Heat Exhaustion during a Hot Vinyasa Class

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and have enjoyed reading all the posts.

I just wanted to know if anyone has had a bad experience in a yoga hot room, like the one I had a few days ago.

Just a bit of background, I’ve been practising 5 times a week for 2.5 years now and apart from yoga, I also do running and swimming, I’ve always been into sports and now I really love the yoga practice.

I have been doing Bikram yoga since day 1 and loved it, no problem,even if the room was 41 degrees.

My studio has a Vinyasa class held in a hot room and normally the temperature is between 32 and 34 degrees. No need to be any hotter, to be honest as during this type of practice, the yogi generates so much body heat anyway.

However the other day I went to the studio and noticed the temperature in the room was 40 degrees. I started to feel uneasy, thinking how on earth can I cope, I get so sweaty in a room temperature Vinyasa flow class.

So anyways, to cut a long story short, I almost had a heart attack, no exaggeration. I put my symptoms into google and I had classic textbook symptoms of heat exhuastion. aT the end of the class, my resting pulse was 200 beats per minute and remained at that rate for 45 minutes. I stood in the cold shower (as my face and body wre purple) for 20 minutes, that did not help. Then I stood stark naked in the changing room for another 25 mintues , blow drying my body on the cold setting (with eveyrone staring at me like I ws a freak). Finally my pulse began to settle. My body was still trembling thogh for another 2 hours and the whole of the next day I was not right either.

The thing is…no one else in the class was in the same state as me. They wre veyr sweaty and pink in the cheeks, but not half dead.

I take it I shold never attend a vinyasa flow class at such elevated temperatures, right? It really messed me up and I honestly thought that i was going to die.

Are some people’s bodies just more suited to the hot room? In normal Bikram yoga, I have no issue, the Asanas are quite static, so I’m happy and sweaty and really loving it.

Has anyone else had a near death experience from a hot vinyasa class?

Looking forward to any replies.

Thanks,
Sophie :slight_smile:

#2

Hi,
I teach vinyasa flow yoga…my studio is not heated but we do not have A/C so it can be quite hot especially the lunch time classes.

When it is very hot I make the classes slower and the “vinyasa” between sides is optional so that no one over heats.

I love doing my vinyasa and being hot and my body seems fine…unless very hot or if I am not well hydrated…I do turn red and get sweaty…but pulse remains at a reasonable rate.

And yes each person is different…some like it hot others not…there is nothing wrong with you…just stop going to hot vinyasa and do regular vinyasa…and stay hydrated.

Enjoy the other classes.

#3

Yogacambodia, thank you for your reply. It made me feel better to read what you have to say. I will stay away from the Hot Vinyasa flow classes, I love the ones at room temperature , they are my favorite. :slight_smile:

#4

Did you drink enough water? It is very hard for the body to cool itself off if you are dehydrated.

#5

Simply put, your body was struggling to cool itself off and not having a good go at it. This could be due to a myriad of things including your age, weight, fitness level, core body temperature, the number of students in the space, and the humidity.

I personally do not find an externally heated practice to be particularly wise for human beings with cardio-vascular systems but I certainly respect the right of a person to find their own path to learn what they are here to learn.

Since the practice of Yoga is a shift from being extrinsically referenced to being intrinsically referenced I’d not pay any attention whatsoever to how others in class practice, focus, breathe, or handle heat.

gordon

#6

Hot classes aren’t for everyone.

On hikes and camp outs, I do yoga outside at sun rise during temperatures below freezing. (and absolutely love it) I seriously doubt you will find any instructors encouraging students to give that a go. I wouldn’t advise anyone to do it considering the risk for injury as streatching and cold temperatures don’t go hand in hand for most people, but for me it is a beautiful experience.

I Did a hot yoga class once. Felt like I was putting my body through un-necessary torment. At one point, I almost invlountarily ran out the door. At another point, I almost vomited. A couple of times, I seriously felt like I Was dying or about to collapse. none of the other students seemed to be bothered by it.

The odd thing is, I really enjoy the dry sauna, and the one at my local gym is 140F. I really get a good mood out of sitting in it for about 10 minutes with no ill effects whatsoever.

