The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications › Knees, legs and ankles › The heat is too much for my knee health
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications › Knees, legs and ankles › The heat is too much for my knee health
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A while back I started a thread about how I feel Bikram Yoga is a great exercise, but the heat is a little too much. I feel hot yoga would provide all the benefits at 99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit without any risks. One of my local studios seems to think 108-109 degrees is fine, but I feel like it takes me days to recover every time.
My studio offered an intermediate class last week at 101 degree heat. My knees felt great and weren’t sore for three days like they usually are after regular Bikram. I also didn’t leave the studio completely wasted. I’ve iced my knees twice tonight and they are still sore right now after the regular Bikram class tonight.
This gives me more evidence that 99-100 degrees is much better for me and my practice.
I discussed the matter with the Bikram teachers and they said it’s good to be in pain and rebuild my knees. I disagree. I believe muscle pain is good, but not the joint pain I feel.I’d like to hear about other experiences. Is eight degrees cooler a magic number for other people too?
As a follow up–I do have chondromalacia patella and fissuring in my knee caps. Perhaps the 108 degree heat is fine for those with perfectly healthy knees, but for injured people like me accommodations might be better.
Hi Peter
I am going to wait a little while to see what others have to offer regarding their opinions. You’re getting a strong message though, aren’t you? 😉 Your body is wise.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Ok, I’ll jump in. At my studio, it is typically 105 degrees and 40% humidity. I can have some pretty good classes in those conditions but it is challenging. Once in a while, the conditions are more extreme….heat is higher or humidity is higher, or both. I end up having to sit out postures and I don’t feel like I’m really getting the benefits from the class that I want. In fact, I’ve experienced what seems like an inflammatory reaction in those classes (some joint pain). In one class, I checked it at the end and it was 108 and 60% humidity. Put that info into an internet site to find a heat index of 162! Ok, no wonder I felt so bad!
Sometimes this has to do with the outside conditions (it was very humid outside that day, for example), and you can’t just lower the temperature, because that increases the relative humidity. I do mention it to the instructors, some are better at controlling the conditions than others.
Lets just say that if all my classes were like that, I’d stop going. I just don’t see the point. I already feel at my threshold, so pushing the conditions to that level is just too much for me, though some folks can do it without obvious problem.
On the other hand, I’ve been in a few classes where it was “cooler” (like 101) and the humidity was very low (problem with equipment). I didn’t like that class as much either, and it seemed like my throat was raw from breathing less humid air.
Just my experience/opinion. I know I’ll never want to go to a studio where it is a competition to see how hot/humid they can make it.
The humidity was still mid 30’s percent wise at 101 degrees and that was perfect.
I agree with you about the inflammatory response. I get the same response when I cycle for an hour with intensity. I suffer from inflammation but I want my yoga to heal the inflammation, not cause it.I’ve been leaning towards building a home yoga studio for months now where I can set the heat at 100 degrees F and the humidity at 30% (my apologies to the rest of the world where you think in Celsius while we Americans hang on to the illogical Fahrenheit system). I’ve been somewhat lazy about building a home yoga studio, but maybe it’s become a necessity for me now with my health issues and the resistance of the local studios to offer cooler classes.
I’ve said before and I’ll say it again–I think yoga at 100 degrees F offers all the same benefits as yoga at 105-110 F without any of the risks.
I guess I’m the lone voice of dissent. When my class is less than the suggested 105, I feel like the class is a total waste of time and that I would have been better off going for a nice stroll to the local ice cream shop.
I started Bikram Yoga because I like to get my ass kicked. I couldn’t stand regular yoga for that reason. After my first Bikram class in 2006 I remember thinking I’d found what I’d been looking for.
The first six months for me were pretty pathetic. I couldn’t do any of the poses very well. The problem in my practice came when I actually improved my flexibility so much that I could actually do the poses. Then my knees started becoming inflamed. In the beginning I went to Bikram classes every day. After 9 months I noticed I had to take a day off in between classes and then two days. During the first few months I was mostly just moving a bit in a hot room. It was great for me. I loved the heat. Now my body is telling me the heat isn’t good for me anymore and needs a modification. For now I’m only going to the 101 degree classes to see if it consistently works for me.
Hi Kenn, Peter and Kristin
That’s hilarious, Kenn! Ice cream versus yoga! 😆
I don’t think you’re the voice of dissent. There is something about the conditions that these people are experiencing. I think we cannot assume that everyone has the same conditions from studio to studio. Your comfort in what you believe is 105 degrees is still a perception. Sure, there is this MYTH that a particular person said that the temp must be 105F and 40% humidity. That person actually never said that. But it’s been taken on as gospel. Unfortunately many make sure their systems start class at those levels (or something approximate) but then don’t take into account rising humidity AND temperature of the room due to many hot bodies exercising. The concomitant rise of both temp and moisture can make for dangerous and even conditions that can be risky and even life-threatening to some.
So I believe that the problem is created by the conditions being uncontrolled with the heat/moisture index too high making the body behave in a dysfunctional way.
Many people are told that the temperature is at a certain level. When pushed to confirm temp levels, some studios can be very cagey. They cover temperature gauges, they tape them up or conceal them even in another room, or if it is visible one discovers that the thermostats are placed in odd places so that the temp shown is not an accurate reading.
When practitioners say they like or dislike a temperature they are actually saying “I like how it feels when the temperature feels hot AND I sweat a certain amount”. That is in itself a moveable beast. High temps and low humidity will feel horrid to most. You could practise in 115F with 10% humidity and HATE it. You may actually report to me that it was not really that hot. On the flipside you could practise in 95F with 75% humidity and think it’s the bees knees.
Peter, is the intermediate class the same hot yoga class (bikram) at the 101 or a different set of poses?
As for “it’s good to be in pain and rebuild your knees”. What a belief system to have that one MUST be in pain to rebuild the knees or anything. I am happy you made the distinction between regular muscle pain and joint pain. While you COULD feel discomfort or ‘pain’ it is not necessary. Unfortunately that approach could and does get people into trouble. There are plenty of success stories. The people who are damaged don’t come back to the hot room. Of course you’re only going to hear the great stories. The other people have probably given up never to be heard of again!
Let me know about the type of yoga you’re able to do in what you say is intermediate room.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂The classes are probably 50% the same.
I was pondering this morning that I haven’t made a fair comparison.
I really need to do the Bikram poses in higher heat and lower heat and keep a meticulous journal to measure my body response each day. The difference in the classes could definitely contribute if the regular 26 poses happen to have more deep knee bends than I realized and more than the intermediate class.Hi Peter
Can you tell me next time you practice and your knees hurt, which series you were practising and which poses you felt the problem? Some of this issue could be compounded with alignment straying from optimum. There’s always more to a problem than meets the forum page, I can assure you
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I have never felt knee pain during any Bikram class–only after.
If I ride an exercise back for a long period of time I will also feel pain the day after.In response to your comments about alignment I have been making small adjustments in my practice, especially in “Awkward Pose.” I go into the pose slowly and hold each position for five seconds before making any attempt to go any deeper.
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