Hot Yoga Experiences > Newbie to Hot Yoga - Can it heal me?
Hi Marissa - you are already bringing the most powerful healing element of all to your hot yoga practice: your enthusiasm! Loving hot yoga goes a long way to boosting the benefits you will receive. Of course, there are those who start out skeptical and have their eyes opened, so to speak, from the changes they note in their bodies as a result of regular practice. You're just ahead of the game.
Yes, three times a week is best for building a strong foundation in hot yoga.
What do we mean by a "foundation"? Hot yoga has a cumulative effect: the more you do it, the more the benefits build and you reach a point where your benefits become exponential rather than linear. I have had many students who struggle in a pose, with their balance, with their flexibility class after class and lament their lack of progress, and then one day - BAM - they come to class and master the move, seemingly overnight. They are feeling the Cumulative Effect.
Runners are one group that see benefits almost immediately. Things like tight hamstrings, common to runners, ease up almost instantly. Other talk about better running time, more lung capacity, even easing of things like shin splints and plantar fasciaitis. And yes, expect relief from bursitis and sciatica.
Why this wide range of healings? Hot yoga is not just about stretching; it is about increasing your circulation and your entire circulatory system. The aligning and holding of the various 26 hot yoga poses will cause a tourniquet effect on your body - a damming of the blood flow to certain parts of the body for a time, followed by a fresh rush of oxygenated blood. The results: better functioning heart, veins and arteries.
So Marissa, yes, come three times a week and after 6 months, you will see a complete transformation in your body and your running. And report back here to let us know what you experience along the way
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Thank you, Rhonda, for taking the time to respond!!! I went for my 2nd hot yoga session last Monday, and I did feel a difference in my Achilles this week. After the 1st session, my Achilles was still sore each morning; this week, the pain is less - which means I am healing (Hallelujah!!!). I think that I will try for 2x this week. I won't lie - it was challenging, but it was doable, and I hung in there and am hoping that each time, it will be a little easier to stay in for the 90 mins. Thanks, Rhonda, for your mindfulness woven into yoga!
Marissa
Kudos, Marissa! Your reward is in how you feel; hot yoga may be challenging but in the best possible way - and your body loves is. It is tempting to do our Express Hot Yoga Class sometimes - 60 minutes which means only one set of the standing poses - and you will benefit from it. But it's best to stick with the 90 minute class mostly and intersperse some Express classes when you really can't spare the 90. It's all good though!
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I love this thread. In 2011 I had extensive surgery done on my right shoulder. More than anything, I wanted to be stronger than I was before the injury, and more balanced. My physical therapy was intense and painful, and I was unable to do anything for a day afterwards. I just felt like I could do more if only I had a better tool. Hot yoga seemed like the perfect choice for my own rehabilitation plan. I had grand ideas of taking a few classes and then having the range of motion that I wanted. As it turned out, I could only do it two or three times a week to start, it took me several months, but I was still far ahead of what my doctor thought I would be able to do. In the meantime, I increased my flexibility so much that I feel that I am preventing injury and gaining longevity.
Marguerite
I love this thread too Marguerite! I love any topic with healing in hot yoga. I love to share that its been about 16 months since my first hot yoga class and I am aprox 15 months Motrin free. I used to take it almost daily for what seems like years. I feel stronger than I have in a very long time. That includes mental, emotional and spiritual benefits as well! They are definitely worth mentioning in any post involving healing !!!
KimA
Yes, this is is the hot yoga Miracle thread and I love it too! Over the years I have heard people comment that hot yoga has helped them "heal" everything from fibryomyalgia (one woman could not even hug her kids as the pain of touch was to severe) to high blood pressure (this makes perfect sense since hot yoga on the circulatory system) to migraines (again, a condition of tight blood vessels) to depression (regulating the mood hormones) and general well being to Lupus (an immune system malfunction) to the more "physical" ills of tightness, damage and strain to muscles, joints ligaments. The body is a wonderful little microcosm that contains all that it needs to function fully; hot yoga seems to remind us of that miracle and wake up the potential for limitlessness.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
A fellow yogi told me recently that she has had compressions in her cervical spine from shaken baby syndrome a long time ago. Nothing has helped her like the combination of massage, chiropractic and hot yoga. She says that the yoga is the hardest part for her, but she does it anyway because it is not only healing her, but it is preventing injuries and helping to gain strength. I love success stories. They don't have to all be so striking. Just hearing someone say 'I feel better after a class' is a miracle enough for me.