For now, I will stay away from the hot classes.

#7

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;64909]Simply put, your body was struggling to cool itself off and not having a good go at it. This could be due to a myriad of things including your age, weight, fitness level, core body temperature, the number of students in the space, and the humidity.

I personally do not find an externally heated practice to be particularly wise for human beings with cardio-vascular systems but I certainly respect the right of a person to find their own path to learn what they are here to learn.

Since the practice of Yoga is a shift from being extrinsically referenced to being intrinsically referenced I’d not pay any attention whatsoever to how others in class practice, focus, breathe, or handle heat.

THanks for that Gordon. Nice to know someone else finds Hot Yoga a bit challenging too. A lot of my teachers aren’t terribly fond of it either but we are in Asia and its very popular here, and when the students complain to the studio about how the hot rooms are “too cold”, the management always give in. And tragically, one of the biggest complaints is about how cold the hot room is. I don’t get it.

Its hard not to notice how everyone else is having such a fine time with it, but you are right, I should ignore it and focus on what is going inside my mat, rather than outside. Good advice, I shall do my best to stick to it.

#8

[QUOTE=JSK;64926]Hot classes aren’t for everyone.

On hikes and camp outs, I do yoga outside at sun rise during temperatures below freezing. (and absolutely love it) I seriously doubt you will find any instructors encouraging students to give that a go. I wouldn’t advise anyone to do it considering the risk for injury as streatching and cold temperatures don’t go hand in hand for most people, but for me it is a beautiful experience.

I Did a hot yoga class once. Felt like I was putting my body through un-necessary torment. At one point, I almost invlountarily ran out the door. At another point, I almost vomited. A couple of times, I seriously felt like I Was dying or about to collapse. none of the other students seemed to be bothered by it.

The odd thing is, I really enjoy the dry sauna, and the one at my local gym is 140F. I really get a good mood out of sitting in it for about 10 minutes with no ill effects whatsoever.

For now, I will stay away from the hot classes.[/QUOTE]

I quite like the idea of yoga in fresh cold freezing air! THe thing is, I am such a sweaty beast, I bet I would generate enough core heat in seconds to keep me from injury. But yes, I hear you on the vomiting/passing out issue. Not nice. ANd I too love the dry sauna. It helps my muscles to recover a lot. But yes, I too shall be staying away from the hot classes, never mind.

#9

[QUOTE=a.mi;64905]Did you drink enough water? It is very hard for the body to cool itself off if you are dehydrated.[/QUOTE]

Good point, but yes, believe it or not, I had 500 ml of isotonic solution one hour before the class, and drank 750 ml during the class. I sweat an awful lot. I’m 5ft6 and 140lbs, but I appear to sweat like a 250lb person. So despite all the fluids, I think Iwas still dehyrated…

#10

I would think it also depends on your body type. I am freezing all time, even in the summer. I actually use a space heater because the AC gets too cold where I live at and I can’t control it. It was over 100 degrees here a couple weeks ago and it was hot but not as unbearable as others made it out to be. It actually felt good after being in freezing air conditioned rooms.

#11

During a hot and humid vinyasa Yoga class, I realized that I was much more likely to feel light-headed and have trouble breathing than if I had been in an air-conditioned yoga room.

What can you do to prevent heat exhaustion during hot yoga class?

  1. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated: You may get a headache from dehydration in yoga class. Drink water regularly throughout the class, at least 1/2 cup (or 16 oz.) per hour for light sweating. Note the temperature of your water before and after the class. If it doesn't get cooler after the class, you should drink more next time.

  2. Don't over-exert yourself: Heat exhaustion is caused by working out harder than your body is used to or being in a very hot place for too long without enough water or breaks in between. If you are new to hot yoga, start with a less intense practice and gradually increase the intensity of your practice as your body becomes accustomed to heat.

  3. Take regular breaks: When you feel like you're overheating, take a break by sitting on the ground or walking around until you feel refreshed again.

  4. Don't stay in the room if it's too hot: Talk with your Teacher.