Andrea.*F.

Hi Christina,

It’s great to hear that you are having fun with your ball 🙂 Haha…

I remember how much we LOVED (and still do!) this exercise when Gabrielle introduced it to us at her Teacher Training! To have a good core strength is sooo important! I am sure it will help you to transform your practice too!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Crystal,

I’m a hot yoga teacher, trained by Gabrielle, I hope it’s ok with you if I reply to your post 🙂

Have you actually taken a class yet? If yes, which poses did you find challenging?

In answer to your original question, yes, hot yoga can help to strengthen, build and stretch muscles.

Here is something important I would like to point out: in some studios you might hear people say things such as: ‘Yoga will fix it, just keep practising’. This is a very vague and dangerous statement. Even though yoga can help the body to heal some injuries and fix certain conditions, it will not fix everything! Wonderful as yoga is, you have to be careful and might have to modify some of the poses, especially if you have injured your body in the past.

My suggestion is this: take a few class at a studio (if you haven’t already). Be aware of your body’s needs. Listen to it! Don’t do poses or don’t go very deep into poses if you feel that cause you pain. Practising in heat is very beneficial because it helps the body to loosen up. For that reason though, there is a tendency to go beyond the body’s comfort zone. So just bare in mind that you are there to challenge and not to injure yourself.

Another suggestion is to do your own research on this website. Gabrielle has very powerful tips for practising safely. I actually think that reading her manual, the Hot Yoga MasterClass would greatly benefit you! You can read more about it here: Hot Yoga Master Class!

After familiarizing yourself with the poses come back and tell us about your experience! If you need a personalized, precise advice, just let us know! We will be happy to help you! 🙂

Enjoy your practice and the rest of your weekend!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi Emily and Barry,

I am one of the graduates form Gabrielle’s teacher training, I hope you don’t mind if I reply to your posts! 🙂

Emily, if you are new to practising yoga, a little soreness in the shoulders can be absolutely normal. As you said, it takes a bit of getting used to it and gaining enough strength! (I suggest you have a look at the link below, to make sure that the soreness is not a sign of incorrect alignement)
Barry, the pain in your neck could be a result of many things, for example: stiff shoulders. To make sure that you don’t (unconsciously) hold poses with an incorrect alignement, I would recommend doing a bit of research on other poses too, not only on Standing Separate Leg Stretching Forehead to Knee pose! It is worth having a look around on this website. Gabrielle has some incredibly powerful tips that can help you understand the poses better and how to be safe in them. Teachers often don’t have the time to explain everything in a class so you could be missing out on some information.
https://www.hotyogadoctor.com/index.php/site/poses

My question to both of you about DBJ is: what you are aiming to achieve in this pose? Where are your arms and what are you doing with them? You can also describe the steps you follow to get into the pose. I know I am asking a lot of questions, but the more information I have the easier it is to make suggestions! 🙂

I am looking forward to hearing from both of you!

Enjoy your practice!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello All,

Wow! It was quite incredible to read all these posts! Indeed, it is more than great to have people like Gabrielle in this ‘industry’. I too, was planning to go for a Bikram teacher training, simply because I was practising that particular series and it seemed like a logical step. After I did my research on the training and spoke to teachers at the studio, I learned that despite the fact, Bikram’s program is called a ‘teacher training’, one of the many things you will not be taught is how to teach. (Though it is very important to say that obviously not all Bikram teachers are clueless! Quite a few of those teachers I admire and who influence me, went for the BTT! ) I still remember how confused and disappointed I was… Despite my passion and willingness to become a hot yoga teacher, I immediately decided that I wasn’t going to go for that training. I wanted the best but everything I heard about it, assured me that it was not the right thing for me! Not long (a few days in fact) after that I was introduced to Gabrielle’s website, where I saw a video about her program. As I listened to her talk about her training, I KNEW she was offering everything I was after! I think it only took me about 10 minutes to hit the Apply button! And boy am I grateful for making that decision! 🙂

Wombatgirl, your story is eye opening and sadly it is not the one and only of its kind! When I hear stories like yours, I always say to Gabrielle: I wish I could be there just once, when a ‘teacher’ talks like that to a student! … It makes me angry and sad at the same time! With a new generation of teachers though I am confident that more and more studios will open, where people can practice hot yoga and be taught by knowledgable, trustworthy teachers who care and have humility!

