Hot
Posted in ashtanga yoga, things i do to myself on 05/23/2009 04:30 pm by karenToday’s a day off from practice and tomorrow’s a Moon Day. Plus it’s a long weekend — which I just found out about on Wednesday — surprise! My co-workers were appalled that I didn’t know. Yes, I’ve been working too hard.
Okay, so a long weekend with two rest days. What to do? I need something to kick my ass and make me relax. The answer: hot yoga!
I went to a Bikram class… geez, maybe two years ago? Three? It was fine. I never went back. Today, I tried a hot yoga place here in town. It was, uh, hot. Truly, I’m not really sold on the whole hot thing. I mean, I love hot. If they could just tone it down about 10 degrees, I’d be in heaven.
So this place doesn’t do the Bikram sequence, but they do just about as much of the Bikram sequence as you can do without getting sued by Bikram, I guess. Here’s the really good part, though: guess how they start the class? (Squee!!) The do surya namaskaras in the heat! And they do vinyasas in between a good number of the poses. You know what an updog feels like in 115 degree heat? It feels GREAT.
I was sad: no dhanurasana, no ardha matsyendrasana. But get this: they do urdhva dhanurasana! Woohoo! At the end of an hour and a half of super-heated practice, urdhva dhanurasana feels SWEET. Bhujangasana and salabhasana in the heat? Yes! Yes!
The weird recurring savasanas? Love ‘em. For one thing, lying down means if I faint I won’t get hurt. And it’s also a hilarious experience when you apply some insight meditation technique to the whole thing. Spinning lights, shooting energy like my whole skull is carbonated, the explosive heart feelings. Lots of things to note, that’s for sure.
All the balancing stuff? Yeah. Okay. I guess there’s some good in learning how to balance when you are ready to faint. If I practice diligently, I will be able to go into a dead faint and not fall down. Seriously, though, they did a utthita hasta padangusthasana to the side and held it for a minute. “Lock your leg! Lock your leg!” the teacher said. So I tried. And then I got confused, because it’s easier on a locked leg. But I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to lock our legs in UHP? Sigh. I’ll go check with Gregor Maehle.
As I was heading out, the teacher said, “Obviously you practice yoga…” “Yes,” I said, “Ashtanga.” She got that scared look. Okay, I have to admit it. The scared-of-Ashtanga look always amuses me.
05/23/2009 at 5:27 pm
OK, I admit that hot yoga in Scottsdale, Az, scares me to death. Talk about redundant.
And it’s interesting to hear that ashtangis scare Bikram insructors. Why is that, do you think?
I’ll be back out in August for my dad’s 89th birthday.
Namaste, suzie
PS I don’t think I’ve said–Waylon is super cute and I’m happy for you and the Cop.
05/24/2009 at 3:36 am
!
They do a lot of “hot vinyasa” in heated rooms in Michigan. I think it’s a lot like what you’re describing!
I think I could do with some juicy backbending today.
(And the scared-of-Ashtanga thing makes me laugh, too. I *always* get it when people ask about my practice. “Every DAY??”
“At six o’clock!!??”
oui, oui.
non, non. Ce n’est pas possible.
05/24/2009 at 4:31 am
hi Karen
that sounds really interesting. because my flatmate’s wife was here and she wanted to go to a Bikram’s we went. I was still detoxifying from the mercury exposure of a few weeks ago and I can assure you that the Bikrams took out the last of the toxins in my liver or kidneys. i felt no more symptoms after that class. the class, however, was very easy. my friend said it was the traditional routine. yours sounds very challenging.
hugs
Arturo
05/24/2009 at 2:07 pm
Yes, hot vinyasa is all over Ann Arbor! It kind of concerns me, actually. Maybe I should investigate, see if I can scare them too.
05/24/2009 at 4:33 pm
Owl, please go and investigate and report back! For some odd reason, I’m always thrilled to read about Ashtangis practicing hot yoga and writing about it. I know better than to try- I’m just too hot anyway. I would become homicidal.
