I am taking a yoga class for my first time this weekend. I was told the room with be heated, does anyone know how hot they keep the room? Or does every instructor like a different temp. :oops:
The power yoga styles often heat their rooms to about 83?. The “Hot Yoga” folks more to the likes of 90?-100? and the Bikram classes almost always 104? as a rule.
But it may vary a bit. Folks teaching/practicing in those styles would be positioned better to answer such a question.
Kelly-
I see that you are in Mira Loma, near where I am.
Do you know the name of teacher or class you are attending?
I might be able to offer some more information.
Thanks. 
-Another person named Kelly
It is called the yoga den in Corona
I’ve gone to a few classes there. Unless you are going to some special workshop that isn’t listed, the classes scheduled for this weekend are all level 1-2, and the room temperature is usually in the low 80’s for those classes, depending on the teacher. They will adjust based on what the students need. I always wear sweatpants and a t-shirt and I’m fine.
The mats there are clean, but be careful if you buy a mat because new ones are usually slippery until you wash them off a bit. In the hot room it would be hard for you to keep a grip once you start to sweat! Bring a towel with to wipe yourself off and your mat, and that will help a lot.
Do you know what time you are going? I’ve taken classes with two of the teachers that are listed as working this weekend.
I think I am going to make Cheri class. Is she ok
Alas, the only 1 of 3 teaching this weekend that I have not met.
They’re all ok though, they are all very nice people. It’s a good studio.
A few tips -
They’ll usually ask if anyone is new, make sure to tell her you are so that she can explain things nicely for you. Also, if you have any injuries or medical problems you should let your teacher know before class so that they they are aware of it and can modify anything that might be dangerous. Make sure to get there a few minutes early so you can fill out paperwork!
Since it’s a level 1-2, know that there will be some stuff that might be difficult for you. Don’t get frustrated, they’re catering to the levels of beginners and more experienced in the same class. If it’s hard for you, relax and take rest when you need it.
=) As a Bikram instructor, we are trained to keep the room between 105-110 degrees. Ideal is about 55% humidity…but this also depends on the instructor’s preference. I’ve been in ‘hot’ classes that were as cool as 102, and hot classes which I considered a very bad idea which were 118 and up. I personally like to keep my classes at about 107 for everyone’s comfort, although I have a few students who complain if it’s that ‘cold’. =P
You are a lot stronger than you know, and after a few classes, your body will adapt to the heat. The heat is there to relax your muscles, allowing a deeper stretch with less risk of strain. With the heat, you will sweat out alot more toxins than with other yoga styles. It also dilates your blood vessels to help you get more oxygen to your extremities, thus healing you faster than more traditional yoga. The heat is also very useful to train the mind. Can you tell I like the heat yet? ::grins::
It is my opinion that anything after 109, unless you are a hardcore Bikram or hot yoga fan, is excessive.
=) Best of luck! Make sure you hydrate plenty before your class, don’t eat anything too big for 2-3 hours beforehand (you can eat a banana if you get hungry as they’re easy to digest) and take it really easy. Focus on the enjoyable feeling of stretching and clear your mind to do as the instructor is saying, and you’ll do great!
Brightest blessings, and Namaste!
Interesting I always thought that dilation of the blood vessels was related to the flight or fight response. When the sympathetic nervous system kicks in.
EndlessSky - do you have any science on this???
Vic
Vic- The fight or flight system actually constricts many of the blood vessels in the body while dilating the ones needed primarily for muscle action or useful to help ‘escape’. It’s not that great long term, but it gets us away from lions and tigers and bears.
There are a lot of activities which dilate the blood vessels of the body though. Being in a hot area is definitely one of them, as is any type of muscle pumping action associated with exercise or stretching. Bikram practice does have a lot of those qualities and so it will cause some dilation of blood vessels.
So does jumping jacks in a sauna.
Is there any evidence that we sweat out more toxins with bikram yoga? Would we not also sweat out useful “stuff”.? I seem to remember from the past when I was practicing ashtanga vinyasa that we were advised to rub the sweat back in as it contained useful minerals,maybe I read this in yoga mala,any ashtangis who can enlighten me?
B K S Iyengar says ,or has said that when practicing one should have a light sweat not heavy.
I am not sure, but i do know the more I practiced ashtanga vinyassa and became attuned to the practice the less I would sweat which i felt was a positive thing for me.
Strangely when I have practiced in India in warm climes ,I would sweat even less,but I would practice outside not in a room.
[QUOTE=victw;27890]Interesting I always thought that dilation of the blood vessels was related to the flight or fight response. When the sympathetic nervous system kicks in.
EndlessSky - do you have any science on this???
Vic[/QUOTE]
Hiya Vic-
Suryadaya answered wonderfully. I second that answer.
To add to my answer, I had several Dr.s at my yoga teacher training discuss this beneficial effect of Bikram yoga with my class. You can find more info on vasodilation at Wikipedia (I can’t post the URL because this site won’t let me yet…). Look under ‘therapeutic uses’ at the bottom for a direct answer to your question.
=) Have a beautiful day!
Namaste,
Andi
[QUOTE=charliedharma;27917]Is there any evidence that we sweat out more toxins with bikram yoga? Would we not also sweat out useful “stuff”.? I seem to remember from the past when I was practicing ashtanga vinyasa that we were advised to rub the sweat back in as it contained useful minerals,maybe I read this in yoga mala,any ashtangis who can enlighten me?
B K S Iyengar says ,or has said that when practicing one should have a light sweat not heavy.
