I never understood why anyone would want to work out in a hot humid room. There is a reason why health experts warn the public to take it easy and find ways to cool off when it's hot and humid outside. But because some yoga teacher claims it's the best thing for you, people ignore what should be common sense and pay money to put their health at risk.

And here's another thing I don't understand. From everything I've read about Bikram he seems to be an obnoxious, money hungry adulterer, so why the loyal following? Frankly, the man creeps me out.

If anyone still has any interest in trying out hot yoga, here's a blog post worth reading about one person's experience and what her doctors said.

[helloboomers.com]

No More Hot Yoga For Me

Over time, I have revised my opinion about hot yoga. It could be ideal for your body, but it did not suit mine at all.

During my 6 months in the “hot room” I experienced rapid heart beat, and the inability to cool my body down. Often it would take hours. Because I sweated so much I needed to balance my system with electrolytes. I was the yogi looking for an open window, an open door, or to place my mat under a fan – it clearly was not natural for me to be that hot.

I did a little research and asked my dermatologist about excessive sweating, the releasing of toxins, and how that must be good for you. She disagreed, and replied the body is built to dispose of sweat naturally, not in a forced environment, however, if your body could tolerate it, there was no down side to sweating. She went on to say, that releasing toxins, was a myth and there was no medical research showing that we actually expel toxins.

My family doctor added that high humidity is downright dangerous for you, especially when you exert yourself. My panicky feeling of not being able to cool down was genuine he said. The body’s immune system has to fight very hard to stabilize itself. His guideline is, if the humidity is more than 60%, stay cool, stay calm, and be in an air conditioned room. I believe hot yoga rooms are running at about 80% humidity.

My conclusion was that for me, there was no benefit at all. I happily returned to the “cold room”, and enjoyed a natural sweat.

Heat Illness and Humidity Lousiana Workers Compensation Corp

[www.lwcc.com]

LWCC Offers Tips for Avoiding Heat-Related Injuries in the Workplace


BATON ROUGE, La. -- June is National Safety Month, and as soaring summer temperatures quickly approach, it is important for employers to educate all employees--particularly those working outdoors--about the dangers of heat-related illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and the more life-threatening heatstroke.

Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation (LWCC) is reminding employers and employees to take every precaution to avoid these illnesses, or possibly death, by following a few simple guidelines when working under extreme heat conditions.

Summers in Louisiana are among the most oppressively hot and humid in the United States with daytime high temperatures from mid-June to mid-September averaging 90°F (32°C) or more. It is during these extreme summer temperatures that employees, such as construction workers, roofers, delivery persons, farmers, landscapers and even those working indoors, are most at risk for heat-related illnesses.

Employers are strongly encouraged to learn the deadly effects of extreme heat and humidity on workers and what steps need to be taken to protect them, such as drinking ample fluids, taking frequent breaks in a cool or shaded area, cutting down on caffeine and encouraging the wearing of light-colored clothes that reflect the heat instead of absorbing it. Employers should also be aware that injuries can occur in deceptively mild weather, due to high humidity, making working under these conditions particularly dangerous.

Additionally, preventive measures should be enforced by management and adhered to by all workers, not only those working outdoors. Heat-related injuries can also occur year-round for those working indoors in laundries, bakeries, restaurant kitchens and warehouses, despite efforts to keep these areas cool with air conditioners, fans and open windows.

According to Mike Page, LWCC director of safety and loss prevention, "Making a few simple workplace adjustments, as well as providing proper training, can go a long way in preventing heat-related injuries, saving lost workdays and possibly saving lives. It's especially important that workers know how to recognize the signs of heat-related illness in themselves and their coworkers."

Employers and employees seeking detailed information on the symptoms and treatment of heat-related illnesses can visit www.lwcc.com.

LWCC (www.lwcc.com) is a private, nonprofit mutual insurance company. It is the state's largest writer of workers' compensation insurance, covering about 22,000 policyholders in Louisiana. The company carries an "A" (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best and, for the fifth year in a row, was named one of the top 50 property and casualty insurance companies in the nation by Ward Group, the leading authority on insurance industry benchmarking.

