Andrea.*F.

Hello Sara,

Gabrielle and I have had a discussion about your post. We very strongly believe that, doing Separate Leg Stretching with straight legs and doing Sit Ups, they way you are encouraged to do so – are the source of your problem.

For the very first place to start, please go read and digest – Opening up Your hamstrings with Hot Yoga.

At the same time I would strongly recommend researching posts about Paschimottanasana and Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana as these are crucial to your understanding.

Of course for everything in one place with pose photos and step by step instructions it’s all in the Hot Yoga MasterClass. Forgive me for what could be mistaken as a sales pitch. I wouldn’t be recommending it unless I didn’t believe that it could literally transform your practice.

With a little diligent searching, you’ll find what you need to fix your problems right now, (for free of course) on the forum!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi Victoria,

Just checking if you have made any progress or done any research regarding your issue? Are you still experiencing the same thing? I’d like to hear your story, if you are willing to share 😉

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Joe,

In my understanding, there are certain differences between the Bikram and the Barkan sequence. I’m almost sure, that one is the direct copy of the other. I am willing to be corrected on that of course, as I have personal experience with one of them only.

What I do know is that they both are Hatha and Hot Yoga. Which one have you fallen in love with?

If you enjoy practising at home I definitely recommend you have a look at Gabrielle’s manuel, the Hot Yoga MasterClass. I think you’d find it very useful 😉

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi Bunni,

You are most welcome. I’m happy to hear the tip helped.

I know quite a few people who find certain poses uncomfortable because they have high arches. Perhaps your husband could try to put something underneath the tops of his feet in these poses. A little folded towel maybe… it worked for some of my friends 🙂

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Victoria,

Thank you, it’s lovely to hear that you like the page 🙂 Welcome to the Forum!

In order to solve this issue, first I’d like you to answer a few questions for me.
– When your feet/ankles swelled up, were they sensitive to touch? Did they hurt? Do you think, you might have gotten injured somehow?
– Please tell me how much water you drink on days when you practise and on days when you don’t.
– Do you have salt in your diet? If yes, is it regular (table) salt or natural crystal salt?

Swelling could be a sign of water retention, as well as a sign of injury. So please answer these questions with as much detail as possible and we’ll take it from there 😉

Weight gain can be a sign of a number of things. As you said, it could be from gaining muscles as they weigh more than fat. Have you noticed any changes in your shape?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi Jeni,

It’s good to hear that you are conscious about drinking plenty of water. Do you increase that amount on days when you practise or is that how much you drink regardless?

Did you have a chance to have a look at information about electrolytes on this the forum or elsewhere?

If you do a bit of research I think you’ll find, that one of the symptoms of electrolyte deficiency can be hot flashes.

Drinking coconut water after hot yoga classes has become very popular. Although potassium is very important for optimal health, a certain level of salt in your system has to be present also. Very simply put: the more potassium you have, the more it’s going to push the electrolytes out of your body. Though it sounds like to me that what you really need right now is more electrolytes, aka salt. Potassium can be found in almost many things we eat. IMHO one only has to focus on extra potassium intake in unusual cases. Good quality crystal salt on the other hand is rare to find in our everyday food.

I think it’s important for you to look at information about electrolytes and get some good quality Himalayan crystal/Celtic/unrefined sea salt – if you haven’t yet done that so.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Bunni,

Thanks for your detailed description.

Let me ask you a few questions first:
– Does your husband use his back strength only OR he uses his hands to lift up his upper body?
– Does he have any trouble with the tops of his feet in any other pose (Fixed firm maybe) or just this one? If yes, which poses?

My experience is that if the set up is correct and one uses back strength (and back strength only, using the hands just for support) then the feet aren’t playing a part in the ‘lift’. Of course, they have to be active and be activated but if the pose is done correctly, the feet can actually be lifted up from the floor, without losing the elevation in the upper body.

I personally, focus on pushing down through my hips, I can’t get the tops of my feet flat on the floor. The pose’s outcome is to work the lower back muscles and gain strength there.

So next time your husband might want to try the following: Keep the toes pointed, without pushing them into the mat. Just let the feet rest next to each other. With the bottom and the thighs strongly engaged, focus on pushing down through the pelvis and lifting up the chest, by working the lower back muscles. It doesn’t matter how high one can lift up in this pose, alignment comes before depth (or height 😉 ).

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Mette,

Welcome to the Forum and to Hot Yoga!

