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New User
Posts: 3
| Hello All,
I just started attending Bikram yoga yesterday. I signed up for the intensive 1 month jumpstart program my local studio offers (unlimited visits for 40 days). I wanted to bring up some concerns I had after attending my first class. Any tips/advice/etc would be greatly appreciated.
This winter has been generally awful up in the Northeast. I work from 8-5 M-F and haven't had much in the way of physical activity in a LONG time. During my first class, any small amount of stretching caused excruciating pain. For example, a simple 'toe touch' attempt ends just below my knee and my legs are shaking uncontrollably. Let's not even mention how I cannot complete any stretch/balancing type pose (Balancing pose, Standing Bow, etc) because I just lose balance right away and fall over. The amount of pain I am feeling keeps me from maintaining any kind of focus/concentration (where the real yoga takes place from what I am told). The instructors told me to just keep coming and things will work out as time goes on.
How true is my instructor's recommendation? I feel very disruptive in the class as I cannot really do any of the poses and constantly lose balance/focus. Are there any pre-exercise regiments I should try to get ready for yoga (my instructor says that one should just do yoga, that there is no preparation needed). I definitely want to keep going because everyone I know who practices the yoga lifestyle is incredibly healthy and balanced. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Namaste
Jeff G |
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Veteran
Posts: 163
 
| Jeff, I know that this is the Bikram forum, but my answer is twofold...yes Bikram model would say that just keep on practicing, doing what you can and doing it on a regular basis, and you will see improvement. My personal opinion is that you might want to start with a slower, more therapeutically based yoga until you build up some strength and then try Bikram again. What you are describing might be just strength and/or flexibility, but could also be an injury or could cause an injury....you might need a more personalized practice to start.
Namaste. |
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Regular
Posts: 69
| Jeff- I would just keep going back as your teacher recommended. Bikram yoga is for all people at all fitness levels. It is for you - make no mistake about it. The shaking you are experiencing is good!! I would focus on 1. getting to class 2. trying the right way when you are there 3. controlling your breath during class 4. focusing on only yourself when you are there (not worrying about disrupting others etc.)
It sounds like the teachers are good and will take care of you. Don't be afraid to talk to them after class.
Welcome to your new life. |
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| Hi Jeff,
I'm so glad you have found a studio to go to! That's great. I know, starting out can be really tough, but this might be just what you need. Full disclaimer - I am a teacher too, and I've seen a lot of new students in my classes. Don't worry about being "disruptive," there is no such thing. Everyone is there to focus on their own practice. Even when it feels like you have a neon sign flashing over your head, the truth is that half the people in the class will never even notice you, because they are so wrapped up in themselves! No one minds if you are having a hard time. Most of the other students will just be happy that you are in class and trying your best - in most studios I've been to, Bikram yoga folks are really welcoming and encouraging.
Just go at your own pace and do as much as you can do, trying the right way. Maybe you'll only be able to do 1% of the posture at first, but as long as you are moving in the right direction, you will get so much benefit. Just keep going back and see what happens! You might be surprised at how quickly your body loosens up and starts to feel better.... |
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| @ Seeker101 - Also, just gotta say... I'd take the position that Bikram yoga is DEFINITELY therapeutically based. (Hey, you are the on the Bikram forum... it's fair game!) I mean, I've got my yoga therapy book (that I got at the Bikram training) on the bookshelf in between my Bikram book and my dialogue, and it's really consistent with everything that we teach. (I really need to crack that book open again... it's a tough read, but good stuff!) |
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Member
Posts: 10
| theconfusedj - 2011-02-09 10:45 PM
... I mean, I've got my yoga therapy book .....
Which yoga therapy book are you referring to? Does the BYTT recommend a specific book?
thanks
Rosemarie |
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New User
Posts: 3
| Thank you all for the advice. I went back for my second class the day I wrote my original post and it was better than the first day. I felt I was able to concentrate a little better and my stretches went a tad farther than the previous day. Believe it or not, one of the hardest things for me to do is the dead body pose. I lay there just as the teacher instructs, but feel incredibly uncomfortable. I carry a lot of anxiety in my body. Does anyone have any tips on how to fully relax? |
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| malnacido - 2011-02-11 11:03 AM
Does anyone have any tips on how to fully relax?