Marguerite
Great story, Marguerite! I love these too - the real miracle is that people are so willing to share and celebrate with you! And yes - feeling better is a miracle, and easily doable - whether in the hot or not.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Hello all! I am new to these forums, and I am so happy to be reading the hot-yoga experience of others. My introduction to hot yoga happened about 7 years ago, when I was 18 and basically "tricked" into attending a class. I had no idea there would be heat involved...I showed up wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long yoga pants! Luckily, aside from the discomfort of my costume choice, I fell in love with the practice.
It's been a few years since that first class, and I must say, in the moments of my life when I am intent on my yoga practice, my body is happy and healthy, as are my spirit and mind! I wanted to just testify to the issues that Marissa spoke of in the beginning of this conversation. I too am a runner (though no marathoner!). About a year and a half ago, I decided to try my hand at a corporate-type job, where I found myself sitting all day and staring at a computer screen. Add that to my commute on the train (which was 2 hours each way) and I was sitting for a vast majority of each day.
The effect that this new way of life had on my body and spirit was catastrophic! I was moving and sweating so very little, and as it is so apt to happen - I became depressed and didn't look for the energy within to stretch or run or do yoga. My hamstrings, especially my left one, became so tight and unhappy that I lived with near chronic pain - an ever-present pain that spanned from my hips all the way to my knees. It got so bad that I found myself often standing up abruptly from my desk or sitting in ridiculous positions because I couldn't escape the pain radiating from my hamstrings.
All that just to say -- it took me a long time to get out of that funk. My body tried to get accustomed to the constant pain. But I have, just like you, begun my journey to wellness once again by rejoining Riverflow and beginning my hot yoga practice. I don't have the results to show for it yet, but I can tell you that the moment I left hot yoga and went to a desk job is the moment my body began to experience pain and lack of joy! I have complete confidence that with 2-3+ classes a week, I will be back on track to a joyful and pain-free body in no time. It's just the magic of this yoga - it's the all-pervading heat, it's the patience you dig up from deep within yourself, it's the slow and steady inner-cultivation of self-love and empathy, and of course, it's the intense physical challenge...
I also definitely suggest a 30-day challenge when a 'newbie' feels ready. It will do so much good for you, mind and body, and you will be so grateful for the experience!
Grace
I had a thyroidectomy about 25 years ago. Since that surgery, It has always been difficult for me to swallow. It felt like there was always something justing sitting there in the base of my throat. No matter how many times i swallowed, it never felt clear. i had every test and swallow study you can think of and they were all negative.
So i started hot yoga on a whim during a vacation in grand cayman and was hooked. I started practicing regularly at RIverflow when i returned home. Within 6 months i had no more swallowing issues! The lump that was always just sitting in my throat... GONE!!! I contribute it to all the poses breaking up the scar tissue that had settled in my neck and along the incision. The restrictions i had were GONE!!
I am a firm believer of the healing powers of hot yoga!
TinaA
Wow, Tina and yes: hot yoga works wonders with scar tissue (and there almost always is scar tissue after surgery)
The heat, the pose sequence, the pose instructions for alignment, the hold-and-release timing, the deep breathing and more create a forcing of new blood flow passageways into those dead areas, thus breaking up dead scar tissue and creating new energy in that area.
I'm so glad you were able to swallow hot yoga whole - so quickly and embrace it so completely! It's a joy having you in class with us.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Great post, Grace! Yes, hang in there and anticipate all that you want from your hot yoga practice - anticipation is part of the fun, especially when you already know for sure it's coming! Three times a week practice is a great foundation - give it 6 months at that pace and get ready to have the world at your fingertips...and feet....and command
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Hi, all! I am new to hot yoga and went to my very first class about one week ago. I must admit; I turned to hot yoga after being forced to stop running. While training for a marathon, my body finally rebelled against me and my refusal to do all stretching. My high arches and tight hamstrings had me limping. Heel pain led to Achilles bursitis, which has affected Sciatica.
My doctor told me that she does running in the summer and yoga in the winter, so I decided to give it a try. I went once last week, and I was so excited to feel my core, back, and legs sore. The heat was incredible - I loooove that feeling of warmth.
So my question is, how often should people do hot yoga in the beginning? I read that 3 times a week is recommended, but is this something you build up to?
Also, have any other runners found that hot yoga helped with injuries relating to hamstring tightness?
Thanks for any help!!! I can't WAIT to see my future self.