January 14, 2019
rufai ajala/via Flickr Creative Commons
Hydration is an important part of any hot yoga class.
The most common thing people worry about when entering a yoga class as a newcomer is not letting out a fart during class (it's an internet sensation of sorts).
But there’s another fairly common occurrence yogis of all levels should know about – dizziness – and how to troubleshoot it.
Whether you’re in a hot yoga class, or a regular vinyasa class, or in the midst of a vigorous flow or a standing posture, dizziness can kill your zen. There are five main reasons: hunger, dehydration, lack of balance, pacing and rhythm, and focus, according to Well and Good.
Dizziness is a term used to describe a range of sensations, such as feeling faint, woozy, weak or unsteady, according to Mayo Clinic. If it creates the false sense that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving, it is called vertigo.
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While this lightheaded feeling can happen in any yoga class, or any fitness class for that matter, it is most likely to occur in an intense hot vinyasa flow class, Well and Good reported:
“When the yoga class is hot yoga, your blood vessels get dilated, and when your blood vessels get dilated, your blood pressure falls,” explains cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director of the women’s heart program at NYU Langone’s Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health. “So the lightheadedness you’re getting may be due to low blood pressure.”
According to Goldberg, the easiest ways to avoid dizziness is to plan ahead by drinking lots of water and having a light snack prior to class. If dizziness has become all too regular of a feeling for you, or if you've fainted after class, that could be the sign of a bigger issue and you should contact your doctor, Well and Good warns.
