10 Tips to Stay Safe and Comfortable in a Hot Yoga Class

Last month I subbed a couple of hot yoga classes. Confession: I am not a fan of hot yoga, as a teacher ora student. In addition to being hard on the environment (think of how much energy we use to artificially heat a room--thanks to one of my favorite teachers, Wendy Green, for instilling that in me!), hot yoga can be downright dangerous if you're not prepared. Some studios crank the heat above 100 degrees--and increase the humidity, too. (You want hot yoga, just come to Cincinnati!)

At the studio where I practice, the temperature frequently tops 85 degrees in summertime--that's with minimal air conditioning. If you pack a room full of people who are moving, sweating, and breathing, you'll create heat.

By the end of a practice, the windows are foggy, we're all soaked through, and our mats are dripping with sweat. That's my kind of hot yoga!

Hot yoga is a hot trend in the practice these days. Almost every studio offers a hot class of some variety, from Bikram to Moksha, vinyasa to yin. (One of the studio owners I work for confessed to me that she doesn't like or believe in hot yoga, but it's what students have requested.) And in summertime, almost every yoga practice can feel like a hot one.

Why hot yoga? Advocates say hot yoga facilitates stretching, increases range of motion, removes toxins, and promotes weight loss. It's true that it is easier to stretch warm muscles (and you should never stretch "cold" muscles), but whether hot yoga will lead to greater weight loss depends on the type of yoga you're practicing.

According to the American Council on Exercise, Hatha Yoga (in the West, this has come to refer to slower-paced classes) burns about 150 calories an hour (and does not raise your heart rate enough to be considered a form of cardio), while vinyasa (faster-paced, flowing yoga) burns about twice that much. If you're losing pounds after each hot yoga class, it's likely water weight. (More on that later.)

Whether you practice naturally hot yoga as I do or practice at a studio that cranks up the heat, you'll want to be safe. (You might also want to read: "I Tried Hot Yoga" before you take a class.) 

Here are some tips to help:  

