Hi, I am a 50-year old woman that has recently taken up Bikram Yoga ( about 20 classes during the past 3 months ). I am healthy but have bad knees and shoulder impingement and I am not very flexible at all. For the past weeks I have noted a dizziness daily, like a slight feeling of being unsteady. This is not dehydration right after yoga. I have begun wondering if maybe flexing my neck so much forward in some poses and trying to flex it backwards in others could be the root of this ? Has anyone experienced something similar ? Thank you in advance.
AlbaRose
Ok I don?t care how old you are or physically conditioned Bikram takes a while to get use to so it may simple be acclimating to extreme changes. My cardiologist friend told me that Right bundle branch block (RBBB) is common in the general population, ever have an EKG? It can easily be detected and is no cause for alarm it has nothing to do with a blockage other then the name, it?s about how the nerve impulses are delayed while traveling through certain heart nerves. Either way I would recommend seeing a doctor.
I’m a 48 year old woman and I often have feelings of dizziness. Mine I believe is directly related to a slightly pinched nerve in my neck, which I am seeing a chiropractor regularly for. Hon it could be any number of things causing it, there’s just no real way of figuring it out I think unless you have some severe symptoms. I have had ear issues the for the past year, so mine could also be related to my ears - or could be my blood sugar! It is so hard to self diagnose. Just make sure you aren’t “scrunching” your neck when you are leaning it backwards, and treat it with TLC. I don’t think you need to worry so much about flexing forward, as this is a stretch and not compression.
Those more knowledgeable will chime in I’m sure. 
Try doing regular yoga (without the heat) for a while as well and see if that makes a difference.
Go to a class where the room is not heated.
Let the teacher know that you have been experiencing dizziness after Bikram classes.
Its generally not good for ones health to exercise in a hot, humid room and walk out into a chilly evening…
You say it is not dehydration right after yoga, but how much water do you drink throughout the day?
Is your dizziness during yoga also?
Perhaps an inner ear issue? Not to get to personal, but are you peri/post menopausal? If you are going through menopause, it could be hormonal.
My friend gets what she calls the dizzies, and after numerous tests, her Dr. said it is allergy related.
But like Joanna said, it could be a million different things. I’m not too familiar with Bikram yoga. But if that is your main practice, considering the heat you practice in, you probably need to take in more fluids than normal. Just a guess though.
Thank you for the responses. Ray : it has been quite awhile since I had an EKG but I did not have RBBB then. I sometimes do spinning classes and can get near my maximum pulse without problem so I have guessed it is not a cardiac problem. I did see a doctor about it and she mostly had no idea ( but I am waiting for the results of a lot of lab tests ).
Joanna : yes, I was thinking along the “pinched nerve” idea, that it could be something in the new range of motion I am putting my neck through that is causing it. I will check for other Yoga types as well but I did do a few classes at my gym called Power Yoga. My shoulders could not take the down dog position. Bikram does not have any poses where I have to put weight on my shoulders like that. The main reason is otherwise that my daughters do Bikram and I like to do something together with them.
Terence : yes, I will see if another type of Yoga would feel better. Being a bit “old” , rather inflexible and having joint pain it has however felt like the heat also has some benefits. It is very exhausting though and I cannot say if this is good or bad.
Lotusgirl : I drink around 1 liter extra of fluids on a Yoga day, always making sure I drink enough that I have to make 1 or 2 extra bathroom visits in the evening. I feel that when my body starts wanting to get rid of water, then it has enough.
I get slightly dizzy in the yoga room as well, I have attributed it to the intensity of the Yoga and the heat. You are probably quite right about the perimenopausal issue, it could definately be a factor.
Thank you all for your replies !
1 liter per day is not enough fluid for you AlbaRose! General rule of thumb is 1/2 your body weight in ounces. I am also close to mid 50’s and actually post menopausal. I weigh 125 lbs, so I should drink around 65 ounces of water per day. So 1 liter per day (especially with doing Bikram) is not nearly enough.
Another question, Do you have low blood pressure? Inner ear problems?
I would certainly check into these with your Doctor.
Vajra Mudra may also be helpful. Press thumb onto the side of the middle fingernail, the ring finger on the other side of your middle fingernail, and the little finger at the side of your ring fingernail. Extend your index finger. Each hand several times a day for upwards of 5 minutes. Here’s a picture:
Lotusgirl : I was being unclear, I meant that I drink about 1 liter extra in addition to what I normally drink on a Yoga day. Typically 300 ml before I leave home, 100 ml during class, 500 ml right after class and 200 ml as soon as I get home again.
