hot yoga approach and yin

Please use this forum to ask any questions you may have about yoga in general or Yin Yoga in particular, or to discuss anything you have discovered that may be of general interest. Note, spam will be removed and the user deleted, and this includes putting website in your posting that are purely commercial.
Post Reply
gregor
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:09 am
Location: germany

hot yoga approach and yin

Post by gregor »

Dear Bernie,

thank you so much for answering my last question, concerning teacher training yang styles! the site of Sarah is very interesting and i keep it in mind while looking for 200h courses in my city.
i wanted to ask something generally about the hot yoga approach.
i have been there myself and i see that it gives some good effects for peoples health to practice under those conditions.
i also enjoy a lot being in a sauna in general.
the dangerous part is that it makes people dependent and does not provide the insight for good self practice.
for some time i did it in combination with yin yoga but for now i moved to other styles combining them with yin.
my general experience is, you can go deep in a hot yoga studio faster.
and it provides a good way towards relaxation.
it gives a certain feeling that i don't get with other styles also due to the sequence from the Bishnu Gosh lineage.
But, isnt it an illusion to go deeper faster, maybe the body needs time?
i have seen on myself, where pushing leads to...
But to combine that approach with a yin attitude seems healthy for me, as in any style.
But what about the inner heat?
In the Vinyasa practice you develop inner heat, but there?
Or maybe its not always about producing inner heat, while doing yang sequences.
Acctually, i don't know.

Best regards,
Gregor
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Inner heat

Post by Bernie »

Hi Gregor

There is no "one" right yoga for everyone: all you can do is find what works for you. For example, my dosha is pitta - I have tried a few "hot yoga" classes and Birkram classes but they kill me. They are way too hot for my constitution. I prefer vinyasa/power/flow classes where I generate my own heat internally through the practice itself. But I know other students who really benefit from the external heat in hot yoga studios.

I have heard the rationalization that hot yoga reflects the real roots of yoga: yoga evolved in India where it is hot, thus we should recreate those conditions here in the West. I have been to India many times and can vouch: it does get very hot there, but I have never seen anyone doing yoga in the middle of the Indian day when the sun is blazing. Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun! Yogis in India traditionally did their practice very early in the morning, 4 or 5am. It is nice and cool at that hour.

It is true that warm muscles stretch more than cool muscles and hot muscles will stretch more than warm muscles. But, what is your intent? Remember the Goldilocks' position: too much leads to degeneration, too little leads to atrophy. Be where it is in the middle. Are you after maximum performance (the deepest stretch) or optimal health? If health is your intention there is no need to go past the Goldilocks' edge. From our health perspective, the practice is about playing your edges: go to where you feel challenged, back off just a little bit and stay there. When the edge recedes, go a little deeper. Never go past your edge, that takes you into the land of ego and injuries.

Just keep reminding yourself of your intention: why are you doing this? Let the answer guide you to the appropriate depth in the pose.

Cheers!
Post Reply