Hot Yoga for Hot Mamas
walked into my first Bikram yoga class
feeling fairly confident. I’d been doing
yoga for years and had continued to exer-
cise normally through my first 18 weeks of
pregnancy. Fortunately, I hadn’t yet done
much reading on the subject. Only after the
class did I learn that the room is generally
heated to 105 degrees and it is normal to feel
nausea, dizziness, and disorientation during
the poses.
After two poses, sweat began to bead up
on my forehead. Even though the room was,
thank god, only heated to between 98 and 100
degrees, I could hear my midwife saying, “Be
careful. Pregnant women are more sensitive to
heat.” Yeah, no kidding. What had I gotten
myself into?
“Hot yoga,” as it is sometimes called, is a
series of 26 asanas designed to warm and
stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons by
balancing, and creating pressure at the same
time. During the poses, the blood supply to
arteries and veins is cut off, creating pressure.
When the pose is released the blood rushes
through the veins and arteries, flushing them
out — like a tourniquet release.
At nine-months pregnant, Lisa Starr
swears that Bikram is what has kept her
healthy and happy throughout her pregnancy.
“Bikram has been the best thing I’ve done for
my pregnancy. It keeps me fit, it keeps me
sane and feeling good mentally, it keeps me in
tune with my body through my breathwork,
and it’s helping loosen up my hips.” That
should prove helpful when Starr’s baby
arrives in early September.
I
I tried thinking of all these positives during
the class I attended. But all I could concen-
trate on was the pain in my legs during trian-
gle pose and the sweat running down my back
and pooling at my waistband. I watched as
sweat dripped off the arms of the woman in
front of me and onto her mat. A girl in the
front row was down. Before long, the girl
beside me also decided to lie down for a
minute.
Bikram yoga isn’t for everyone.
Obstetrician Dr. Jan Stafl says he wouldn’t
recommend Bikram yoga for pregnant
women. “The concern is elevated body tem-
perature, which is why we tell pregnant
women not to sit in hot tubs that are more than
103 degrees,” he says. Dr. Paul Qualtere-
Burcher, also an obstetrician, agrees. “Bikram
is the only type of yoga that I would not rec-
ommend for pregnant women,” he says. “The
fluid fluctuation that comes with the excessive
heat is not a good idea in pregnancy.
Dehydration can cause contractions and other
problems.”
Of course, pregnant women need to be
particularly careful during any form of exer-
cise. Definitely check with your midwife or
doctor before attending a class. Some instruc-
tors recommend using a thermometer if
you’re pregnant to make sure your body tem-
perature doesn’t rise too quickly. Most
instructors suggest that if you have been prac-
ticing Bikram yoga just prior to your preg-
nancy, then you may continue with other
forms of yoga through the third month and
then begin Bikram with modified poses.
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THE PROS & CONS OF PRE-NATAL YOGA.
by Jennifer Snelling
Bikram Yoga instructor Amy Hopkins
points out the similarity between Bikram and
labor. During the poses the body contracts,
then returns to relaxation pose. It prepares
pregnant women to handle pain and discom-
fort through breathing and helps them to relax
more readily when the pain subsides. “It also
helps with all the side effects of pregnancy,”
says Hopkins. “Varicose veins, digestive
problems, and backaches.”
Starr, who felt her baby move for the first
time in class, is quick to point out the mental
benefits as well. “Yoga keeps me relaxed. If
I’m relaxed, then my baby is relaxed, too.”
But, as with any type of yoga, some
poses are not recommended for
pregnant women. While the
Bikram yoga class in Eugene is
not a pregnancy class, the
instructors are happy to
provide alternate poses if
they know you’re preg-
nant. For instance, while
the rest of the class was doing
cobra pose, Starr arched into a
partial bridge with rounded belly
high in the air.
By the end of the class, I lay in
relaxation pose and was surprised
to realize that I felt good. Sweaty,
but good. My body felt cleansed
and peaceful. Outside, the class said
a friendly goodbye. Almost every-
one wished Lisa good luck and spec-
ulated on whether she would make it
to the next class. Her doctor says her
baby is in position and ready to deliver.
It’s true that any type of yoga is a lot like
labor. Pregnancy is about taking care of our-
selves and finding growth from within. Our
bodies grow, but so do our expectations of
what our bodies can do.
Jennifer Snelling, expecting her first
child, is a free-lance writer in Eugene. For
more information on Bikram yoga classes,
contact Darlene Muller or Amy Hopkins at
349-YOGA.
ew
LISA STARR
IN CAMEL
POSE.
PHOTO BY TODD COOPER
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AUGUST 21, 2003 15