HOT TIPS for COOLING DOWN from Heat Stress*

Factors Leading to Heat Stress:
· High temperature and humidity
· Direct sun or heat
· Limited air movement
· Physical exertion and poor physical condition
· Some medicines
· Inadequate tolerance for hot workplaces

Types of Heat Stress:
· Muscle Cramps
· Heat Exhaustion
· Heatstroke

Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion:
· Headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting
· Weakness and moist skin
· Mood changes such as irritability or confusion
· Upset stomach or vomiting

Symptoms of Heatstroke:
· Dry, hot skin with no sweating
· Mental confusion or losing consciousness
· Seizures or convulsions

Employers Should Encourage Workers to:
· Drink plenty of fluids (5 to 7 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes)
· Reduce or eliminate alcohol and tobacco intake
· Build up tolerance for warm environments by gradually increasing working time
· Stay physically fit
· Dress in light colors, if possible
· Dress in loose clothing, if possible
· Alternate work and rest periods

What to Do for Heat-Related Illness:
· Call 911 immediately! While waiting for help:
· Move the worker to a cool, shaded area
· Loosen or remove heavy clothing
· Provide cool drinking water
· Fan and mist the person with water

Detailed information is available at www.lwcc.com and at these related links:

www.occupationalhazards.com
www.healthhits.com

*The above information is available in English and Spanish at www.osha.gov



[www.drreddy.com]

Warm weather is wonderful. However, sometimes you can overdo the warmth -- especially if you are active or exercising.


Here are three problems children -- and adults --can have in hot weather. These conditions are largely brought on by heat and dehydration -- and with proper care you can prevent them.

Heat Cramps
Heat cramps are muscle contractions, usually in the gastrocnemius or hamstring muscles (the muscles at the back of the calves). These contractions are forceful and painful.

These cramps seem to be connected to heat, dehydration, and poor conditioning, rather than to lack of salt or other mineral imbalances. They usually improve with rest, drinking water, and a cool environment.

Heat Exhaustion
Although partly due to exhaustion -- and feeling like exhaustion, as the name implies -- heat exhaustion is also a result of excessive heat and dehydration. The signs of heat exhaustion include paleness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fainting, and a moderately increased temperature (101-102 degrees F) which, in this case, is not truly a fever, but caused by the heat. Rest and water may help in mild heat exhaustion, and ice packs and a cool environment (with a fan blowing at the child) may also help. More severely exhausted patients may need IV fluids, especially if vomiting keeps them from drinking enough.
It's also important to measure temperature properly. In particular, if you suspect problems with heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke you should measure temperature using an oral or rectal thermometer, not an ear or forehead thermometer (which may give a falsely low temperature, especially with forehead thermometers and lots of sweat).

Heat Stroke
If your child has these symptoms, stop right here and call your doctor or EMS. Heat stroke is a medical emergency!

Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness. It can occur even in people who are not exercising, if the weather is hot enough. These people have warm, flushed skin, and do not sweat. Athletes who have heat stroke after vigorous exercise in hot weather, though, may still be sweating considerably. Whether exercise-related or not, though, a person with heat stroke usually has a very high temeperature (106 degrees F or higher), and may be delirious, unconscious, or having seizures. These patients need to have their temperature reduced quickly, often with ice packs, and must also be given IV fluids for rehydration; they must be taken to the hospital as quickly as possible (EMS is appropriate here), and may have to stay in the hospital for observation since many different body organs can fail in heat stroke.

Preventing Heat-Related Illnesses
You can prevent heat-related illnesses. The important thing is to stay well-hydrated, to make sure that your body can get rid of extra heat, and to be sensible about exertion in hot, humid weather.

Your sweat is your body's main system for getting rid of extra heat. When you sweat, and the water evaporates from your skin, the heat that evaporates the sweat comes mainly from your skin. As long as blood is flowing properly to your skin, extra heat from the core of your body is "pumped" to the skin and removed by sweat evaporation. If you do not sweat enough, you cannot get rid of extra heat well, and you also can't get rid of heat as well if blood is not flowing to the skin. Dehydration will make it harder for you to cool off in two ways: if you are dehydrated you won't sweat as much, and your body will try to keep blood away from the skin to keep your blood pressure at the right level in the core of your body. But, since you lose water when you sweat, you must make up that water to keep from becoming dehydrated. If the air is humid, it's harder for your sweat to evaporate -- this means that your body cannot get rid of extra heat as well when it's muggy as it can when it's relatively dry. One way to determine the effect of humidity with high temeperature is the heat index.