Hilarious that the instructor looked scared. Maybe she thought you were going to be all judgmental and tell her why Ashtanga is so much better (no doubt what she’s heard in the past- same as we sometimes encounter the reasons Bikram is better… I say to that, “boooooooooring!”).
“Okay, I have to admit it. The scared-of-Ashtanga look always amuses me.”
ME TOO!
05/24/2009 at 4:45 pm
I went again today, Liz! Yesterday was a “hot yoga” class and today was an official Bikram class. I *think* I may write about the experience. Not sure — I think I may sound snotty if I try to write about it. I don’t mean to be: I just had observations and questions — but I don’t know if Bikram people would like them…
Susan, I look forward to your visit. Mon/Wed/Fri Mysore with John, 6-9 AM! Tues/Thurs I think he does a led in the evening. Happy upcoming birthday to your Dad!
Okay, I guess I’ll say something that might be taken as condescending: I get the impression that a lot of the Bikram stuff is just about dealing with the heat. The poses themselves are not difficult (though I did like all the balancing poses — that was fun!). The sequence is the same all the time, and, as I said, not too difficult, asana-wise: so the only way to challenge yourself more is to keep upping the heat. It’s what the students all talk about: the heat! the heat! I don’t know, maybe we sound stupid talking about the trials of kapotasana and karandavasana. But to me, it sounded crazy to talk about “Oooh, it was 113 in there!” and “Once I was in a class and it was 116!”
Uh oh, I’m on a roll: the students did not look fit like Ashtangis. There were heavy people (mostly) and (a few) extremely thin people. They also make you stand in front of a mirror. This is so you can check your alignment, but I’ll admit to this: as I looked in the mirror, what I was thinking was “Wow, I have great shoulders from practice!” Perhaps this is not the healthiest environment for Ashtangis.
My skin really looks great today, though! I will say that in hot yoga’s defense.
And I guess there may be an interesting question in all of this. In Bikram, the heat kicks your ass. In Ashtanga, the sequence kicks your ass. Is this the same, or different? Like a koan, both short-circuit your attempts to “solve” the problem, which can make you open to actual experience. I guess you could make an argument that Ashtanga messes with people more (and, possibly, messes *up* people more), because the linear sequence can make us feel like we’re “attaining” something.
05/24/2009 at 5:34 pm
I’m so pleased to hear that mysore with John is still going. I love John and also his father.
I definitely think it is more importasnt that ashtanga kicks your ass. It will do so in any temperature zone. My hard core ashtangis showed up for mysore in 20 degree temperatures with 9 inches of snow on the ground. If you can build up heat under these conditions, you are hard core.
Thanks for your birthday wishes, Karen, and I look forward to seeing you.
Susan
05/24/2009 at 7:24 pm
I’m laughing out loud…
“as I looked in the mirror, what I was thinking was ‘Wow, I have great shoulders from practice!’ Perhaps this is not the healthiest environment for Ashtangis.”
Karen, you’re awesome!
05/25/2009 at 8:13 am
Hi Karen, so did you find out whethere it is good or bad to lock your leg in UHP? I am at a point where I am almost willing to give up my practice over UHP. I cannot get it together and the more I think about it, the more difficult it gets.. M Sweeney said: ‘this asana is hard for us tall people,’ but the teacher at the other shala where I am practicing now thinks that I should just breathe correctly and it will be easy And now I don’t even know how to breath anymore, maybe I never did.
Sorry to post such a baby question here, sometimes I feel that I should keep quiet altogether, I feel like a child speaking during an adult conversation, with all you guys so advanced.
Oh, about Bikram, there is a Bikram place just around teh corner here, I was tempted for a moment, to go an see, but I think I would faint or throw up in such heat. With 28degrees celsius in Paris at the moment, I am sweating enough without the extra heat during practice.
