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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI’ll be doing heated vinyasa a few times a week, starting tomorrow. I normally eat a diet almost entirely of fruit. On the yoga studio’s webpage, it says this:
“when you practice yoga in a hot room, you lose electrolytes in your sweat, particularly sodium and potassium. You can also dilute electrolytes by consuming large quantities of water – even if you have not worked out. These electrolytes must be replaced to keep the electrolyte concentrations of your body fluids constant. Electrolytes can be found in sports drinks like power aid, gatorade and smart water, as well as in emergen-C packets (sold at trader joe’s, bread and circus, and at our studio). Not replacing lost electrolytes is very serious, and can be fatal. So be preventative: drink a lot of water – with electrolytes—all day long. And know your body: nausea and dizziness are symptoms of electrolyte imbalance.”
So what can I do to prepare my body for this yoga? I’ve been doing vinyasa yoga at home for about a year and I’m ready to get serious about my practice. I was thinking young coconut water would be good…any other foods that could give my body a boost after practice?
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Hi Moth – I’m a big Bikram yoga practicer – I absolutely love it. I see a lot of people in the studio mixing the vitamin packets in with the water. I really don’t think it’s necessary. The important thing is to drink a lot of water during the day (not insane amounts, just an adequate amount to know you aren’t dehydrated), don’t eat for a couple of hours before class, and drink again afterwards. If you’re worried about depleting your body – eat a couple of bananas about 2 hours or 90 minutes beforehand. Also, as you suggest, young coconut water is fantastic. I do think that the warning on the website is a bit of Cover Your A** by the yoga studio. You’re not going on a 10 hour hike – you’re doing 90 minutes of yoga in a hot room. It is definitely taxing on your body, but you’re not going to shrivel up and die because you’re not filling your body with chemical electrolytes manufactured and sold by a big corporation. And your first class is always an experience. Your body has to get used to the heat. It gets much easier over time. However, in that first class it might get overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to get up and leave the room for a few minutes if you need to. Enjoy!!! A good hot yoga or Bikram practice can really cause great efects in your life.
Coconut water is a wonderful source of electrolytes and it’s pretty tasty! According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations’ Chief of Agricultural Industries and Post Harvest Mangement Service (imagine the size of his business card!) “Coconut water si a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It’s the fluid of life, so to speak.”
I am also a huge bikram yoga fan- I am so excited for you! I totally agree with DagnyTaggart- as long as you stay hydrated throughout the day and go to class on an empty stomach you should be fine. I always bring a water bottle with me to class, but I don’t think any special drinks are necessary if you have water. Just keep in mind that it takes about 3 classes for your body to become adjusted and for your muscle memory to kick in ( at least that’s what my instructor tells me), so when you first get started try to go three days in a row-it made a huge difference for me. Hopefully you will get an instructor who is very experienced because I love it when they talk the whole time and tell you why all the different poses are beneficial- very interesting and motivates you to keep going! Have a great time, don’t forget to come back and tell us what you thought!
Thanks guys…! To be honest, I am pretty nervous about starting studio yoga lessons…can you guys reassure me? :-p I just don’t know what to expect.
Drink your coconut water before and after. (yes, as daniefon mentioned, it is the same electrolyte balance as in blood plasma – in fact many people’s lives were saved by plasma transfusions siphoned directly from the coconut during the pacific war – just a little more trivia)
Have a great time Moth! It’ll be a lot of fun. Not knowing what to expect is part of the excitement. Peace.
You are going to have a blast! i started in a studio and loved it! went 4 times a week for over a year, it has since moved locations and now i cant go anymore! i do my tapes at home and tried several other studios near my house but didnt like them…you should feel peaceful and supported there, if you dont , try another studio until you find one that grooves the way you like! good for you! have fun…..
My first time was NOT a blast, I must say. I had the yoga Nazi from hell and she continued to pick on me, my form and all my dirty laundry the entire class! She was mean! When I returned she was surprised, but I had read that Bikram is all about breaking you at some level-so if the pose doesn’t get you and the heat doesn’t get you, you might get picked on to see if you’ll break down. I continued and still go. It is 100% better than that first day. Follow the rules-look at your instructor and yourself in the mirror. If you don’t get it-we had the option of sitting down (eyes straight ahead and on our knees only). Bring a sense of humor so you can laugh at yourself. It only gets better.
I’m a yoga instructor, and I love newbies! (You are not a true newbie as you are fully prepared from all your home studying, so even less for you to stress about.) I always try to make new students feel welcome, as do all the other instructors I have had. Yoga is unity of the one with the eternal, and there is just not any room for stress in that. Just remember why you are there (everyone has their own reasons) and that your practice is YOURS – learn from your teacher and classmates, but remember that it is all about YOU! Listen to your body, not your ego (which might tell you to do things that you shouldn’t just ‘cause others are doing them) and you will have a wonderful start to your studio practice. Have FUN!! Namaste.
Yoga is amazing. The first time I tried it I felt like I had come home, and at last found the exercise that was perfectly suited to me. I hope you feel the same way about it ;)
izhpt, how awful! i dont cotton to the “tear you down and build you up” type of mentality in anything…if she’d been my instructor one of us would have been feeling the burn and it wouldnt have been me!;0)
Moth – how are you liking your hot yoga? Maybe if you can’t find a wonderful raw vegan who you want to date, you will settle for a wonderful hot yogi? ;)
OH HELL YEAH, there is NOTHING SEXIER then a yogi, in my opinion. Seriously. I could easily date a non-raw yogi. Because then we could do yoga together. :-)
I haven’t started my classes yet still because I felt a call to fast and focusing more on rest and reserving energy. I know that after my fast, I will be ready and it will be the right time, perfect for when my body is clean. In the meantime, I am doing some light yoga stuff at home.
I love yoga…thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I love you all. Today has been an amazing day and I am soooo THANKFUL right now for everything in my life; including GONE RAW! This place is awesome.