Noodle, I have a question for you. Why is it that the heat in the room varies so much from one day to another? One day the windows are open and a cool breeze blows through making me feel like I didn’t get a real work out, and other days it’s so hot I think I’m going to puke. Is there a standard temperature?
Dick H.

Answer:

Dear Dick:

Man, I totally know what you’re talking about! You should see what it’s like when you have a fur coat on!

I have to sleep in front of the fan when I'm all hairy! It's too hot!

When all my hair's been shaved off, I have to snuggle in the covers to stay warm!

The standard rule of thumb for the temperature of a Bikram Yoga room is 105F and 40% humidity. If you’ve travelled around the country, however, you’d see that some studios keep it hotter than that, and some keep it closer to 105. Some studios are more humid (in climates like Florida, Hawaii and Texas) and some are a little drier, (in Colorado or Arizona). From studio to studio it has a lot to do with the climate, the heating technology that the studio has installed, preference of the owner and even slight fluctuations seasonally.

There are many variables that will determine how hot the yoga room feels to you. We can group them into 2 categories:

1. The environment (the room and everyone/everything in it)

• How hot and/or humid is it outside. (More humidity = feels hotter)
• How many people there are in the room. (more people = more humidity)
• Whether the room has windows. How leaky they are.

Some studios, in the interest of keeping the heat exactly even and “perfect,” choose a room with no windows that’s heavily insulated and sealed. We could try to hermetically seal our yoga room, but in our opinion, that feels like you’re doing yoga in an airplane cabin. We like our windows and the fresh air that comes in through them, along with the fresh air that gets pulled in through the heating system, itself (our system has a special feature with louvers on the roof that allows us to vary the amount of fresh air we pull in, which can temper the humidity).

-AND-

2. YOU!

• If your immune system is compromised.
• How much alcohol, sugar, (whatever else naughty you can think of) you’ve consumed lately.
• If you ate.
• If you didn’t eat.
• How hydrated you are.
• How much sleep you’ve had.
• If you’ve done other sweaty workouts.
• How much you’ve been practicing lately.

We’ve had exceptionally strong classes in scorching hot rooms (teacher training), and had to sit several times in a relatively cool room, it almost seems like there’s no rhyme or reason! There are so many variables, that trying to get the exact right combination and keep everything external to you perfectly under control is an exhausting enterprise all by itself.

I don’t have thumbs. I can’t run a thermostat or get ice out of the freezer. I have to surrender and relax and hang onto my happy equilibrium whether I can change my situation or not. Take it from me, the greatest favor you can do yourself, is to adjust your level of effort based on how strong and energetic you feel. If the heat doesn’t feel like much, hold your poses a little longer, lift your leg a little higher, sit a little deeper in your awkward pose. Concentrate and celebrate your strength. When you’re feeling tired, back off on your effort slightly and concentrate on surrender and relaxation. When you can adjust your effort to match your environment and how you feel, you’ll have a practice that is an authentic reflection of where you are and how you feel today.

Love, Noodle.

Dear Noodle,
I realize that you can put your head on any knee you choose, but I’m still stuck in the first position of standing head to knee. Teachers keep saying “lock the knee”, and seldom if ever talk about what’s going on in the core and hip/glute of the standing leg. I feel like I need more strength there or some guidance. When I do kick out I’m wobbly and can’t hold it for long without panting like a dog…not that there’s anything wrong with that! I’m kind of embarassed to say I have been practicing for a number of years now.
Thanks,
Jeff S
P.S. Do you think the Lady Gaga picture is just Arjay in a blond wig and shades?

Answer:

Dear Jeff:

Oh boy! You sure are making me earn my kibble!  Standing Head to Knee pose is certainly a thorn in the side of many practitioners.  Since Bikram Yoga is presented from a beginner’s perspective, teachers rarely spend much time elaborating beyond the rigors of balancing on one leg and getting that leg strong and stable.  In fact, if teachers did spend a lot of time elaborating on the intricacies of the pose during class, you’d be spending 5 minutes in the pose!  Whew!

When in the first position of Standing Head to Knee, first, notice how heavy your foot feels in your interlaced hands.  Your “core” or more accurately, the muscles in your belly and in the front of your hip, are responsible for holding your leg lifted.  The more these muscles work to hold your leg up, the lighter your foot will feel in your hands.

– Point of clarification: Your “core” actually refers to the muscles in your belly, hip flexors, AND in your low back!  All the way around your mid-section!

Keep your body weight forward on your standing leg foot (as opposed to resting on the back of your heel or in the back of your knee).  This will cause the muscles on the front side of your standing leg to pull up almost automatically.  As a result, between shifting your weight forward and holding your leg lifted, you will be using almost all of the muscles in the front side of your body.