05/25/2009 at 9:41 am
Hi Fatou! I looked in the Gregor Maehle book, and there is nothing about locking the leg. I kind of remember a teacher saying you should firm your leg as much as you can and stop short just shy of actually locking the knee. That sounds reasonable to me. UHP is tough. This morning I went to the shala after a few months of home practice. The only pose that really seemed screwed up because of the new environment was UHP. If my mind is at all busy, it is VERY hard for me to balance in UHP. And as soon as I start wavering, I get concerned about wavering, which makes me waver even more! =D
I think that’s pretty normal human stuff, though. Nothing to get too concerned about. I am always interested how different teachers have all different strategies for different difficulties in the practice. I don’t think any of the answers are necessarily “right” — but they’re all good things to try while we just wait for time and practice to sort everything out.
Please speak up as much as you like, Fatou! Seriously, there’s no beginner or advanced, really. Everyone, no matter how long they’ve been practicing, is struggling with something. It’s the nature of this practice. And it’s a pleasure to hear from you.
05/25/2009 at 10:47 am
Seem to remember a discussion at my place about which was harder, Kapotasana or Karandavasana my vote was for neither but rather for utthita hasta padangusthasana. I used to hate it, no REALLY hate it, frustrate the hell out of me more than any other pose ( I agree with Fatou, if any pose would make me give up Ashtanga this would be it). Now it’s wileyness amuses me. Some days are better than others but where with Kapo you grab your heels or you dont and in Karandavasana you either get back up or you dont, with UHP there’s always that extra inch to aim for and with every extra inch you go for you end up back in the wobbles. And if you had a pot of Sake the night before or a martini just forget about being steady in UHP the following morning. Rather than making you walk a straight line the police should make you do UHP to check if your driving under the influence.(got this image now of some cop doing Guruji’s count while a drunk driver attempts UHP).
What is the ideal temp for Ashtanga, anyone got a view on that. After visiting a Shala and finding it really hot I decided to up the temp at home. I checked it for the first time this morning and it’s 33C, what’s that around 91F, too hot? I’m sweating buckets and find it hard to breathe half the time.
Amused by the ‘scared look’, what are we the Knights Templar or something, Yogic Storm troopers?
05/25/2009 at 12:35 pm
Karen! so true…”Everyone, no matter how long they’ve been practicing, is struggling with something.”
UHP sucks!!! It’s the pose I dread the most in primary. Fatou, obviously you’re not alone!
Grimmly, 91F?? I would die. Of course you’re finding it hard to breathe! Our shala is around 83-84, sometimes lower, occasionally higher. What makes a difference is humidity and/or stale air. A window open in hot weather (85-90) is better than a cooler temp and the feeling of closeness- no air/no oxygen. But then, I’m on the hotter side of most students- others welcome the hot house temps!
I used to practice at a studio where the teacher opened the back door during the 100 degree Texas summers. It was crazy hot, but at least there was fresh air.
Yogic Storm Troopers- love it.
05/25/2009 at 3:14 pm
thank you guys, good to know UHP is tough even for the ‘adults’ of astanga this morning during I was standing behind a girl who seemed to be born in perfec UHP, so I was particularly frustrated (and I know I should not be looking at others during practice, but it’s hard not to)
@grimmly, if UHP was the test for drinking and driving, I would be under arrest everytime I drive
05/25/2009 at 5:04 pm
I like low 80s, pretty much.
About us being the Knights Templar, shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…….
05/25/2009 at 5:06 pm
me too : )
Liz, just checked Maehle’s book and he recommends 68F give or take 15 degrees. ( p21) no wonder I’m sweating buckets.
05/25/2009 at 5:29 pm
80 on the low end, for me, and 100 on the high end. Of course, here in the desert, it’s a dry heat.
05/25/2009 at 8:55 pm
Dry heat is way better (my man likes it hot, humid and horrible, his gal likes it cool and dry with a pleasantly scented spring breeze!)
I like this Maehle guy, Grimmly! I might go for 70-75. Yes. Perfect.
