Ask the Experts: Yoga for Runners Q&A with Olga Allon

Morning everyone,

This lunchtime (1-2pm) we're joined by Olga Allon, the founder of Hot Bikram Yoga studios. She'll be on board to answer any questions you have about practising yoga - how you can fit it in with your training, what it can do to relieve specific injuries and more.

Olga's Hot Bikram Yoga studios in Fulham, Balham and London Bridge are firmly established destinations that reflect the ethos of Bikram Yoga, the UK’s fastest growing form of yoga.

Bikram Yoga is a demanding (but highly rewarding!) series of 26 postures and breathing exercises practised in a heated room. Practising Bikram Yoga can help with injuries and weight loss, reduces blood pressure, improves posture, eases back pain and relaxes the body and mind. Each posture in the series requires concentration, patience, determination and self-control, which leads to increased mental clarity and reduced stress.
 
Bikram is perfect for those who are inflexible (like many runners!) and thos who have never tried yoga before.

We're opening the discussion now Olga so can get answering your questions at 1pm (rather than having to deal with a rush of questions at once). 

Alice

Hi Olga

How useful is bikram for preparing the body acclimatise to races in hotter conditions?

J

Hi Olga,

I've got a question actually - I've heard that the heat required for Bikram yoga can allow people to overextend their muscles and ligaments, causing injury. Is this just a scurrilous rumour? I'd love to know the science behind the high temperatures and the impact this has on practising the postures.

Thanks!

Alice

Hi Olga,

How many sessions per week/ month would you have to do to see the benefits of weight loss?

thank you

Hi Olga,

I've taken part in a number of bikram courses and, whilst the physical benefits are apparent, I found that it was mentally quite stress inducing and at times agressive.  This was partly due to the conditions of the practice room (number of people and how close we were to each other), and partly due to its extreme nature in general.  What are your thoughts therefore on the mental benefits of bikram compared to 'dry' yoga.

Thanks,

Justine

QUESTION: Hi Olga

How useful is bikram for preparing the body acclimatise to races in hotter conditions? J

ANSWER:

Hi Jimmy

Bikram Yoga is incredibly useful for this purpose. We have many students training for various events in hot conditions including the Marathon De Sables. We cannot mimic the exact conditions but when you do an intense 90 minute cardiovascular workout in 100 degrees heat and 60% humidity, you are giving yourself a chance to prepare your body for hot conditions. Please have a look at James Deans blog as an example of how Bikram Yoga has helped

http://hotbikramyoga.co.uk/?page_ID=7&news_ID=178&page_title=april-student-of-the-month:-james-dean

QUESTION:

Hi Olga,

I've got a question actually - I've heard that the heat required for Bikram yoga can allow people to overextend their muscles and ligaments, causing injury. Is this just a scurrilous rumour? I'd love to know the science behind the high temperatures and the impact this has on practising the postures.

Thanks!

Alice

ANSWER: Hi Alice!

It is possible to injure yourself in a Bikram class in the same way you can injure yourself doing any form of exercise. My understanding of the science behind it is that heat causes the temporary increase in flexibility by softening the muscle tissues and heightening the elasticity in the muscles and connective tissue. Consequently, the supporting structures of the body, such as the joints, ligaments, and muscles, experience greater ranges of movement and therefore greater flexibility. Additionally, like other forms of yoga, students use their body weight, body mechanics, and gravity to build strength.

Whether this can then lead to increase risk of injury, in my opinion that is down to the individual to work in a mindful way. One must work towards feeling a stretchy feeling in a posture but to back off from any pain. Teachers will guide you through simple postures and encourage you to do this- all postures are accessible for beginners with very little flexibility. There are stages to each posture and depending on your flexibility, you will take it to a different stage. The student must listen to their body on any particular day to prevent any injury.

QUESTION:

Hi Olga,

How many sessions per week/ month would you have to do to see the benefits of weight loss?

thank you

ANSWER: HI Andreia!

It varies from person to person. The more you need to lose weight, the quicker this will happen. Generally though, I would recommend a minimum of 2 x week to see the effects take place but the more you come, the more your body will adapt and change. The key to it is a consistent and regular practice and teamed up with healthy eating. You will find that the more your practice, the more your body will want to fuel with healthy foods as you come out of every class feeling incredibly detoxed and cleansed. Have a look at my latest blog on nutrition which goes hand in hand with your Bikram practice.  http://hotbikramyoga.co.uk/?page_ID=7&news_ID=182&page_title=taking-care-of-all-of-you

Many people will see their body change shape in a matter of classes, for others who have less to loose, it may take longer. You are building lean muscle strength so you will see muscle tone and changing shape to your body.

QUESTION: Hi Olga,

I've taken part in a number of bikram courses and, whilst the physical benefits are apparent, I found that it was mentally quite stress inducing and at times agressive.  This was partly due to the conditions of the practice room (number of people and how close we were to each other), and partly due to its extreme nature in general.  What are your thoughts therefore on the mental benefits of bikram compared to 'dry' yoga.