The best fluid to drink when you are sweating is water. Although there is a little salt in your sweat, you don't really lose that much salt with your sweat, except in special circumstances; taking salt tablets may raise your body's sodium level to hazardous levels. (Your doctor can tell you whether or not you need extra salt.) "Sport drinks" such as Gatorade® will also work, but water is usually easier to obtain.

It's also important to be sensible about how much you exert yourself in hot weather. The hotter and more humid it is, the harder it will be for you to get rid of excess heat. The clothing you wear makes a difference, too: the less clothing you have on, and the lighter that clothing is, the easier you can cool off. Football players are notoriously prone to heat illness, since football uniforms cover nearly the whole body, and since football practice usually begins in late summer when the temperature outside is highest. Therefore, football players should pay extra attention to the fluids they drink and lose: teams and coaches should limit practice and wear light clothing for practice on very hot days, and athletes must be able to drink all the water they want during practice.

Humidity, Temperature, and the Heat Index
Since high humidity reduces your body's ability to get rid of excess heat by sweating, for a given air temperature the higher the humidity the higher the apparent temperature, or heat index. For example, if the air temperature is 86 degrees Fahrenheit (or 30 degrees Celsius), but the relative humidity is 50 percent, the apparent temperature will be about 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius). That may not sound like a huge difference... but if the humidity is 90 percent, the heat index will be 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.7 degrees Celsius). In other words, your body will have to sweat as much to get rid of extra heat at 86 degrees Fahrenheit in 90 percent humidity as it would in a dry desert at 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

The calculator below will compute the heat index for temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.7 degrees Celsius) and above, and for relative humidity of 40 percent or above. The formula, like the formula for the wind chill index, is based on experimental measurement in volunteer subjects. It is taken from an article published on the Web by the US National Weather Service. The calculator is written in JavaScript, so you must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to use it.

A little yoga humour:

[yogadawg.blogspot.ca]

And an article on Bikram Chodhury in which he claims to have the ability to cure Parkinson disease and change people like Patti Davis (Ronald Reagan's daughter).

Quote
‘Reagan was so stupid. It was amazing this man could ever be president. He said to me, “What’s wrong, Bikram: 33 years and she never listens to me, my Patti? She hates her father so much she doesn’t call herself Patti Reagan but Patti Davis, her mother’s name?”

Quote
‘I said, “Mr President, you raised her a bitch. I’m a guru, I make her a human being, I make her a woman, I make her a daughter, I make her a girl, I make her a lady.” After eight months, she was completely transformed.’
[/quote

The entire article can be found at:

[www.dailymail.co.uk]

Should call this thread the DOWNWARD DOG OF YOGA. LOL!
Seriously Corboy, have you ever done kegels!? They are BORING!!
Yoga is a lot more fun, but I prefer martial arts after having my first (and very embarassing) vagina fart doing some dumb ass yoga exercise that pulled air up into my lady part and out like a squeezed balloon! Never again! That was decades ago and I quit after I found out that the class was run by Ananda Marga folks involved in murder and mayhem. The guy that wrote the book about the medical dangers and benefits still does yoga every day. Kudos for his cautionary tales. I'd rather jog with a dog...and do my kegels when I have something to wrap those muscles around!

Bikram's stuff has always been faddish, sure Choudry is a total turd as a human being but the man is a astute marketer and understands the American obession with newness. Personally I wouldn't do his Yoga, as it's fraught with problems. Some people can progress in it but I couldn't.

It's no different than Shiva Ray and her schitck or the Power Yoga people. Even Iyengar's people are not immune.

All these so-called Yoga teachers reformulated Yoga and turned it into a money machine for them. But it's not Yoga.

Then there are all the Yoga equipment vendors who have convinced people they need all sorts of expensive mats, blocks, special towels etc before you can even one downward facing dog. Talk about a racket.

If people are interested in Yoga they are better off just buying a DVD on it. Just make sure to avoid anything by Shiva Ray as her stuff will wreck your back and neck. The same goes for Power Yoga people.