My blood pressure was recently checked and it was normal. No ear problems.
My own fear is that the dizziness might be stress related ( stressful job with long hours, stressful private situation at home, disease in family members ) but as it started right around the time I started Yoga I thought maybe it had something to do with the Yoga. Maybe I do the poses wrong ? Maybe too much pressure on my neck ? Maybe the Bikram Yoga is too demanding in a psycological sense for me ? These were the things I started wondering about. Thank you again very much for trying to help me. I will do the Vaja Mudra you suggested. Thanks.
Good that you’ve ruled out the blood pressure and inner ear issues. And sorry, it’s probably me who read your post wrong!
Try stopping the Bikram yoga and look into something a bit more gentle. Since stress is an issue, perhaps a restorative yoga class or a gentle flow class might better suit your needs right now.
Please keep us posted!
Hello AlbaRose,
You seem to be asking about neck flexion/extension and the potential dizziness that may come from it, or not come from it. Since I am not a medical practitioner all that I can offer through this medium is some feedback (general) about yoga, including asana (the question here).
In back bends and forward bends no part of the spine should be folding or collapsing. The neck contains the cervical vertebrae of the spine. As such, those vertebra should flow with the rest of the spine. The curvature should be uniform. And obviously in a stiffer student that would have to mean less flexion/extension.
Sadly, many students in their zeal to “do the pose” tend to fold in the weakest link of their spine in order to achieve the posture. This can be seen if you scour photos of Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow) and look deeply into the body for the arc of the spine. This is compounded (or perhaps even facilitated) by teachers who do not correct the student, do not guide them toward spirit and away from performance, or are not well trained enough to do either.
There are certainly other potential contributors for dizziness, some of which have been mentioned. However it is best to inquire of the teacher you’ve selected to convey Yoga to you. Me, I’d have to actually see your practice.
gordon
“You seem to be asking about neck flexion/extension and the potential dizziness that may come from it, or not come from it.”
Gordon, yes, you understood my concern perfectly. I was wondering how likely it might be that the asanas I have started doing could be the cause of my recent dizziness. From the answers I have gotten so far it does not seem that this is common which means I should carefully examine other causes.
“In back bends and forward bends no part of the spine should be folding or collapsing.”
This is an excellent point you make, I will try to watch this when bending. My teacher often tells us not to “hang on our lower back” when bending backwards. As a side note : my late husband was a Chiropractor and he often warned against “general” adjustments of the spine. He said that the movement and force would be mostly taken up by the parts that already were loose and moving and not by the area that was stuck. He wanted to adjust selectively.
"This is compounded (or perhaps even facilitated) by teachers who do not correct the student, do not guide them toward spirit and away from performance, "
I do not receive very many personal corrections at all. From my observation I guess that this is because I am new and they seem to let the newbies “find their stride” ( or how I should put it ) before they start to correct poses. I am thinking very much about what you said above “towards spirit and away from performance” because I am trying to define my goal and purpose in choosing to go to the studio. I am also wondering about performance and how I should define my performance. It is obvious to me that I at my age, with my troublesome knees, hurting shoulders and stiff muscles cannot push my body into looking like the limber 20 yo’s at the studio. It has not even entered my mind that my performance can be how I look at this point. I have mostly seen it as how hard I push myself in the asanas, how hard I try to understand how they should be performed and how much I try to let go of everything else while in the studio. I have also thought that just showing up at the studio, making the choice to go there could be called performance. Doing the asanas for 90 minutes in the heat feels like very,very hard work for me. It feels like a struggle where I have to push myself. I am not sure this feeling is beneficial. I will continue for the time being so that I might learn and understand more. I have also found another Yoga studio that offers a variety of classes that is much closer to where I live. I will visit this studio also.
Thank you for your answer, it was very helpful, AlbaRose
…
To further clarify…
how likely it might be that the asanas I have started doing could be the cause of my recent dizziness
Not the asana at all. Only the person doing it and the method with which it is done (or absence thereof). And this is why good yoga teachers do not teach poses, they teach people. The posture done with integrity (of action, of thought, of execution, of intention) is beneficial. The pose without integrity leads to harm
I am new and they seem to let the newbies “find their stride”
From my perspective as a teacher…
a raw beginner in my class needs only to have an experience in their body (as much as is possible for us when we are all living outside of them for most of our lives). Any correction for that person is merely an attention to safety issues. When they want more of the teachings they come back - and we can move forward from there.
A student with a more robust practice, a long-term commitment to the study and the class, that person is also met where they are. As such, depending on their physical practice, they might get “more” in terms of adjustment (I don’t fancy calling it correction).