When the muscles on the front side of your body are being contracted, they send signals to the muscles on the back side of your body to stretch.  As you build range of motion in the back of your standing leg and low back you will eventually have the range of motion available to kick out part way, or fully.  If your standing leg buckles when you try to kick out, it means you’ve gone beyond the range of motion available to you, and are no longer using your contracted front-side muscles to hold you in place.

As far as the “glute” of your standing leg is concerned, the gluteus maximus (butt-cheek muscle) is one of the largest and strongest muscles in the body.  It does a couple of things in relationship to standing head-to-knee.   It supports your pelvis on top of your thigh bone when you are standing on one leg, and its most powerful action is to cause your body to regain the erect position after stooping, by drawing your pelvis backward, being assisted in this action by the muscles in the back of your thigh.

Many different muscles coordinating and working together are required to stand on one leg and kick out, including the muscles in the arch of your foot, your hip-stabilizer muscles and all of the other muscles we’ve already mentioned.  That’s why a) this pose is so difficult to master and b) it’s so important.  The muscles that you develop when you are working on your Standing Head to Knee are the muscles that you will use to hold yourself stable as you walk, hike, climb stairs, chase tennis balls, etc.  It’s a common complaint of people when they age that their balance is compromised by age and muscle atrophy.

I tell ya, I’m much happier walking around on my four legs than on two!  I don’t know how you people do it.  Well, except, you can reach the cookie jar on the counter, and I can’t.  I guess I’ll just have to keep on looking cute to earn my treats.

PS: No!  Arjay has never worn a blonde wig in her life!  She tried to dye her hair blonde once, but it just turned orange and fell out.  I wouldn’t know what’s that like, being a natural blonde, myself.  That picture really is Lady Gaga.  Here’s the website so you can see for yourself: Gaga Article & Pictures

Oh, man.  I need a nap.

See you at the studio!

Noodle.

One of our Yoga Challengers, Daniel completed 50 classes in 60 days (38 of them in a row!).  He is an inspired artist who combines his talent and life-long exploration of consciousness and self-realization to depict uplifting and profound sacred imagery.
You can experience more of his artwork at www.awakenvisions.com

Daniel’s experience in his own words:
I began practicing yoga in 2001 or 2002 at Bikram San Rafael, before it was remodeled.  My wife, Linda, told me how great it was so I tried it and recognized it’s value and potency.

I was about 50 when I started, and had suspected for years that I should start doing yoga to maintain my body and health. After a couple years of sporadic Bikram Yoga I started having lower back problems and was told not to do it anymore…but that did not seem right to my inner knowing. So I decided to start again this year and take it very gradual on the bending-over positions. After a few weeks I could feel my lower back getting stronger and getting better. I attribute it to committing to the long haul and having the patience to take it very cautiously on the bending-over positions.

My doctor looked at my X-Rays and said I had Degenerative Disc Disease and shrugged and said stretching and exercise may help.  I was very sore for the first month or so and it’s taken around 3 months to see a gradual but noticeable improvement.  After doing 38 days in a row I have been doing 3 days a week steadily and plan to continue that. I may even start doing the in-between days (Tuesdays and Thursdays) Power Yoga to get the strengthening variation.  As a bonus, I lost 15 lbs in the first 30 days and now remain at my ideal weight.

An even greater impact of Bikram Yoga, is the benefit of building inner strength and focus – similar to regular

“Bridge to Truth” by Daniel B. Holeman

meditation results after some time. It gradually became easier to remain still inside when life is going nuts outside. It is easier to stay centered and not react (with old programming) to things so much. More present to respond, more confidence, and I feel healthier in general.

For years I had been in and out of my healthy practices of “yoga, mediation, and healthy diet”. It was very self-defeating, to know some things are good for me but not do them (more often than I did them). So when I started the 60-day Challenge (I ended up doing 50 classes in 60 days, with 38 days in a row) I decided to just make them all a permanent part of my lifestyle. And I am still very grateful for the intro special which helped me gather the wherewithal to start it.

I consider my Bikram Yoga practice a life-saver as I had become quite stuck in a rut in my life and it is in the process of turning around…I would not even think of stopping it now. Before, when I had been doing it sporadically, I viewed it as a kind of drudgery and now I look forward to it.  I also enjoy the folks that go to yoga, I find it is a very positive environment.

We, know, it’s so easy to get to class when it’s cold outside and you’re stuck indoors, anyway, but when the temperatures rise, who wants to be stuck indoors without the A/C? Sweating it out in a heated studio with dozens of similarly glistening strangers may sound like the exact opposite of what you’d want to do.

