chance of developing unsightly skin conditions. Those conditions, as opposed to attaining inner-peace and developing mental discipline, can most certainly be solved by a couple visits to the dermatologist.
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