1. Be safe. Decide if it's right for you. Hot yoga is unsafe for anyone who is pregnant, a child, over the age of 60 (without a regular yoga practice), or suffering from medical conditions that would make it unsafe to exercise. If you have diabetes, any issues with high or low blood pressure, or are prone to dizzy spells, choose another type of yoga class.
2.   Invest in a chamois or a yoga towel. All that sweat turns your usually sticky yoga mat into a slip-and-slide. While you can use a regular towel (try a beach towel for maximum coverage), if you practice regularly, consider investing in a yoga towel, which is made of microfibers that absorb moisture and become grippy when wet. (I especially like Manduka towels, which last for years and are worth every penny.) Some, such as YogiToes, also have silicone beads for added stickiness. A travel yoga mat, such as those from Gaiam, also works well as a mat cover. If you tend to sweat profusely, Manduka makes yoga "rugs," too. Take a hand towel, too, if your studio doesn't provide them. In addition to mopping sweaty brows, a quick swipe of the towel up and down your limbs can make many poses more manageable.Go au natural. Though it seems counter intuitive to shower before a workout, I often rinse off before yoga practice to remove any lotions or oils that will make my skin even more slippery once my body starts to sweat. There's nothing more frustrating than finally nailing an arm balance, only to slide right out of it because of lotioned up skin!  (Also: skip the scents. The only thing worse than being stuck on a mat next to a stinky person is practicing on a mat next to a person who's drenched in perfume or cologne. Reapply deodorant before class if you're self-conscious, but skip the perfume, the smell of which can be overwhelming in heated, humid rooms.)
3. Take a rest. If you feel lightheaded, dizzy or otherwise ill at any point during the practice, take a break. Sit down on your mat, go into child's pose, or step out of the room. (Note: Some teachers lock the door or refuse to let students leave the room after class has begun. While it is not good manners to saunter in and out of a yoga studio during class, when you're sick or really need to use the bathroom, it's fine to leave--just be discreet. Sure, you might let a little heat escape the room, but passing out in the middle of tree pose would surely cause a bigger interruption!)Respect your edge. In yoga, we encourage our students to relax and let their bodies ease into a pose. When our muscles are warm, it's easier to stretch them, which means that suddenly body parts find it a little easier to say "How do ya do?" Knees meet nose, fingertips touch toes, and arms clasp behind the back with more ease when you're warm. Whether you're trying to bind in twisting pose or just reach a centimeter farther in a forward fold, don't push too hard. Move slowly and mindfully to a point where your muscles feel challenged, breathing all the while! Never stretch to the point of pain--and never bounce as you stretch. 
4. Drink up. In yoga, we traditionally drink water before and especially after a class. The traditional belief is that our yoga practice builds heat, and water extinguishes it. Some hot yoga classes have designated water breaks, and I've heard stories of yoga teachers who scold students for even looking at their water bottles during class. While you might not want to chug water after every sun salutation, a few sips of water as needed are fine. Save the water guzzling for after class, if only because you'll feel uncomfortable trying to twist and stretch with a belly of water. And trying to practice yoga with a full bladder? Uncomfortable! Drink one to two cups of water 30 to 60 minutes before practice, then…
5. Keep drinking. You lose as much as 32 ounces of water for every 60 minutes of exercise. Immediately after exercise, drink at least twice that much--especially if you've not been drinking much water during your yoga practice. If your practice lasted more than an hour, consider consuming a sports drink in addition to regular water to replenish carbohydrates and electrolytes. NOTE: If you feel lightheaded or uncoordinated (more than usual!) or have muscle cramps, consider these to be signs of dehydration. (Learn more about water needs during exercise.)
6. Eat right. As with any physical activity, you'll want to make sure you're eating right to help you perform your best. While a snack or light meal an hour or so before working out is recommended, you might want to allow two hours between any snacks and four meals between any heavy meals and your yoga practice. If you thought practicing with a belly full of water was uncomfortable, try practicing with a belly full of food. Ugh! And if you can, save foods that are spicy or those that tend to give you gas or cause bloating for after class. You'll want to eat a snack or meal that contains both protein and carbohydrates within an hour of finishing your practice.   
7. Listen to your body. Only you know how far you can comfortably push your body. Listen to those signs that your body offers you. Don't feel the need to "keep going" in a pose if the intro level is enough of a stretch and challenge for you. Your yoga practice is yours and yours alone. Quiet the ego--that little voice that tells you to push harder when you know you could risk injury--and just breathe and enjoy being where you are now. 
8. Dress for it. Hot yoga is not the time to be modest. No one is there to judge you, and no one looks his or her best when dripping in sweat. Wear tight-fitting clothes, as looser garments trap heat. Some people prefer to wear pants or capris so they absorb the sweat and keep it off your mat; I would much rather have the sweat on my mat than have sweaty clothes covering any more of my body than is necessary! Tank tops are a great choice, as they allow for better range of motion and generally stay in place better than a T-shirt. I highly advise you against wearing regular cotton clothing. Once drenched in sweat, it will feel heavy and clammy against your skin. A moisture-wicking headband (I like Bondi Bands) is a must for keeping sweat from dripping in your eyes. That's a surefire way to break your concentration!

Whether you're doing yoga in a heated studio or in the great outdoors, these tips can ensure a safe and comfortable practice.

Do you practice hot yoga? What is your best tip for staying hydrated and healthy?

Via: http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=10_tips_to_stay_safe_and_comfortable_in_a_hot_yoga_class

Soothe a troubled digestive system with these natural remedies

According to Ayurveda, gas, and constipation are signs of disturbed vata and low agni. 

Vata, meaning "wind," governs our body's internal and external motion. Agni, or "digestive fire," transforms what we eat into the nutrients the body can assimilate and transform into energy. 

Certain foods, cold or dry weather, or disruptions to your schedule can upset both, resulting in slow digestion and stagnation in the digestive tract. 

For mild constipation or gas, follow these guidelines to calm your vata and stabilize your agni.

Eat Right

Balance vata's cool, rough dryness with moist, warm meals of freshly cooked whole foods. Avoid cold, dry, fried, and processed foods. And eat moderate amounts at regular mealtimes even if you don't feel hungry.

Butter Up

Stoke your agni by adding a teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter) and some warming spices such as ginger, cumin, or cinnamon to your meals.