Your body does indeed talk to you and among many other things, this is what practising yoga teaches you, body awareness. There is no one out there who can make you to do something that’s causing you pain. And guess what, wonderful and beneficial as it is, yoga does not fix everything! There, I have said it! 🙂

I wish happy, enjoyable and safe practice to each and every single one of you!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Sammy,

I am a teacher from Gabrielle’s teacher training. She gave me permission to reply to forum posts, I hope you don’t mind that either 🙂

Gabrielle asked me to ask you to describe what you mean by compressed vertebrae! Can you give us more information and detail on that?

There are many poses in that series, that were designed to help to improve the function of the digestive system, so it is normal if it has an effect on yours. Having said that, I am curious to know what makes you think that it’s yoga that makes you bloated and gassy? What do you eat before and after your classes? Can you please tell me more about that?

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello S. Alladi and Elaine,

I am a hot yoga teacher trained by Gabrielle, I hope you don’t mind if I respond to your posts this time! =)

It’s great that you guys discovered hot yoga! Welcome to the club =)
It is one of the most beneficial physical exercises in the world and its alo very challenging on many levels!

Because you both are new to this wonderful but admittedly tough activity, I would like to stress out the importance of continuous and correct breathing.
Gabrielle has great, FREE videos available on this website. Here is one on breathing:
https://www.hotyogadoctor.com/index.php/site/topics/resources/free-yoga-videos
Have a look at it, I think you will find it very useful! Holding your breathe and compressing your body at the same time by itself, can result in bloodshot eyes!

Just a few questions before we move onto more direct suggestions:

– How much water do you drink before/during/after class?
– How do you replenish your electrolytes?
– Are you wearing a headband when practising?

I have a couple of things in mind that might help you but first can you get back to me on that?

Enjoy your practice until next time!
I am looking forward to hearing from both of you!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hello Christina,

I am one of the graduates from Gabrielle’s teacher training, I hope you don’t mind if I reply to your post.

Firstly can I just confirm that you need assistance with separate leg stretching and not separate leg stretching forehead to knee pose?

I can just move your post to the relevant thread once you confirm that =)

Thank you!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi Christina,

As one of the graduates form Gabrielle’s Teacher training program, she gave me permission to respond to forum posts.
I hope you don’t mind if I reply to yours? =)

Locust pose is a challenging pose for most of us, but it becomes much simpler when you understand what to do with those arms!
Let me ask you a few questions first:
– Can you please describe me what your outcome is when you bring your arms underneath your body in Locust pose? Where are you aiming to get them?
– You said your elbows were bent underneath you before the injury. Are they still bent or did you somehow modify the pose?

If you get back to me with your answers, I can offer you something more specific to do! =)

Have a nice day!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi Desiree,

My name is Andrea, I am a graduate from Gabrielle’s teacher training.
I hope it’s ok with you if I respond to your post? =)

First of all can you please tell me how long you have been taking those vitamins for?

You also mentioned, you do not sweat too much.
Has this always been the case or is that something you discovered recently (since practising hot yoga)?

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi everyone,

It is very lovely to see how we all got together to help out a fellow yogini! =)

I do hope your discomfort has eased somewhat (maybe as a result of combining the suggestions you read here).

Sarah, it is great to hear that Freiamaya’s tip about silicone cream worked for you!
It is definitely worth thinking about what Faizah posted, especially if your coccyx needed adjustment in the past.

As to our discussion on hygiene; to me, it doesn’t seem like “you are doing something wrong”.
It certainly looks like it’s a combination of certain conditions, such as long tailbone, perhaps extra sensitive skin or not the most comfortable yoga attire (FYI, I like wearing thongs when practising yoga =P).

A quick advice on the “proper” vinegar and lavender oil combining =)
Get the cheapest white vinegar form you local store (it doesn’t matter how acidic it is) and put enough lavender oil into the bottle to eliminate the strong vinegar smell.
Start with adding just a few drops of oil, you know you have added enough when the strong acidic smell doesn’t dominate anymore!
You either add some of that mixture to the water you soak your clothes in or you just pour some undiluted vinegar and oil combination into the washing machine’s drawer for the last rinse cycle!

I can’t wait to hear how these things work out for you!
Remember, you always have an option to seek medical help if necessary (a dermatologist, a chiropractor, maybe both)!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi Sarah,

I’m Andrea and I am a graduate from Gabrielle’s teacher training.
I hope you don’t mind if I respond to your forum post.

