Even though heat and humidity have a reputation for making great yoga weather, they can bite you in the butt. If you are like me, who starts sweating profusely the minute you think Ekam, please hydrate before you go for it. Not right before, you know the drill. Today I was what the cool girls call bendy and I thought my only problem was going to be my slippery mat. I even thought that the light headed feeling must be that I was relaxed and really concentratin’. Well, teacher came over to assist in Mari C and I almost threw up on her. I had to excuse myself an walk fast even though jogging to the bathroom which was occupied by the time I got there would have been best. I held the fort, but I was inside almost before my shala mate made it out. I did a little janitorial duty so it would not smell too bad for the next person, went back in, and closed my business for the day. I have gotten dizzy form sweating profusely before, and promise myself to be prepared next time. I guess it takes a close encounter with mortifying embarrassment for it to sink in. If you sweat buckets in normal weather, make time for coffee AND water before you practice in extreme heat & humidity. I somehow think(knew) India( or Bikram!) is not in the cards for me.
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Oh dear! Sorry to hear you had that kind of practice as I know it well. I quit Bikram years ago because it was great in the Winter to warm my cold boned but Summer was in a word – brutal! I also found that I can’t do coffee before class now that I sm older. I dehydrates me and at the same time gives me hot flashes which I can definitely do without! Feel better…tomorrow is another day on the mat:)
those mari c assists can be killers, no? i too suffer from the same heat issues, and no amount of water, coconut water and the like ever seems to help. my teacher gave me dispensation to do less suryas and to skip vinyasas between sides when it is too hot..i have not tried the first option yet (there were days when i should have…). my main trick is to hang out in (i mean hold) the forward bending asanas longer..8 breaths..and then dandasana (and rug/towel futzing) for however long it takes to recover my breath. the 5 breaths and move on of primary must be for younger bodies…hope today’s practice was better.
It was better thanks. It also recently dawned on me that I was allowed to breath in slowwwly as well as out. Before that I was kind of hoarding air, and then expelling it like a hiker going up a steep hill. Why? I don’t think anybody asked me to or told me to do it, I just thought that ‘s how deep breathing went: you took all the air you could and then you powered it out. I don’t need my engine that hot.