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| I am a 14-year practiioner of various yoga forms and have recently started Bikram classes - only once a week. During my Bikram classes, I use the wisdom of my other teachings to maintain awareness and go to a place that works for me.
So far, I've only made it through 1 class w/out feeling overcome by occasional dizzyness and/or nausea, where it actually felt energyzing to do the asanas! I think this may be due to my low blood pressure. My trouble spots are in the lateral standing poses, coming out of forward or lateral bends. Camel pose gets me too.
Should I "honor" my blood pressure situation and not push too much? Or should I be diligent and wait for these symptoms to clear? If I could only slow down the pace of the practice, and make slower transitions between asanas, that might help. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
  
Location: A Blue State |
Dear, dear... Look, you've done yoga for 14 years, so you already have a good
idea about what kind of postures might cause you to feel dizzy. None of that has
suddenly changed. So ask youself what is different about doing Bikram yoga
relative to whatever you were doing before. Consider whether the pace is a lot
faster, whether you are somehow exerting yourself more than before, etc.
You might also be having problems simply as a result of the high heat. When
your body has trouble staying cool enough, dizziness is one immediate consequence.
Search back through the old posts on this forum to see a great deal of discussion of
that issue... I have written about it many times before, as have others.
My own advice would be to honor your body and not to equate dizziness with "diligence".
One way to do this is simply to lie out on the second sets of some of the Bikram poses
(I'd suggest skipping the second set of Standing Forehead to Knee, Standing Bow Pulling,
and Balancing Stick in particular, as these three are the most physically demanding part
of the standing series. On the floor, if you are having trouble, skip the second Locusts,
and the second Bow. I base this advice on 700 Bikram classes that I took.)
Don't abandon what you already know about yoga just b/c you have started Bikram yoga.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
 
| Bay Guy - 2005-03-26 7:27 PM
Don't abandon what you already know about yoga just b/c you have started Bikram yoga.
Oh - good one Bay Guy! |
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| Bay Guy's suggestion of skipping the second round of certain postures is a good one. However, I think I would choose to skip the second round of the poses I mentioned cause me problems - which I am already doing - not the ones you are suggesting.
After 14 years of practice I have never experienced nausea or dizziness until practing Bikram - so the reason is obvious: the heat! I'm particularly interested in understanding the relationship between blood pressure and heat. When my upper body is folded over in any direction, and my head is lowered in relationship to my heart, I get dizzy when I go vertical again. A head-rush dizziness, which if I'm not careful could lead to passing out. I have to move very slowly to make these transitions...but by then the class is on to the next pose.
So - I think I've answered my own question here - I'll talk to my teacher and let him know I'm going to go slowly between asanas.
However, I'd still like to have a better experience on a more consistent basis. Is the relationship between low blood pressure and heat a fixed thing? Can I always expect dizziness? Will my blood pressure change - and if so, is that healthy, or am I simply meant to function with low blood pressure? Will continued practice affect my blood pressure and allow me to experience it more deeply? |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| My guess is that the BP issues will stay the same or improve a bit and then level off. As someone who has had head rush low BP dizziness I wonder why you want to do anything that causes it? This is not just a Bikram question - I always want to know why people continue to do things that make them physically ill. More of a creature of comfort myself... |
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| This is what I'm asking myself - is Bikram going to be "bad" for me? |
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| However, I'd still like to have a better experience on a more consistent basis. Is the relationship between low blood pressure and heat a fixed thing? Can I always expect dizziness? Will my blood pressure change - and if so, is that healthy, or am I simply meant to function with low blood pressure? Will continued practice affect my blood pressure and allow me to experience it more deeply?
In my experience, the body needs time to acclimate and adjust to being able to work with the heat. *Most* people eventually get to a place with the heat where the symptoms you describe lessen and/or go away altogether. Most bodies are resilient and able to adapt to environmental conditions, given time and patience. On a much less dramatic note, when I first moved to Atlanta, I had a very difficult time going about my daily routine in the summer heat and humidity. I'm from Massachusettes and it took a few years before I was able to feel comfortable in the summer. In the same way, it took me some time before I was able to do a full Bikram class without having to lie down several times during each session (thankfully, it was months, not years).
As to why one might want to suffer through the heat when it clearly makes the body (and mind) uncomfortable... my first time doing a Native American sweat lodge was similar to my first Bikram Class. I practically ran from the lodge/room in a panic to get out of what i thought was an insanely unnatural environment. In both cases, I was confounded and disappointed. I had heard many stories of the benefits but I had such a hard time just being able to breathe in the heat that I couldn't imagine doing it again. Fortunately, what kept me going back was the way I felt afterwards. In spite of my difficulties I felt invigorated and energized by the experience. The key for me was to allow myself to work slowly, to rest as often as I needed to and to keep going back.
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Expert Yogi
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| Eric - I hear what you are saying about physical discomfort. I joke about being lazy too much, perhaps... Certainly I do know about getting past physical boundaries and challenging myself to go to places of discomfort and work through them. My teacher often says that people who come to yoga to relax are kidding themselves. A sincere practitioner will absolutely not be relaxed and comfortable if they want to make any sort of progress (physical, mental, spiritual - whatever) at all.
I wish there was more clear research about the effects of exercising in heat. It has been a huge topic here and the debate rages on. Some people just seem to be lizards and love the heat and sweat. Others seem unable to tolerate it well at all. It is not helpful that they are often told to suck it up and push through it (although it sounds like you have an enlightened approach at your studio) even when they are feeling really bad. I do have students with low BP and I am always very clear that they need to go slowly and not get dizzy if possible. It is a horrible feeling and, as one who has BTDT, I don't wish it on anyone else, nor do I wish to be picking students up off the floor when they pass out.
I dont have clear cut answers for whether or not it is healthy to continue doing hot yoga and I don't think anyone else does either, no matter how much anecdotal evidence they produce. |
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| There is a TON of clear cut research on exercise in heat. Do a simple google search and you can find a bunch.
Here is a good article I recently found during some of my own research
http://www.arcticheat.com.au/thermoregulation.htm
Notice the symtoms of Heat exhastion, one of them is dizziness and headaches.
Here are some more links with some additional helpful guidelines for atheletes who work out in heat.
http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/ysi/Spotlight96/heat.html
http://www.clinicalsportsmedicine.com/chapters/48a.htm
And finally here is one for those with Spinal cord injuries and exercise in heat from Gatorade
http://www.gssiweb.com/reflib/refs/39/d0000000200000075.cfm?pf=1&CFID=1531256&CFTOKEN=26600488
Hope this helps
Brian
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| Hello Vancouver,
I think in time some of the dizziness will pass. I also have really low blood pressure and the only posture that bothers me every now and then is camel.. When I start to feel lightheaded I slowly come out of the posture and breathe really long deep breaths (nose not mouth).. THat stops the dizziness for me. Also I drink plenty of water and make sure that I have a little food in my system so I won't get dizzy.. I keep a granola bar handy or eat it a lite snack (usually something of the fruit/nuts/ricecake combination) an hour before class if I am famished. I also have a packet of Emergencee handy if I feel the need for electrolytes. I don't subscribe to this "don't eat anything for 3-4 hours before class rule." Surely you shouldn't eat a Thanksgiving Day dinner before class, but have a little something fuel up..
It has been 5 years since I discovered Bikram. I grew up with yoga and I found Bikram yoga at 26. I too found the asanas energizing.
Hope this helps you and lots of luck.
Daniela
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Bikram and low blood pressure?