Quote
Then there are all the Yoga equipment vendors who have convinced people they need all sorts of expensive mats, blocks, special towels etc before you can even one downward facing dog. Talk about a racket. If people are interested in Yoga they are better off just buying a DVD on it. Just make sure to avoid anything by Shiva Ray as her stuff will wreck your back and neck. The same goes for Power Yoga people.

I haven't been doing yoga for awhile, but when I did I preferred doing it on my own with books or DVDs. Way cheaper. No having to adjust my life to fit in with class schedules. No cultish, faddish nonsense to contend with. And I wore whatever works for me, as in no Lululemon. Just me on my old mat and my amused cats who could teach a class or two on how it's done.

Friends, everything Walter1963 has written is worth reading.

[forum.culteducation.com]

In the mid 1990s, a European physical therapy training method called Pilates became fashionable and even faddish for a couple of years. And it retains its loyalists today because it does work.

But, Pilates did not offer an entry chute into the cultic milieu that yoga does.

Pilates had no metaphysical pretensions. It did not create a social scene.

It did not spark cravings for fashionable new clothing for for gurus.

Pilates, unlike modern the modern yoga marketing industrial complex, didnt spark cravings where none existed before.

Unlike the sutras of Patanjali, Yoga postures, except for lotus posture, do not appear to have roots in ancient India. The reportedly originate Danish gymnastics via Niels Bukh (there are no sculpted depictions of downward dog or cobra pose or tree pose(!) and was adopted for PT by the Indian Nationalists who concealed it as yoga, and adopted for PT in various armies and as part of patriotic rallies.

[forum.culteducation.com]


And W1963 has re-iterated a point thats worth repeating - marketing the fake idea that one needs a pile of equipment before one can do a single downward dog.

(Dogs dont need any equipment to do that posture!)

Am here to bear witness.

I live in a yoga-ridden town. Butt (am saying this intentionally) I did not see people carrying yoga mats until about the mid 1990s.

In the 1950s, 60s, 70s and even the 80s, YOU DIDNT SEE PEOPLE WITH YOGA MATs

Or with cutsy yogista fashionista clothes.

Wanna know what the yoga people wore, and for years?

Leotards.

No special band name was emphasized.

Leotards. They probably went and got them at dance supply stores without making a big, ego ridden fuss about it.

And wore those leotards for years.

Later, there was a shift to wearing tanks and bike shorts.

But yoga didnt become the full on nauseating scene it has become until the late 1990s.

For purposes of comparison, I can inform you that there was a brief but intense time when Pilates was all the rage. It too was an old European gymnastic system. No metaphysical pretensions whatsoever.

During the early to mid 1990s Pilates became the rage. People were lining up to get into the Pilates classes at our gym.

Then, later in the 1990s, yoga became the fad.

But because of its metaphysical pretensions and all the success of creating an entire social scene and manufacturing cravings where none existed before (clothes, jewelry, massage oils, ayurveda, gadgets, gurus, perfumes, foods, diets, cosmetics, sacroiliac tattoos, magazines -- ye gods.

Yoga as mostly taught, reinforces ego rather than assisting us to see there is more to life than a shapely ass.

And more to life than showing off one's shapely ass and descrating one's lower back with an oh so boring tattoo.

In Nuce:

Unless very consciously practiced, all too often entry into the yoga scene turns you into a consumer.

If you are very unfortunate and fail to fact check any and all recommendations, it can turn you into a mark and a recruit for the cultic milieu. Critical thinking is jeered at by entrepreneurs who tell you that your ego is bad, but they feed their own egos very, very well -and keep accountants, investment advisors, and PR experts on their phones.

They pretend to be beyond ego but are in ego all the same. They want you to be a mark by ditching your ego, while keeping their egos alive, well and hidden.

Pilates didnt turn people into consumers.

It focused on physical well being in specific ways.

Full disclosure.

I have taken a few Pilates classes. Didnt persevere but respected the method.

I dont stand to gain socially or financially by speaking well of Pilates.

Pilates didnt require you to devalue intellect and critical thinking or make fake dualistic distinctions between head and heart.

Remember the ancient Greeks.

They created athletics as we understand it today. They didnt think that physical excellence and beauty should be incompatible with piety towards the gods of the polis, or incompatible with intellect social graces and service to one's city in war and peace.

This thread is entitled the Downside of Yoga.

But one could do a great riff and entitle it The Backside of Yoga.

