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| Hi! I am new and have been going to Bikram Yoga 3 weeks. I have started my 4th week. I have been going 3-5 times per week. I have felt awesome and love the classes. Yesterday, I went to class feeling a little tired. I had the worst class ever! I had cramps in my toes, calves, and stomach. My skin felt like it was burning. My favorite pose, savasana, was torture. I felt anxious and had difficulty getting my breath. Is this normal? Does anyone know what is going on?
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| Welcome Jeanne. Yep it's normal. I think you identified the source of your concern when you wrote, "I went to class feeling a little tired." The initial enthusiam over trying something new and that adreneline pump gave way after 3 weeks. You begin to get used to the routine, the heat, the repetition. The mind begins to question. |
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| Also, would you say you were fairly well-hydrated before going to class? When I am a bit dehydrated, I find the feet cramp up much worse. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Hi Jeanne,
Welcome to this Bikram forum. Well your gonna get a load of information here. I hope you get lots of insight. I've been doing Bikram for over a year now. I started out at a workshop and then doing it once a week then moving to twice a week and then.....I decided to do a 2-1/2 months straight every day back in October/November and went through some similar things. I went through more torture in the beginning doing Bikram once or twice a week, than when I did it every day. Our body changes all the time and yes, Bruce is right, you go through that adrenaline high at first, but then you start to taper off some. Try not to stop, just ease back, drop off a day if you need that and rest. Some of my best days have been when I took off a couple of days or even a week. I've been on 2 week break from Bikram right now and am getting ready to dive back in. My body tells me what I need and I listen to that. I'm not a die-hard Bikram practictioner (like some think I am), but I know enough about Hatha Yoga that you are better off listening to your body than listening to what others have to say - especially in a forum such as this. Contrary to what others say about Bikram, my best practices were when I was listening to Bikrams audio tape at home and following his instructions of taking it as far as I could go and not more than that. Some people have this notion that they have to get so deep in the posture, hold it for longer than what they are capable of and then, they wipe out! You should take the postures ONLY to your capacity (that is the key to doing Bikram and why so many people struggle) and then hold the position for the desired amount of time. Some people will tell you that your out of alignment and that could be true. I get more out of aligned in the studio than when I'm at home because I like to take my time and not be rushed through it - which is IMO the MAJOR drawback with Bikram.
Some of your symptoms that you described sound like a circulation thing going on. Kinda normal considering most of us have poor circulation and are not aware of that much less know what it feels like. Your blood starts to circulate in the standing postures getting you ready for the floor postures. Sounds like you didn't get to relax enough to calm yourself back down in each in between Savasana during the floor asanas. I would practice Savasana by yourself. Get to know it well and how to relax, then when your in the class, keep coding that into your body, tell your body its okay and make yourself relax and do it. This is the most difficult asana and yet the most simplist one. The reason is so many people do not know how to sit still and are not comfortable within themselves. Your body is trying to re-code itself in this asana and is doing lots of things like re-balancing your organs and those muscles and tendons you just worked - it is really the most important asana for doing Bikram. Good luck with everything and don't forget to breathe through your toes and calves, that way they won't get cramped.
Edited by Cyndi 2005-04-20 4:54 PM
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| Jeane - What you're describing can happen to anybody, no matter how long they've been practicing. I've been practicing regularly for 5 years and every once in a while I'll have a class that just kicks my ass. I usually can tell what's causing the difficulty but not always. I've also had days where I wasn't feeling well and I was prepared to hold back only to have a strong class. Try to enter the studio with no expectations -- to cultivate what's referred to as "beginners mind". Treat each class as if it's your first class. Keep an open mind and listen to your body. Some of the most profound benefits from practicing yoga come from the "conversation" between mind and body. You don't always need to go further or deeper, physically, to benefit from your practice.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
  
| ebenjen - 2005-04-21 5:13 AM
Jeane - What you're describing can happen to anybody, no matter how long they've been You don't always need to go further or deeper, physically, to benefit from your practice.
Good advice Eric. There is practice to learn and practice to consolidate. In the first 3 weeks you will have been learning a ton. So now you need to take time to consolidate what you have learned so far - and possibly some time OFF to rest. |
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| I just completed my fourth week of Bikram yoga, averaging five days a week. I have been hovering around the forum for a while without posting anything, but decided it was time. I got used to the heat pretty quickly and it has not been really bothering me much. However, last Monday (during my fourth week), I had my toughest class yet, when I had to sit out a few postures due to extreme fatigue. I had never before sat out any postures. But as I do more and more classe, I realize that everyone is bound to have bad days and I am just a beginner. I ralso realize that there are too many factors involved... room temperature, when I had my last meal, how much water I have had , where in the room I practice, even the teacher...
It has been an extremely positive experience so far and I am not a very physically active guy. I am the classic 98 pound weakling, but have surprised myself by hanging in there every class without much difficulty. I think I will continue to practice five times a week for atleast a few more months and see where it leads me.
the swami |
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| You might also be hitting the point where you're feeling more comfortable in the poses and are therefore pushing yourself harder than before. I remember hitting a bump after I started getting more proficient, because I kept forgetting how to relax. For example, if I'm trying too hard, I can't touch my head in Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose. If I just focus on breathing, I can get it down. |
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| Thanks to all who answered my question! Your responses are very helpful. I am so new to YOGA and am surprised by how hard of a "workout" this is. I have been physically active all my life, running; weights, etc., but I am very new to Yoga. I think that maybe I have been pushing to hard, trying to do the poses "perfectly" rather than relaxing more and listening to my body. My instructor also told me this reaction is really normal and happens to everyone. I took a day off yesterday and am going to class today with a different "attitude." Thanks again!
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| That attitude will ebb & flow the rest of your yoga career kiddo--indeed, in your whole life--took me quite awhile to figure that out--I expected the jubilation fromthe first day to always be there. |
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| Thanks Bruce! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | Bruce - 2005-04-23 10:19 AM
That attitude will ebb & flow the rest of your yoga career kiddo--indeed, in your whole life--took me quite awhile to figure that out--I expected the jubilation fromthe first day to always be there.
But that jubilation can still surface in every practice, if just in one pose. I did a practice
of back bending last week, and coming out of Laghuvajrasana I was washed with a
wave of ... joy, contentment, satifaction, fullness, transcendance... it made the practice
for me. Things actually got harder after that pose, given what I was doing and where I
was, but that one pose told me that the whole, long practice was worth it. |
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4th week blues