Go Herbal

Traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulas such as hingwashtak, avipattikar, and trikatu are effective agni boosters when taken in powder form added to warm water.

Make Lemonade

Warm lemonade alleviates the tissue dryness associated with constipation and gas. Upon waking, stir the juice of one-quarter lemon into a large mug of warm water, along with a teaspoon of raw, unprocessed honey.

Try Triphala

Triphala is a traditional combination of three dried fruits, in powder form, that acts as a mild laxative for some. Mainly, though, it's a tonic that detoxifies the colon and improves its ability to absorb the subtle life force, or prana, from digested food before waste is eliminated.

Smooth Moves

Forward bends and twists compress the lower abdomen to release gas. They also relieve tension that can disrupt peristalsis, says Jillian Pransky, director of restorative yoga teacher training for YogaWorks, who suggests the following poses:

Balasana (Child's Pose), supported

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose), supported

Janu Sirsasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose), supported

Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen Pose)

Pavanamuktasana (Wind-Relieving Pose)

Via: http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/2785 

Yoga in Action: 6 Tips for Public Speakers

If you're an anxious public speaker, don't panic. Yoga can calm jitters when you're talking to a crowd.

Yoga's tools for working with the breath and mind can help calm you when you have to give a speech or show up for a job interview. Performance anxiety occurs when your limbic system reacts to a stressful social situation as if you were in physical danger. You can stop the reaction, explains Dr. Sat Bir Khalsa, a professor at Harvard Medical School, by slowing your breath. In a study conducted from 2005 to 2007, Khalsa and psychotherapist Stephen Cope, who directs the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living in Lenox, Massachusetts, found that a regular yoga program that includes breathing practices helped young professional musicians control their performance fears.

Another way to ease your nerves is by focusing your attention, Cope says. "The more focused your concentration becomes on your task, the harder it is to be distracted by anxiety." Yoga's philosophical teachings help as well, Cope adds. Apply the lessons of a key text called the Bhagavad Gita: Be detached from the fruits of your actions. Do your best and devote the results to something greater, such as a higher power, your new career path, or the wedding guests eagerly awaiting your toast.

Cope, a frequent public speaker, uses this technique before going on stage: "I scan the audience to find someone who looks like they might need to hear what I have to say, and I offer my speech to them."

Yoga in Action: 6 Tips for Public Speakers

Reframe the Situation. 

If you can see the event as exciting rather than terrifying, you physiological response will be less intense.

Get Grounded. 

Feel your feet on the floor. Imagine them rooting into the earth, drawing your nervous energy into the ground.

Take Slow, Deep Breaths. 

Slowing your exhalations will immediately calm the nervous system.

Focus. 

Remember your task and focus on it the same way you might focus on a difficult yoga pose. Don't think about anything else.

Practice Awareness. 

If fearful thoughts do arise, simply watch them come and let them go; don't feed into them.

Let Go of the Outcome.

 Show up, do your best, and offer the fruits of your actions to something larger than yourself.

Take the Edge Off.

 For pre-performance tension, herbalist Carol Brzezicki of Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center in Vermont suggests oat seed extract. Put one or two dropperfuls in water and take it 30 to 60 minutes before showtime. High in minerals, this herb soothes without making you sleepy.