Here’s her story:

“I’m a former gymnast, springboard diver and flying trapeze artist. I began having back pain when I was 13 years old, and had low back disk surgery in my mid twenties. I began having joint pain and swelling in all of my joints in my early thirties and had constant headaches. I was told by my doctors that I had rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. One day while driving to work I was crying in my car from the pain and I asked the Universe to please help me. At that very moment I saw a sign on the street corner that said “Hot Yoga”. I took my first class the next day. I thought I’d die of neck pain doing the first breathing exercise! But I stuck with it and by the end of the first week the swelling and pain in my knuckles was gone, and I had regained mobility in my neck. It was like magic! Not long afterward, I was able to stop the meds altogether. I fully expected to be in a wheelchair by the time I turned 40, but Bikram Yoga has saved me from that fate.

I was concerned about injuring my low back where I had the surgery, but on the contrary, it has strengthened my back and everything else. I was also afraid of overheating and dehydration, but I developed a wicked tolerance for the heat and learned about hydrating daily.

I was taking 2000 mg of anti-inflammatories per day, plus muscle relaxants and vicodin on really bad days. I tried acupuncture, chiropractics, and physical therapy but only got temporary and minimal relief.

I knew after my first class that I was onto something. The combination of heat and stretching was just what I needed. By my fourth class my stiff, swollen fingers and toes had returned to normal, and I could turn my neck! After a few months the headaches went away.

When I started practicing I had a stressful job, and three young children. I always felt overwhelmed and angry. The calm I got from my practice showed me that I needed to make other lifestyle changes so that I could feel calm even outside class. I quit the job and found a position in a quiet office. My fuse is much longer now, and although I still work full time, commute, and go home and cook, clean and drive the kids to their activities, for the most part I feel in control of my life. My whole family benefits from that!

The joint pain dissipated rapidly. I became flexible again, and feel strong! My muscles became toned again after so many years of lethargy. I became so much more resistant to colds and flus. My allergies and acne have disappeared.

It only takes a few missed classes to remind me of how I felt before I found Bikram Yoga. First my neck and back stiffen, then my headaches come back, and then my attitude gets bad! If I don’t make myself come to class my family will!
My whole life I struggled with weight issues and overeating. Little by little I have cleaned up my diet, and stopped putting garbage in my body, because a poor diet and excessive eating makes class so much harder!!! Yoga forces you to assess your body condition every class, and if you have not been taking care of yourself you will suffer!

So many people, including some doctors, have tried to tell me that this practice can’t be good for me. I could have chosen to believe them and given up, because this is not an easy practice! But thanks to the teachers’ positivity and unwavering faith, I stuck with it, and now I am living proof that Bikram Yoga heals. I feel so much younger than I did ten years ago.”

Following a series of accidents, Jefferson was living in severe chronic pain.

A gifted artist, Jefferson could no longer paint. He gained over 110 pounds and his family feared for his health and quality of life.

Jefferson’s father Hal finally convinced him to try Bikram Yoga and after only a couple of classes, Jefferson met Bikram Choudhury, who looked at Jeff’s injured, overweight body and said, “Boss, you do my yoga every and I will give you your life back.” For weeks, Jeff struggled and could barely stand in class, but Bikram’s encouragement gave him the faith he needed to continue in spite of his difficulties.

After only 6 months of practice, Jefferson had made amazing progress, so much so, in fact, that he was able to attend the intense Bikram Teacher training. He then trained and taught with Mary Jarvis in San Francisco and eventually lost those 110 pounds.

Jefferson went on to open several Bikram Yoga studios around the country before finally returning to his hometown of San Rafael. He continues to practice daily and as a result, lives a stronger, healthier life.

“We have come home to San Rafael and brought the best gift we could imagine – Bikram Yoga. It will change your body and give you a new life, just like me.”

Her yoga practice began as an answer to taking a sedentary computer job after a lifetime of outdoor sports and demanding, active work.

In addition to alleviating spinal pain from several sports injuries, a consistent practice has led to a total remission of all symptoms related to chronic asthma and bronchitis.

Her own experience, and the experiences of her fellow students and teachers only serve to reinforce her belief in and her passion for yoga.

After several years of regular practice at Bikram Yoga, San Rafael, Faye sojourned east to ham it up in the East Village of Manhattan, and got whipped into shape at Bikram Yoga Union Square, learning the joy of stillness between postures and the freedom of moving with the words.

In spring, 2010, after nine unforgettable weeks in the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, Faye completed Bikram’s World Famous Teacher Training and graduated alongside 350 other yogis, young and old, from around the world and her best friend, Liz. She was named Miss Anatomy, earning a trophy for the class’ highest score on the anatomy test. It was one of the top four days of her whole life.

Faye is honored and privileged to teach Bikram’s Beginning Yoga class and to pass on the knowledge, love and encouragement her incredible teachers have shown her. Her students inspire and impress her. Faye is ever grateful to all of her teachers, family, friends, and especially, to Jefferson, Lizzy, and Adam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BfVuiFNPss

training: Fall 2003, LA