Thanks,

Justine

ANSWER: Thanks Justine, this is an interesting one…

Hello Olga

Is the heat critical for safely performing Bikram Yoga?  Is it still safe to perform the yoga positions under normal conditions (home, gym, pre-race) as part of a warm-up or warm-down routine or would you suggest that without the heat this should be avoided.  Obviously I understand the full benefits may not be seen nor as quickly but if careful to avoid pain would you recommend "heat free" Bikram Yoga as beneficial too?

thanks

p

I have been experiencing heavy legs for the last week or so, and cannot put it down to anything. Which yoga asanas will help this?

Thanks for your quetsion. I would not recommend to anyone to do this series of postures outside the hot room. There are one or two that can be done safely , which I can run through with you another time, but so much of it is the hot humid environment and the series of the 26 postures done in sequence. One leads to the next and the heat and humidity is definitely needed to support this.

Having said all that, I do think that if you attend classes and get to know the sequence and understand a bit more about the postures, there are ways that you can start to adapt postures to suit your pre/post running warm up routine. You will learn so much about your body in terms of its flexibility and which postures work better for particular parts of your body. It just won't feel quite so good doing it on a cold frosty day outside!

Hi Olga, 

I have quite a specific question: During standing seperate leg (<strong style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif, 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica; line-height: normal; text-align: left; background-color: #ffebd2;">Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana), I often experience pain on the inside of my knees, where my hamstrings insert beind the knee-cap. If I widen my pose, it gets worse; if I maintain a more narrow set up with my legs, I can't feel the stretch and feel a bit cheated, as it's such a great posture!

Could this be due to reunning-related tightness in my hamstrings? What's the best way to progress in the pose without worsening the pain in my knee during the posture? Thank you! 

QUESTION: I have been experiencing heavy legs for the last week or so, and cannot put it down to anything. Which yoga asanas will help this?

ANSWER: thats a tricky one without seeing you and knowing what your legs have been up to lately! However, most runners  need a good old hamstring stretch. I would try sitting down on the floor with your legs bent. Use your middle and index fingers to hook around your big toes. Start to straighten out  your legs until you feel a stretchy feeling in the back of you legs. Keep your arms straight and day by day pull your toes and try to straighten out your legs keeping your shoulders back and spine staright. eventually your legs wil be compeletely straight and your heels pop up of the floor. Then, you can bend your elbows and sandwhich your chest on your legs and work your head closer and closer to your feet.

That will give you a great hamstring stretch and hopwfully help those heavy legs of yours!

QUESTION: Hi Olga, 

I have quite a specific question: During standing seperate leg (<strong style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif, 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica; line-height: normal; text-align: left; background-color: #ffebd2;">Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana), I often experience pain on the inside of my knees, where my hamstrings insert beind the knee-cap. If I widen my pose, it gets worse; if I maintain a more narrow set up with my legs, I can't feel the stretch and feel a bit cheated, as it's such a great posture!

Could this be due to reunning-related tightness in my hamstrings? What's the best way to progress in the pose without worsening the pain in my knee during the posture? Thank you!

ANSWER: Hey Alex! Such a fab posture: great stretch for back of legs and your spine too. Actually the wider your feet are apart, the easier the posture should be to get your forehead closer to the floor. I would certainly bring your feed closer together to take any pressure off your knees, possibly caused by tight hamstrings. Keep your feet straight, don't point them inwards, that may help too.  With your feet a little closer to the point you feel no pain, you should be grabbing your heels, not the sides of your feet and start to bend your elbows back to meet your legs. You want to really pull on your heels, to feel a tremendous stretch down back of legs and start to pull your upper body towards your legs and down towards the floor. Let me know how you get along and please do ask a teacher to show you before class if you need any extra help!

Okay I'm not a runner but I wanted to know if Bikram Yoga is a good hangover cure. Is that the case?

Hi Olga,

I sometimes suffer from stress and find yoga very relaxing. Do you think bikram yoga would be just as good to help me chill out?

Thank you!

QUESTION: Okay I'm not a runner but I wanted to know if Bikram Yoga is a good hangover cure. Is that the case?

ANSWER: ha ha!! Yes! it is!! Nothing better than sweating it all out. Also, doing Bikram forces you to drink loads of water, further cleaning out your system after a night out! i also recommend a natural electrolyte like coconut water to help replenish you. Bikram really does help cure a hangover...or so I have been told!

QUESTION:

Hi Olga,

I sometimes suffer from stress and find yoga very relaxing. Do you think bikram yoga would be just as good to help me chill out?

Thank you!

ANSWER: Thanks Pamela. Do have a look at my response above to Justine. Whilst Bikram Yoga can certainly be very relaxing, it can take a while to experience that side of it, not always, but sometimes. You may need to try a few classes to see what teacher / time of day works for you. The amazing thing about Bikram yoga is that its the same sequence every  time you come. Very quickly you will get to know the sequence and will not have to think about what comes next. That not only allows you to quickly see changes in your body happen but it allows you to stop thinking about the physical side and start focussing on your breath. The class is always a challenge but can be incredibly relaxing too. There are regular savasanas (dead body pose) throughout the class where you are encouraged to do nothing and let your body 100% relax and re-energise.

Do let me know how you  get along!!

Well, I think that's all we've got time for - thank you so much for your time and expertise Olga, and thanks to all of you for your questions!

Alice