Your story doesn’t sound funny but it does sound very painful and upsetting. As Gabrielle said, we will do everything to help you!

After reading your post I already have some ideas but before I can say or recommend anything, I would like to ask you some questions:
– Do you always practise in the same studio or have you tried going somewhere else?
– Do you know how and how often they clean the studio (e.g. the carpet and mats)?
– Do you practise on your own mat?
– What do you wash your clothes in?

That will do as a start =)
In my opinion there could be many things that caused your issue, however it seems to me that it has got to do with hygiene.
Many people (including me) get spots on their faces or bodies for example, due to sweating. So minor skin changes, conditions are normal.
Having the pores of the skin open for 90 minutes or so, provides bacterias and dirt an ample opportunity to cause rushes, spots, lumps.
If you go to the studio straight after work, it may be a good idea for you to have a shower before your class, that way you can minimize the chances of dirt ‘washing’ into the wound with your sweat.
Avoid washing your clothes (especially your yoga clothes) in strong chemicals and try soaking them in a mixture of water, white vinegar and lavender oil (the two latter ones are natural antibacterial cleaners and remove smell immediately).
I do love using tea tree oil for cleansing purposes, however I strongly recommend you avoid using it on raw skin!

I am looking forward to hearing from you Sarah, I hope you will get better soon!
Keep me posted!

Namaste,

Andrea

Hi ALex and Aminta,

I hope you both are well!

My name is Andrea, I’m one of Gabrielle’s graduates from her teacher training.
With her permission I sometimes respond to forum posts, I hope that’s ok with you too!

It’s wonderful that you found yoga Alex, I am sorry to hear that you experience pain though.

I understand that you are new to yoga and therefore I would like to point out a couple of things, that I wish were brought to my attention when I started to practise.
The first and one of the most important things is that despite the common belief yoga does not fix everything!
Lotus pose is more than challenging for those who have no injuries, let alone for people, like yourself with serious past injuries.
The second very important components to a beneficial and enjoyable yoga journey are Patience and Respect towards yourself and your body.
Pushing the body beyond it’s capabilities at any cost has nothing to do with the real mentality of yoga and by no means will it heal your injuries.
I think it is very important that you know these things, so you have a better understanding of the right, ‘non-violent’ approach to yoga.

In order to be able to fully understand your condition I will have to talk to Gabrielle as well, to make sure that we come up with the best solution for you!
In the meantime I would like to ask you some questions about your knee.
– Where exactly in the knee do you feel the pain?
– How would you describe the pain sensation you feel?
– Are there any other poses that challenge you in the same way as Lotus pose and Janushirasana (the one on the top right corner of the screen =) ) do?

Aminta, you were right when you pointed out the importance of precise alignment!
Though I must say the best alignment for you ALex, will probably be different to the ‘usual’ due to your condition.
In the meantime please do not ignore your body’s signals and avoid getting into these poses (or any others) that cause you pain.

I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Be well, Stay safe!

Namaste =)

Andrea

Dear Bunni,

You are absolutely right when you say yoga requires a lot of practice.

Your words tell me that you think that your ability to find depth in your yoga practice depends on your strength. It’s not. Strength will build when you work the poses/body the right way.

One of the most important keys to a good practice is precise technique based on sound principles and if the injury was created under the nose of the teacher with actions encouraged by your teacher then this is really a very bad result and for you it was very serious.

Gabrielle and I both think that there are some serious problems in this pose that could also be affecting your practice in other areas too, as you specifically mentioned that “so many (all) poses are like that”. What we, Gabrielle and I want to show you in this process, is a completely different way to approach this pose.

To help discover these problems and how to fix them, can you please clarify for me whether, in normal circumstances when you don’t have someone holding your feet down, if you feel your legs and feet more inclined to lift up?

While you are at it, could you also specify for me where you feel the strength in your arms while in the pose right from shoulders, through biceps, triceps, wrists and hands?

Also, where exactly do you feel strain/compression/pressure/stretch from your hips/bottom right up through your back, shoulders, neck to the top of your head?

With all due respect, I am not of the same opinion about the importance of the ‘dialogue’ as I truly believe that yoga is not a ‘one size fits all’ kind of activity (if there is such at all?!..). It would probably shock you to discover that it is possibly even the ‘dialogue’ that got you into trouble. And for me, there are too many problems that come from teaching to that script and that’s why I went to Gabrielle’s Teacher training ;D

I look forward to hearing from you!

Namaste,

Andrea