Wanting advice on hot yoga

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

My name is Elizabeth and this is my first post. I am 30 years old. I practiced Vinyasa without much dedication for a year (never more than twice a week), but recently I have rededicated myself and am in need of advice.
I would like very much to hear other peoples opinions on doing yoga in heated rooms. I wanted to try Bikram and went to a Bikram class in June. I found it to be something that did not resonate with me at all. I then went to another studio that teaches a variation of Bikram’s series. The main difference is:

a) the room is 98 degrees as opposed to 105
b) we are encouraged to listen to our bodies, break when we need to, and drink water when we need it.
c) the number of asanas are different (34 instead of 26)
d) We are shown modifications for anything that is currently beyond our abilities
e) other classes are offered in 90 degree rooms that include more of a vinyasa flow.

I have resonated with this studio and it’s teachers, and have been going to class 4 times a week for two months. My dietary needs have become more healthy and I have stopped drinking caffiene in the last month (I do not drink, smoke, or use drugs). My ability to handle stress has improved and I am calm in spirit. In short, I feel the benefits of what i am doing.

That being said, I have some concerns about hot yoga. I have heard many yogis are opposed to it. If this is so, may I ask why? I value your opinions. I have also been having disturbing dreams 80% of the time since I began hot yoga, and I am tired on occassion. I also am getting constipation. I know that dehydration seems like the culpret, but I assure you I drink only water, and I drink a LOT (7 bottles a day). How much water must I consume? I am 5’11" and weigh 185 pounds.

Any advice is welcome. Namaste

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#2

Hello Elizabeth,

It doesn’t matter that other yogis are or are not “for” it (it being Hot Yoga). It only matters how it is for you. Yoga is about a shift from being externally referential to being internally referential. What that means is that we are no longer looking outside of ourselves to determine who we are.

Since you are likely aware of this already AND have ventured to ask this question anyway, I’ll add some of my perspective.

I do not see the purpose in doing asana in a heated room just as I would not see the purpose in doing asana in a frigid room. I find people often confuse an environment with Yoga. Simply because one moves and one sweats that does not mean Yoga is present. For example, 90 minutes of pushups, situps, and jumping jacks in a sauna may feel very similar.

In both instances I have some safety concerns for intense physical exertion in high heat AND for the laxity of connective tissue that high heat tends to slyly provide.

Typically the purposes given are a) toxin release, b)intense workout, and c) added mobility or flexibility - frankly these three things do not make up Yoga either and you can achieve them in the sauna routine I mention in the previous paragraph. If there is something more, something that facilitates the student moving closer to the Self and closer to their purpose for being here then to me Yoga IS present. But this would need to be evaluated over time as very few things impact one’s relationship with self/others/world in 2 months.

If, as you say, this current practice is resonating with you and is positively effecting your life off the mat (as you outline) then is sounds completely appropriate even though it is not a practice that would suit me.

Without knowing more about you and your diet I could not venture to say what is happening with your dream state. You may be under more stress. You may be having the same dreams but remembering them more now. You may be unearthing some unresolved issues through your life and your practice. No way to say.

Relative to hydration, water is a cleanser not a hydrator. If you want to nourish the cells deeply please add a squirt of lemon juice to the water you are drinking. If you live in a temperate climate it would be appropriate to consume 90 ounces of hydrating liquids each day.

You may also not be getting enough fiber in your diet and/or taking in too much protein. You can easily google foods high in fiber and begin adding them to your meal plans. A reasonable amount of vitamin C may also “move” you. Consult your health care provider before making any changes.

#3

Namaste Elizabeth,

Ditto to Gordon, I am in complete agreement with him.

I would like to add one observance about hot yoga if I may. I can understand if you live in a cold climate that a hot room would be beneficial and aid your yoga practise, but I see you hail from Dallas, and as far as my knowledge goes I think it can get pretty hot in Dallas? So why heat the room if the outside temprature is already enough?

Here are some interesting facts about the effect of heat on the sleep pattern of six young men studied over 5 days and nights. (Article appeared in the PubMed: 1988 Apr;11(2):195-209) (PubMed is the official publication of National Center for Biotechnology Information in America).
[ul]
[li]Total sleep time was significantly reduced, while the amount of wakefulness increased.[/li][li]The subjects exhibited fragmented sleep patterns.[/li][li]The mean duration of REM episodes was shorter, while the REM cycle length shortened.[/li][/ul]Might explain some of your sleeping problems.

#4

Hi Elizabeth,

InnerAthlete has given a perfect advice. There is also a need to examine why do you like this ‘hot’ yoga. As long as the reasons are external to you they won’t help you. After being ‘internally referential’ as he beautifully puts it, you need to look out for self-transformation. Change in perception is the beginning of Yoga.

#5

Asanas are a big part of yoga for me. Moving through them is when I am at my highest level of relaxation. I enjoy hot yoga for physical reasons, and mental. I’ve been practicing yoga for a lonnng time and just started hot yoga 3 months ago. Since I’ve started I have not stopped. I take 4-5 classes a week and enjoy what the heat provides…the warmth relaxes my body, I am able to stretch to my full potential, I love the challenge and I am more focused in a hot yoga class than any other yoga class I have taken. It is such a rush and after every class I feel so proud of myself for making it through with such determination. It is tough and it takes a lot from me mentally and physically.

It seems as though hot yoga is not for everyone, but for me it is. I was on vacation for 9 days and was unable to practice yoga in a heated environment. When I got back home, I went to class, laid down on my mat an overwhelming feeling came through me. It was like my body knew what was about to happen and was so excited. It sounds corny but I literally teared up over the happy sensation my body was feeling.

I get headaches if I do not hydrate properly. I have had less digestion problems since practicing hot yoga, and I agree about maybe you are just remembering your dreams mroe. Hot yoga does a number on you mentally…it clears the cobwebs from my mind.

I think if you are interested in hot yoga enough to ask others their opinion, then there was something about it that grabbed you. You should eat the right nutrients, and hydrate plenty and give it more of a try!

Hope this helps. I can go on and on…maybe I will add to this later.

#6

E78, you say it yourself - hot yoga did not resonate with you and practising in 90 degrees felt more in tune. This is more ‘warm’ yoga and those few degrees makes a difference. I’m the same. I feel better when heat is generated from inside to out. I do have a good friend who thinks the world of hot yoga and practices little else. Do you drink water during practice or abstain until after?

#7

Hi Elizabeth,
Those dreams may be physiological symptom of heat exposure (as Pandara suggested through this reference). But it may be also symptom of anxiety. Maybe intensity of this practice is too much for you but you are afraid to admit it because you have high expectations of yourself and are afraid to fail? (as you stated that 2 times per week was not a sufficient commitment) Maybe you are pushing away those feelings and it is expressed in those dreams? If thats the case, it would be good to review the motives for practice and see what feelings are behind. To contact them just make inner decision that you quit yoga forever. They should emerge promptly.

This dehydration may be complex thing: your body may feel that there are periods of trouble with water supply so it may increase water recovery from the bowels and result in constipation. If thats the case then as Gordon suggests, foods high in fiber may be more helpful.