You’d think I don’t like to sweat- I do- I like it a lot, I just don’t like being twice baked the second I walk into a room.
05/26/2009 at 4:45 am
Grim, I just added a comment over at your place re: temperature.
Fatou, does UHP in your shala get what I’ve called the “foot cup” adjustment? The one where the adjuster sort of supports the heel and assists the bender in the forward bend, the swing out, and the swing in, and then releases? That did a ton of good things for my UHP, and I’ve also given that adjustment and seen it really help people grok the pose.
80 degrees and up? You people are obviously crazy
I’m with Liz, mid-70s is flexy city for me. 80 and up is for when I want to put the mula bandha to the floor in a front split. Of course, you’ll recall my winter practice temperatures as well. Cheers!
05/26/2009 at 5:06 am
hi Karen
yes, UHP is hard. it’s harder for flat footed people. we hop more in it than people with higher arches in their feet. now, this is one asana i saw Chuck M give one of his 15 minute asana talks to Surfer Guy at a training. the emphasis was that one should pay attention to what the muscles in the upper and lower back are doing. the chest should be rising, the upper and lower back muscles should be pulling down. it’s very important that the standing leg be straight, or at least strongly engaged (not something i’m able to do well.) the extended leg needs to be, well extended. (again mine tends to bend a little.) of course, if you can get an assist, you can do it almost perfectly. it’s hard to get the chest forward towards the chin towards the end without help.
hugs
Arturo
05/26/2009 at 10:17 am
Yeah, mentioning the word ‘Ashtanga’ seems to affect people as though it means ‘Chuck Norris yoga’ or something like that. Maybe I will try saying “I can kill you with a single ujjayi breath” and see what happens.
By the way, your comments applet doesn’t work quite right with Explorer 6. That’s not too big a deal, as I normally don’t use that browser, but just FYI.
05/26/2009 at 10:19 am
UHP is hard! Some days good, some days not so good. I learned to laugh at it when I can’ get it and that helped a lot. I just either move on or call the BF to help me. Now, tiryangmukhaikapada…..don’t even get me started! I do lock my knee in UHP and I get in trouble for that from my teacher because I think I hyperextend or whatever that word is?
05/26/2009 at 11:30 am
Carl, that’s hilarious…
I’m loving this Chuck Norris Yoga you’ve come up with.
05/26/2009 at 11:44 am
That first class sounded like the “Jimmy Barkan method” which is bikram+vinyasa in a hot room.
But you are quite correct – the Bikram poses aren’t hard in and of themselves. It’s the heat that is the challenge. One of the problems that Bikram studios have is “heat creep” – established students demanding higher temps (since they’ve been acclimated) thereby driving away newer students.
Did you have good humidity? As the old joke goes, it’s the humidity, not the heat, that gets you.
05/27/2009 at 9:51 am
Yes, Cody, heat creep! That’s just what I was thinking when I was there. A smart hot yoga owner would consider a few classes per week that are cooler (all things being relative), and market them that way for people who want to try it without dying, or for those who prefer a milder temperature.
05/27/2009 at 5:46 pm
UHP: when I practice it alone, I will sometimes put my hand on the wall for balance so that I can focus more on the flexibility. If I want to work on the core strength, then I stay away from the wall. Doesn’t anyone else cheat with the wall??
Also, does anyone really care about UHP? I would give it up altogether if I could just grab my heels (even my toes!) in Kapotasana…
Finally, the heat thing: in NYC at Donna Rubin’s Bikram studios, the heat is INSANE, and the studios are packed to capacity, and there are at least four of them. So, I think that whatever they’re doing, they are doing it right…they seem to know their (insane?) clientele…
05/29/2009 at 3:38 pm
UHP: my arch nemesis pose. I cheat with the wall all the time, but my regular mysore teacher won’t let me. Tears, entreaties, pleas of old age, illness, being a doofus who can’t balance–nothing moves her.