Via: http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/3120

3 Surprising Ways a Deep Breath Can Reduce Your Anxiety

1. A deep breath is scientifically proven to slow your heart rate.
We have two nervous systems in our bodies. The sympathetic nervous system turns our nerves up, preparing us for the fight-or-flight response when we get into danger.
Or what our brains think is danger. Since this ancient system no longer has saber-toothed tigers to worry about, it now perceives that things like public speaking, taking tests, and asking the boss for a raise are threatening for us.
Poof! The sympathetic nervous system is activated and cranks up our heart rates to pump more blood to our muscles, creates shallow breathing, and shoots adrenaline into our bodies to get us ready to face the danger before us.
Of course, if we’re really in danger, this is a very helpful response.
But when we’re not in peril and we’re in a situation where it would be most useful to be calm, this reaction isn’t very helpful.
The shallow breathing brings less oxygen into our bodies which means that our brains – which use 25% of the oxygen we take in – is getting less oxygen, too, causing us to have difficulty concentrating and focusing. And likely right when we need both of those abilities the most.
Shallow breathing also signals the body to create more red blood cells in our bloodstreams which makes our hearts have to work harder and beat faster which then makes us feel more nervous and anxious.
Luckily for us, the other nervous system in our bodies, theparasympathetic nervous system, is the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system. It turns down our nerves and is known as the system that helps us rest-and-digest rather than prepare to fight or flee.
One of the components of the parasympathetic nervous system is the Vagus nerve. From the root for the word vagrant, the Vagus nerve starts in our brains and wanders throughout the body, touching just about every organ within.
The great thing about the Vagus nerve is that, when stimulated, it slows down our heart rates. And, as you know, if you’re heart isn’t beating as fast, you tend to feel less anxious.
So guess how we can stimulate the Vagus nerve whenever we’d like?
By taking a deep breath.A big inhale along with using our diaphragms is an excellent way to get the Vagus nerve active. So, when you take that deep breath, make sure you push your stomach out as you’re doing so to also engage the diaphragm.
Here’s a quick, 10-second exercise you can use just about anywhere and anytime you feel nervous or uptight:
Take a deep breath in through the nose and hold it for a count of four. Then release it through your mouth as though it was a big sigh of relief.
That’s it. You’ve now stimulated your Vagus nerve and your body has received the message that it’s time to rest-and-digest rather than fight-or-flight.
One caveat, though: Don’t take too many deep breaths in a row or you’ll hyperventilate and make your anxiety even worse!

2. Use the deep breath as a trigger to become aware that, in this moment, you’re okay.
The vast majority of our anxieties come from either fretting about the past or worrying about the future.
We’re human; it’s natural to review what we’ve done and wonder about what is to come.
However, if we do it to the extent that our minds are constantly anywhere but the present, a couple of things
happen.
First, if we’re trying to manage nerves and anxiety, both thinking about past mistakes and worrying about future ones are only going to make us more nervous.
Again, fretting and worrying are human, natural mechanisms. Since we are hard-wired to maintain safety and self-preservation at all times, it makes sense that our minds flit back and forth between time frames.
After all, our brains evolved to be problem-solving machines so they are constantly trying to resolve mistakes from the past and consider strategies for the future. A little bit of this activity is okay, but a lot of it can be paralyzing and anxiety-inducing.
Secondly, if we’re spending all of our conscious time in the past or the future, we miss out on living the life that is happening right now.
Even though our minds are adept at conjuring up vivid images of both the past and the future, that’s all they are: images. It’s not real life.
Real life is what’s in front of you right now: Your computer screen, the smell of rain on pavement, your three-year-old running around in the background, and the fact that, in this moment, you’re okay.
Don’t miss out.
Each time you take a deep breath, allow it to remind you to stay in this moment for as long as possible. Sure, you’ll start going into the past or future eventually, but savor the moment while you can.

3. A deep breath just feels good.
Take a deep breath now.
No, really, go ahead and do it.
Doesn’t that feel great?
Now, I know you’re probably thinking, “This deep breathing thing is not going to get me out of debt, solve the problems in my relationship, or get me a new job.”
You’re right. It won’t do those things directly.
But taking a deep breath now and again will get more oxygen to your brain, allowing you to think more clearly, slow your heart rate which allows you to feel less anxious and more in control, remind you that life is happening in this moment, and allow you to feel good if only for a few seconds or so.
And, if you string enough of those moments together, who’s to say that your body and mind won’t be better able to handle some of the serious stressors in your life?
You might need to use a physical reminder to take a deep breath every so often throughout the day. Most of us, when we’re engaged in a task, allow our breathing to become very shallow, so it helps to use something to cue us to take that important big breath.
You can set an alarm on your phone or your computer to go off every twenty to thirty minutes or so to act as a reminder. Or you can set a visual cue for yourself such as taking a deep breath every time you go through a doorway or look at a clock.
Whatever the mechanism, I encourage you to make a practice of taking that big, deep breath regularly. It will calm your nerves and make you feel good. What’s better than that?

Via: http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/3-surprising-ways-a-deep-breath-can-reduce-your-anxiety/