1. In Corpse pose with eyes closed, inhale and say the number 50 to yourself. Exhale and say 49. Inhale 48. Exhale 47 on down to 19. After 19, only count on your exhales down to 0.
2. In Corpse pose with eyes closed, with each exhale consciously relax your toes, then feet, heels, ankles, shins, calves, knees, thighs, hamstrings, hips, tailbone, lower back, abdomen, upper back, chest, finger tips, fingers, hands, thumbs, wrists, forearms, elbows, biceps, triceps, shoulders, the back of your neck, throat, jaw, tongue, lips, cheeks, ears, the back of your head, crown of your head, forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, eyes, and mind.
3. While relaxing, do not suppress or hold on to thoughts. If thoughts arise, let them come and go like the bubbles in a glass of soda or champagne; appearing at the bottom out of nowhere, traveling to the top and disappearing again.
Edited by jimg 2011-02-11 3:39 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
| Hi, regarding having difficulty in dead body pose. I had this in the beginning. If your back is stiff, it is not an easy pose. You can put your knees up and your feel flat on the floor until it gets easier. I remember that I couldn't do that pose whenever I feel discouraged by my practice. i do it well now. I have a difficult time staying awake in it, even. Try to stay awake though. Also, sit down if it gets too intense. The few seconds of rest can really help. I have little goals for each class. Goals such as, doing at least one of each of the postures, not sitting down until separate leg stretching, or hold all of the poses the full time if I can.
Play little games with yourself abou tit. It helps peggy |
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| Just practice. Don't think about it too much. Savasana IS the hardest posture for MANY people - it will take more than 2 days to really get the hang of it!! Everyone has their own "way" of doing it. With a little time, you'll figure out yours. Practice, practice, practice. And breathe. |
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Member
Posts: 10
| malnacido - 2011-02-11 11:03 AM
Does anyone have any tips on how to fully relax?
I find reciting the dialogue sends me off to sleep!
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New User
Posts: 1
| Just to jump on this post...
I have also just completed my first class of Bikram yoga (after being a regular yoga attendee for a while) and I found it excruciating in the heat.
Any tips on dealing with the heat?
I also found the instructor to be rather aggressive. Quite a contrast to the more relaxed yoga styles.
At the end of the class I told him that I found it quite hard and he said "sorry, I didn't know I was meant to make it easy for you".
And he didn't let you drink between poses. Why is this? and is the idea to create a competitive atmosphere? |
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Member
Posts: 34
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand | sorry, I didn't know I was meant to make it easy for you
Personally, I don't care for smart-ass, pat answers to serious questions, and I don't respond well to the condescension your teacher showed you. Your question about intensity and rough treatment by an instructor is perfectly rational and valid.
Fitness fads come and go. "Boot Camp Fitness" is trendy right now. See "America's Biggest Loser" and similar. I guess some people feel that they can overcome lack of motivation and self-discipline by submitting to some drill-instructor, authority figure. Others just think this flavor of the month is "hip, slick, and cool." Whatever works, I suppose, but NOT my cup of tea, thank you very much!
I'm hardly any authority, but BOTTOM LINE, in my humble opinion, is there is absolute NO REASON ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH to do Bikram Yoga (copyright under penalty of death-by-stoning!) unless you reallllllly like it, unless it really resonates for you, and works on a number of levels. If it doesn't resonate for you, you are not missing ANYTHING and there are PLENTY of alternatives that might work better for you.
Aloha,
Rex |
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Member
Posts: 34
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand | Fri 13 May 2011, 8:13 pm
Hi Again, Jeff,
I just read your original post more thoughtfully. I can relate to your feelings of discomfort. I began practicing yoga 3 years ago, at age 58, I began with the very narrow focus of wanting to control hypertension in addition to meds, diet and exercise. All of that has been only moderately effective. My BP averages diastolic in the 1930's, but is sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Lower especially after exercise. That is disappointing and frustrating, but at least I am out of imminent danger, and it is only background to what I wanted to write about.