One brand of yoga pant (it isnt Lululemon) is cut in such a way that its trademark label sits right atop a location on the wearer'rs backside in such a way that whoever gazes at the label has their gaze directed to the wearers ass crack and the label sits right atop where the wearers anus is.

So be careful to check labels on your cutsie yoga wear so that the label doesnt land on a spot that you dont want to attract attention to.

I am ready to throw a block party when tight, low rider pants go out of style. That may be yet another yoga derived cliche that has invaded society. No one looks good in skin tight, low cut pants. Plumber's crack doesnt look good on anyone--it just makes it seem your duds shrank in wash.

One never saw these sartorial atrocities during the brief moment when Pilates, rather than yoga ruled the studios

And, folks, just wait.

When yoga people get a bit older, or preggers and their metabolisms slow down and gravity comes forward to claim its due, just watch.

You'll see the trend change to looser fitting pants. People will start craving those and throw yet more money into the maw of Kama, the the God of Capitalist Craving.

The very God who is supposed to be held still using insight -- only possible when the mind is held steady in yoga, not inflamed by desire that is concealed by the mere stage trappings called yoga.

Another note. Tattoos are all over the place. They've become the new normal and its become commonplace to see yoga people of all genders with tats.

Keep in mind that it is an unknown- an X factor -- what effect all that ink and pigment under one's hide might have, long term. It wont help to go around being vegan, drinking only pure water, pure food, etc, etc, if a brew of chemical foreign to your metabolism are injected under your hide.

We just dont yet know. So if you're gonna be spending all that effort eating organic so as to avoid pesticides, ponder the possible implications of tattoos. Investigate where the craving for a tattoo arose.

Applying insight to craving instead of spendng money to gratify a fad is actually the ancient and true method of yoga.

No less an authority than Ozzy Osbourne made a sage comment on tattoos in his book, Ask Dr. Ozzy.

(He had self administered tattoos to himself when young)

Someone wrote in asking Ozzy for advice. Ozz replied (I am paraphrasing the Prince of Darkness here) that tattoos can be addictive. Girls start with a cute little flower on the ankle and too often they dont stop. They go on, adding more and more until they are covered over.

Ozzy advised his correspondant that if his kid wanted to be ahead of the group, she shouldnt get a tattoo.

Instead she should have the last laugh by investing in companies developing laser removal clinics and technology. Because, in a few years, legions of people will be embarassed by or tired of their tattoos and be paying plenty of money to get them removed.

Again, investigating how a craving (for a tattoo or a new pair of low rider yoga pants) arises, is the true and ancient yoga.

But...because this doesnt sell anything to keep the capitalist yoga industry moving -- this isnt the part thats emphasized--though its exactly what should be emphasized because this use of insight and restraint is yoga.

The next time I'm gazing at my navel on my favourite mountain top, I'll have to ask the almighty universe/god/the goddess/my magic penny how I ever managed to do yoga and meditate sans Lululemon.

Oh wait, I can always ask my cats who run, stretch and play as they are... Simplicity is so nice, but you can't get rich on it.

Here's an article on Lululemon.

How Lululemon brainwashes women into spending $98 on yoga pants

Business InsiderBy Ashley Lutz | Business Insider – 22 hours ago

It didn't take long for Lululemon Athletica to grow into a $10 billion yoga apparel empire.

Its business concept —convincing consumers to buy $98 dollar yoga pants — has inspired a number of competitors, including Gap Inc.'s Athleta which is now opening a slew of stores featuring Lululemon-style athletic attire. Its Old Navy brand is also offering its own line of slimming yoga pants.

Why has Lululemon been so successful? Put simply, it found a savvy way to exploit women's deepest insecurities.

A New York City yoga instructor recently confirmed this. "Women want to look good for other women before they want to look good for men," she told us. "Lululemon was the first place that provided workout clothes that women weren't embarrassed to be seen in, they could even grab dinner after yoga if they wanted to.''

Meaning that women will go to any length — even spending several hundred dollars on a workout ensemble — to impress their peers.

"Impressing men? That's easy,'' she says. "But impressing their friends in the studio is a lot harder."

Lululemon released a manifesto on its website that plays on this concept. If "Friends are more important then money," shouldn't we spend all of our money on yoga gear?

[ca.finance.yahoo.com]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2012 03:49AM by good enough.