[/QUOTE]
Hiya Charlie,
To my knowledge, we haven’t actually tested peoples’ sweat, but as a practitioner, I can say I definitely have full confidence that this manner of practice is far more effective at removing toxins than any other kinds of yoga which I have tried. As a teacher, we were taught that constantly at yoga college, and had several Drs present to confirm that teaching.
The difference I feel after a Bikram class as opposed to other yogas is marked. From other styles of yoga (Ashtanga yoga, other various assorted Hatha yogas), I feel very centered and calm after I practice. After a Bikram class, I feel healed and empowered- worked, sweaty, centered AND energized. The Bikram practice gives me far more energy than other kinds of yoga. I believe that you can certainly get the toxin removing benefits of practice from other yogas- I just think it takes more time.
I’ve never heard anything about rubbing sweat back into the body. To me this seems counter-intuitive, as toxins are in the sweat, and I certainly don’t want those coming back in!
The Iyengar students I’ve met are AMAZING yogis for the most part, however, to me, the heat of the Bikram room just makes the yoga that much more purgative and healing. That’s why I teach it, though- because I love it.
And yes, you do sweat out electrolytes, and burn a lot more calories during a Bikram class than with other yogas in general. The result is that one is made more aware of how to care for one’s body. Proper nutrition and hydration is something that we in America are generally poor at for the most part. (We tend to go for sugary caffeinated drinks, which are really not all that good for us. =P) If you practice Bikram yoga a great deal (such as I do, which is twice a day 5/6 days a week when I have time), you need to watch your diet and supplement the electrolytes to replace what you are loosing- just as any other athlete does. I recommend coconut water to my students. Amy and Brian’s from Whole Foods is delicious! V8 is also excellent for nutrition when one sweats a great deal, and milk is possibly my best friend ever. You can also never go wrong with juicing at home.
It is different for every individual- some people love the hot room, some people don’t. It is your yoga, so listen to your body and do what is right for you!
Brightest of blessings, and Namaste!
-Andi
The body is constructed to deal with toxins on its own. Very few, if any, of the body’s innate processes require enhancement - the darn thing just works. This of course presumes proper living, an appropriate diet, appropriate hydration, appropriate rest, appropriate movement or activity. If one, as a human being is not properly handling toxins in one’s daily living, I would look much, much deeper than the sort of asana practice one is selecting and the environment in which its practiced. In other words there is a far larger issue at hand if your body is not “purging toxins”. That is what it is designed to do, otherwise we’d have no need for a lymphatic system. And that system is pumped only by movement.
We, as humans, often confuse that which has a medicinal use with that which has a daily use. For example I don’t drink alcohol, however there are medicinal principles of certain alcohols when one is sick. Similarly I don’t drink coffee but there may be times when the introduction of caffeine is appropriate. The same with Valerian root. It is a wonderful muscle relaxant. It should not be taken in every single day.
Similarly, a periodic sweat lodge sitting is wonderful, or a sauna or steam room (medicinal). It can be very healing. However, we should use care in confusing elements of exercise with elements of Yoga.
When qualifying human adaptability there are two elements:
First is confusing those adapting with those adaptED. For example there are countries with very high temperature and very high humidity. Indigenous people, for the most part, are able to cope. People in Vermont, perhaps not so much. Over time, living daily in that way, some would adapt. Others would not. Ninety minutes a day is hardly a recipe in any anthropologists book for adaptation. Second is the concept that adaptation isn’t self-validating. Human beings thus far have adapted to an environment which, since 1950 has 30% less available oxygen. Does that mean we should continue to reduce available oxygen? The fact that we can adapt does not, in and of itself validate that which we have adapted to.
Add to that what we know, scientifically, about cooling the body relative to generated and environmental heat - and that is that it becomes problematic when temperatures exceed 80?. This is not my opinion, it is well documented. The body begins to absorb environmental heat at that point and cooling becomes very challenging. And this is why the massive amounts of water consumption are requisite to remain alive in certain environmental situations.
I firmly believe that each person has to find the practice that resonates for them. The diet that resonates for them. The rest that resonates for them. The problem however is two-fold, the first is that we develop samskara or grooves of consciousness that we repeat over and over, and the second is that we are all veiled by a cloak of ignorance or conscious fog which prevents us from seeing ourselves, our lives, our choices, our environment, with great clarity - unless of course we’ve really done the work.
And so in this respect, the science isn’t the prevailing wind. It is only a contribution. The prevailing wind is that the person has chosen something in their living AND have paid enough attention to see how that choice serves to move them toward svadharma, purpose, spirit, light. If your practice does that, then it doesn’t matter one iota if it’s 17?f or 17?c.
I remember that you are familiar with the Yoga Den in Corona. I went Cheri’s class on Saturday and loved it! I was wondering if you ever went to a class instructed by Kama.
There seems to be some conflicting reports regarding whether we actually emit toxins from sweat at all. Regardless, I sweat profusely during my ashtanga practice and the room temp is around the 28 - 30 degree mark. But I don’t practice to sweat as it’s a byproduct/benefit of the practice.
If I need to sweat - my gym has an excellent, brand-new wet sauna. I just got back from there now
[QUOTE=KELLY;27966]I remember that you are familiar with the Yoga Den in Corona. I went Cheri’s class on Saturday and loved it! I was wondering if you ever went to a class instructed by Kama.[/QUOTE]
Kelly -
Kama is well trained in human anatomy and physiology. Her classes are a little too athletic for me (I’m much more metatative), but they are still very excellent. Again, be sure that she knows if you have any illness/ injuries / back problems / wrist problems - that sort of thing, so she can adapt the practice to suit you!
-Kelly