One earliest exposures to yoga was a one-week intensive in Nong Khai. I guess it could be described as a relatively mild vinyasa practice; a two-hour session twice a day for 7 days! Ouch! It turned out to be one of the most painful and physically demanding experiences of my entire life. I almost bailed several times, but managed to stick it out. I'll try not to drag this out making it into a "shaggy dog story." Bottom line is that it NEVER got easier, even after 2 1/2 years of home practice 5 days a week and classes as often as I could fit them in. My home practice, considerably abbreviated from what I learned in class was acceptable and "manageable" but never wonderful, and classes were always too intense and demanding for me. You know, glancing at the clock "Oh, gee, only 89 more minutes to go! Am I dead yet?" Seriously, they were nothing that I EVER actually looked forward to, and never seemed to get much easier.
I asked lots of people for advice, including the good people on this forum, and never got back anything I felt I could really use. I asked my teachers, of course, who mostly just gave me vague looks. You get a lot of "vague" in Thailand, but that's another story. The only really intelligent feedback I got was at very nearly the beginning, and I chose to ignore it. It was from the owner of Iyengar Bangkok, a well-regarded system on this forum and around the world--who is an American, formerly on the board at Iyengar Los Angeles, studied with Guruji himself. This does not make him infallible, of course, but he has a pretty good pedigree which I respect.
He said: "Rex, you're a little old to be starting this, aren't you?"
He's no spring chicken himself, but has been in yoga for 30 years. At the time, I took it as a challenge. "I'll show you Justin. I'm no decrepit , old dude!"
But, you know, 3 years down the road, I think he was the only one who had the wisdom or the guts to hit the nail on the head. Maybe, someday, if the opportunity presents itself, I'll ask him if he remembers his comments, and what he really meant by them. The only Iyengar studio in the country is in Bangkok, and I only had limited opportunity to take classes. Maybe my experience would be different if I could have attended classes weekly or more often. But I reckon I'll never know, and it probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
End of story: I am on "vacation" from yoga (asana) these days, and for the past six months have been faithfully practicing QiGong-TaiChi 5 days a week, 35 minutes a day. Unfortunately, it is an online course, so lacks the vital aspect of feedback and correction, which I really am beginning to feel a need for-- but putting that aside, my experience has been more pleasurable and rewarding across the board than it was with yoga (generic hatha, Iyengar, Yin Yoga). Although, as with anything, I sometimes have to discipline myself to practice, I don't dread it, I often actually enjoyed it, sometimes look forward to practice. Because this course is detail oriented, and focuses on one form at a time, I am working through it slowly, practicing each form for a week or so until I gain some proficiency before moving on to the next lesson. I really like that, and I feel that there is a arc to my practice that is heading somewhere. I am not sure where, but somewhere. I love the beautiful, slow, gentle movement that remarkably produce palpable muscle development, flexibility, range of motion and alignment without all that nasty huffing-and-puffing and grunting and sweating!
In the end, I suppose yoga and TaiChi overlap, both are energetic systems, focused on movement and alignment and "physicality" to achieve mind-body unity. I suppose you could say that TaiChi is just another form of yoga, and that yoga is just another form of TaiChi. They do come together in Taoist Yoga.
Bottom line is that I feel that I am on the right path for me, and that I made a good decision . . . And if I turn out to be wrong, yoga has been waiting patiently for me for 5,000 years. I suppose it can wait a little longer.
Aloha,
Rex
Khon Kaen, Thailand
rextutor@gmail.com |
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New User
Posts: 1
| lockdaknee - 2011-02-09 8:24 PM
Jeff- I would just keep going back as your teacher recommended. Bikram yoga is for all people at all fitness levels. It is for you - make no mistake about it. The shaking you are experiencing is good!! I would focus on 1. getting to class 2. trying the right way when you are there 3. controlling your breath during class 4. focusing on only yourself when you are there (not worrying about disrupting others etc.)
It sounds like the teachers are good and will take care of you. Don't be afraid to talk to them after class.
Welcome to your new life.
Yes I have just finished my 3rd class and I shake and fall and grunt and other stuff.My yoga lady tells me if I am doing the best i can while trying to do it then i am doing fine.As long as I put in 100% effort and i try to do the stretches properly, then i am on the right track.She also told me to not worry bout other people in the class and to just focus on ME.......good luck to you . |
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Regular
Posts: 69
| Very cool Aussieeade - Best to you on your yoga journey. Remember, the most important posture is getting in your car and driving to class!  |
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New User
Posts: 3
| If the thought of there, let them come and go like a glass of soda water or champagne bubbles; appear out of the woods where the top tourism and disappear again. |
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Introduction/Beginner
