PROFESSOR'S CORNERThe real magic of this yoga happens beneath your skin, not on top of it. It happens from the heat inside of you, not the sweat coming out of you. Sure, sweating feels great, but it also usually accompanies physical exertion, like exercise. When we exercise, our brain releases a multitude of pain reducing & mood elevating signaling molecules. Anyone who has ever felt a runners “high” would certainly know the feeling. This euphoric feeling is generally attributed incorrectly to the act of sweating and not to the exercise.
Sweating is one of our body's ways to cool off, and you do it all day long, as much as a half liter a day, whether you know it or not. People think the more you sweat the better, but that isn't always the case. Excessive sweating can reduce your body's ability to neutralize harmful substances, negatively affect digestion, and in some cases, lead to a lower immune response. |
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The real yoga magic happens when you raise your internal body temperature, to a short-term, safe and elevated level. QUESTION: If you took someone’s temperature on the street & it was 100.6 degrees what would you say they had?
A fever. A fever is a symptom we usually associate with illness but it is actually a sign the body is healing. When we raise the internal body temperature we're telling our body to burn the invaders!
Raising the internal body temperature to this level can:
A fever. A fever is a symptom we usually associate with illness but it is actually a sign the body is healing. When we raise the internal body temperature we're telling our body to burn the invaders!
Raising the internal body temperature to this level can:
- Kill certain viruses, bacteria & protozoa and stop certain microbes from reproducing.
- Spur the short term, rapid production of bug-clobbering white blood cells
(Not a boosted immunity. You do NOT want that!). - Increase the metabolism of your cells to start healing faster & it tells the liver & spleen to hold on to all of their iron & zinc so they can not contribute to bacterial growth.
- Reduce the length and severity of such illnesses as colds and flu.
"I practice Bikram yoga regularly, I also have 3 children under 12 years old, all of which have had fevers over 102 degrees. I say this because since I have begun practicing I have noticed that I rarely get sick and when I do it is for a very short time, even when others in my family are laid up for days.
When my children have a fever they tend to stay pretty still but their heart rate is high. The reading I have done states that fevers are the bodies way of creating an environment in which virus and bacteria cannot thrive. I truly love practicing yoga, it has helped me with some back and neck issues, I enjoy it immensely, and it helps me release stress and focus."
- LOUISE
When my children have a fever they tend to stay pretty still but their heart rate is high. The reading I have done states that fevers are the bodies way of creating an environment in which virus and bacteria cannot thrive. I truly love practicing yoga, it has helped me with some back and neck issues, I enjoy it immensely, and it helps me release stress and focus."
- LOUISE
I don't know about you, but this right here is worth the price of admission. So, without going in to the studio, how can we achieve these increased body temperatures without being in the hot room?
How can we elevate our core body temperature with a home practice?
How can we elevate our core body temperature with a home practice?
HOME PRACTICE TIP #1: INCREASING CORE BODY TEMPERATURE
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1) Take a Hot Shower Before Your Yoga.
This is the most effective way of increasing core body temperature that you can easily do at home.
2) Drink a hot Beverage Before Your Yoga.
A great way to create internal flames before you begin your daily yoga. Just don't drink TOO much!
3) Wear Multiple Layers During Your Yoga.
This is certainly an effective way of keeping in the heat you've generated with steps #1 & #2.
As clinical research has shown, core body temperature increases during the entire standing series then levels out during the floor postures. This is represented by the BLUE LINE in the chart below. The average maximum core body temperature, contrary to what you may have been told or read about, for a bikram yoga practitioner, is 100.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
This short term elevated body temperature is both safe and effective
This short term elevated body temperature is both safe and effective
HOME PRACTICE TIP #2: TAKE YOUR TEMPERATURE AT SAVASANA
To see if you are indeed getting to this increased internal body temperature, have an oral thermometer handy with you on the mat. Before you begin the floor sequence of postures, take your temperature at the first savasana. If you're within 1 degree of 100.6 then your in the safe "goldilocks" zone and the magic inside you is happening!
To see if you are indeed getting to this increased internal body temperature, have an oral thermometer handy with you on the mat. Before you begin the floor sequence of postures, take your temperature at the first savasana. If you're within 1 degree of 100.6 then your in the safe "goldilocks" zone and the magic inside you is happening!