I know many people (a few of them are actually hot yoga teachers! 🙂 ) who share the same love for both yoga and weight lifting. From their experience I know that it’s absolutely fine to do both on the same day.

As you pointed it out, it will come down to how much energy you’ll have at the end of the day. On some days it will feel easier and on some it will feel more tiring. You will have to go with the flow 😉 You might prefer to do these activities on separate days. Keep experimenting until you find a routine that really suits you.

Just be mindful of being well hydrated and make sure you replenish your electrolytes after practising yoga.

We’d love to hear about your experience, so come back and share it with us!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Enrica,

Congratulations for you Challenge, I hope you are enjoying it altogether 🙂

I need more clarity about what you are feeling in your body.

Where exactly do you experience tension? Is it the same everyday or just every now and then? How much water do you drink a day? 30 consecutive days of yoga is quite a challenge for the body. How do you replenish your electrolytes you sweat out during a class?

We all have different bodies, that is definitely true. Some people are stiffer than others. So just because you can’t go into poses very deeply, it doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with your body. Sometimes it can take years to ‘master’ a pose, yoga definitely teaches patience 😉 If your standing leg is bending when you try to put your forehead on your knee, you might just have to spend a bit more time practising that part for a while, without even bending the elbows.

Although you talk about flexibility, from what you described above, to me it sounds like you could do with more core strength (and honestly, who couldn’t?) rather than flexibility. Gabrielle has a great video about how to improve CORE Strength and why it’s essential. It’s the second one from the top 😉 One can be very very thin and flexible and still find it difficult to hold one’s legs up at 90 degrees while lying back. Gaining good core strength may actually be the solution to the soreness you experience after class!

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Lindsey and Lisa,

It seems to me that even those people who have never had night sweats before, might experience it after starting to practise Hot Yoga.

I have a suspicion but before any statements are made I’d like to ask you some questions 🙂 :
– How often do you practise yoga?
– How much water do you drink on daily bases? How much do you increase that amount with on days when you practise Hot Yoga?
– Do you take any mineral supplements? If yes, what kind is it? Do you take salt (in/on food)? If yes, what kind of salt?

Night sweats can be a sign of mineral or to be precise electrolyte imbalance in the body. You are also welcome to have a look around on this Forum. If you search for: ‘night sweats’ you’ll find that there are many conversations about it. Maybe you’ll find something that’s helpful for you?

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Everyone,

It’s wonderful reading your stories! So inspiring and heart-warming.

As we know yoga has many wonders and it does work like magic. It makes you feel great and rejuvenates you inside as well as outside. Makes you look, feel, think and function better. Physical exercise doesn’t get any better than that does it? 😉

At the same time I feel the need to point out something very important and that is: Yoga Does Not Fix Everything. In my case for example, many years of physical activity (including yoga) covered up everything that has been going on in my body – or skeleton to be more precise. Despite my great posture (oh well.. I thought it was great!) it turned out, that I had a mild scoliosis, a reversed neck curve and a bit of subluxation in my lower back. My shoulders and hips are unlevel and there is a slight internal rotation in my right hipbone too 🙂 I remember looking at my X rays thinking: This cannot be me! Good news is that apparently these things are easy to fix. All I have to do is: use a roll under my neck, get adjusted by a chiropractor every now and then and keep practising yoga. 🙂

Yoga can make you look better than ever, therefore you tend to forget about areas that aren’t visible to the naked eye.

A regular practice can and will make incredible improvements in one’s body. Perhaps you won’t need to visit your doctor as often as you did in the past but I wouldn’t recommend not being examined by one, every now and then.

Keep posting your lovely stories! We would love to hear more about your experience.

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Robin,

Hydration is a very important matter and not only when it comes to practising hot yoga. Being well hydrated is essential to a balanced and healthy life. Let me ask you a few questions: How much water do you drink a day? Do you increase the water intake on days when you do yoga? Do you make sure to replenish your electrolytes?

We have very helpful threads on the subject of ELECTROLYTES. Join the conversation if you like, maybe you’ll discover brand new information that you’ll find useful. If yoga makes you feel great, then by all means keep practising! It is one of the most beneficial exercises one can do! I have a feeling those ‘electrolyte’ tips will help you tremendously with your hydration, which will make your practice (even more) enjoyable! 😉

What exactly do you mean when you say that practising hot yoga hasn’t been helping your digestion?

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Namaste,

Andrea