Last Thursday I was singing the praises about my very first Yoga class. Earlier this week, I was on the verge of quitting.
Yes, you read correctly. You see, I have a confession: I deliberately withheld information in last week’s post. After my first class was over, I developed one killer of a headache.
No big deal I thought. I get headaches every so often, and I just attributed it to being one of those days. Except it wasn’t. After my second class, guess what? Another headache. And this one lasted until the next morning. This happened after every single class. What on earth was going on with me?
Beyond frustrated, I began searching for answers on the Internet. Have any of you ever had an unusual ache or pain and decided that it would be a good idea to search the Internet for a possible diagnosis? I’m going to guess that most of you have. And if you have, then you know how terrifying and/or frustrating it can be to read about what terrible thing you might have contracted.
Have an achy elbow? Ooh. That’s bad. You might have an alien implant in your arm. Left eye won’t stop watering? Oh, no! Maybe you’re going blind! Tender, red skin? Sorry, but it could be that you’ve got bot flies burrowing underneath your dermis.
By now you’ve probably guessed that I Googled my headache problem on the Net. Here are just a few of the search results:
1. Something is being released in the body and the headache is actually good for you.
2. You need a spinal realignment.
3. the headache is a sign of a serious underlying condition. Go see a doctor.
4. Don’t worry about it. It’s just a sign that the body is weak and needs to get stronger.
O k a y…..
I decided that my best chance for an answer would be to ask my yoga instructor. Her response: “I’ve never had anyone complain of a headache after class. Are you eating enough protein? You should have some protein about 2 hours before class.” Sigh. She apparently doesn’t follow my blog and has no idea about my new fondness for Greek Yogurt.
By the time my husband came home from work, I was miserable. Here was something that I really enjoyed doing; something that, while doing it, was beneficial to my physical and mental well-being, but afterwards was causing me pain. I explained to him what was happening, and he immediately asked me a question that surprised me. ‘How’s your breathing?’ Say what?
This is coming from a man who knows absolutely nothing about, nor has any interest in yoga aside from a fantasy which combines all that flexibility with other, more naughty thoughts. Use your imagination; that’s all I’m saying.
He could see the confusion on my face and began to elaborate. ‘Don’t you like, do weird poses and then hold them for a while?’
‘Yes,’ I said, cautiously.
‘Well, if you’re not breathing deeply enough, that can give you one hell of a headache.’
‘How do you know that?’ I asked.
He proceeded to tell me that when he first started scuba diving, he wanted to stay underwater for as long as possible; to do that, he wouldn’t take in deep breaths of air – he’d breathe shallow. ‘After the second or third time, I’d come up to shore and the other divers could tell I was miserable. They said that if you don’t breathe deeply enough then CO2 (which normally expels when one exhales) builds up in the body. That’s what was giving me the headaches.’
Before I could respond to that question, he immediately asked another: ‘Are you drinking enough water?’ I dismissed that question pretty quickly. Of course I drink enough before classes. Still, to humor him, I mentally went through my mornings leading up to the classes and noted exactly what and when I was drinking.
(I’m taking a deep breath as I type the following paragraph, as I will be shaking my head and rolling my eyes in embarrassment).
I did drink plenty of fluids. In the form of black tea, which is a morning ritual of mine. Very little water. Long story short, since caffeine is a diuretic and since that was all I’d had to drink, I was, without a doubt, completely dehydrated by class time.
Here is where I bring up for the millionth time how much I appreciate this community. I had mentioned my headaches to a very dear reader, who responded with an email which I received shortly after my conversation with my husband. In it, she wrote:
I just read an article in the New York Times about how drinking more water can help to reduce migraines. As a dedicated dieter/maintainer, I suspect you already drink lots of water, but just in case you don’t, the article says 9 cups of liquid total (that’s water and any other liquid) per day for women. Maybe you should try a glass of water just before you start your lesson.
That settled it. About an hour before my fourth class I made sure that I had consumed at least 32 ounces of water or more, and had a bottle waiting for me after class as well. In class I concentrated more on my breathing instead of doing the poses correctly. Breathe deeply for four seconds – exhale slowly for eight seconds. I haven’t had a headache since.
So, what’s my lesson in all of this? First and foremost, I completely underestimated the practice of yoga. Just because you don’t necessarily sweat doesn’t mean that your body isn’t working hard, so make sure that you’re fully hydrated before any exercise class! Second, even though I should have known better, I obviously took for granted that I was doing everything right even when I wasn’t. The answer was as plain as the nose on my face.
A special thanks to Vickie, Wendy, Marion, and an extra big shout out to my husband for their tips and advice.
My first thought would be that it’s the stress leaving your body. Yes, seriously. Another very serious suggestion (and perhaps appropriate in other situations) is that headaches can sometimes be about holding on to things we really need to talk about. We can discuss more by e-mail if you like, but I’m totally serious that the headaches could be about stress releasing from your body.
P.S. I’m glad the extra hydration made a difference. And it doesn’t negate the other things too.
Have a great weekend!
I’m really REALLY glad you posted this. Breathing is one of the most difficult parts of yoga for me. I still find myself holding my breath during difficult poses, and I’m pretty sure that I rarely move according to my breathe, which is the point of some practices of yoga. It’s my goal for my yoga practice this month to focus on the breath – because when I do it right, I can feel an immediate difference. Glad that you figured it out and then posted about it – so you can help the next person who has a headaches and doesn’t know why!
Oh, and regarding headaches – once I stopped taking ANY pain killers, I found that most of my headaches disappeared – even migraines. I don’t advocate that for everyone or even anyone, but I have found that when I do get a headache, kombucha is a total lifesaver! Have you tried it?
I’m so glad you figured it out!!! You’re husband rocks!
I used to get a terrible headache after doing cardio. I would come about an hour after and last. For me, water was the key. Drinking throughout.
I totally get the breathing thing with yoga. And I know that I tend to hold my breath because to try and control my anxiety. Of course it doesn’t help at all..
Another way yoga is going to be great for you.
Maybe you can enlighten the teacher. Seems like something she should know.
Yep. Water. Cure all. Although a bit of caffeine will open those veins and keep the blood flowing. Strange that breathing and water were not at the top of the list for the instructor. Usually they are cuing you to breath during the session.
Sometimes I sort of hyperventilate if I am stressed, unsure of myself or concentrating. That does cause headaches. Bet that is what hubby was doing when SCUBAing. When I first started diving I breathed very shallowly. After a while I learned I use less air by slow and deep… unless I was stalking something – then no breathing… and maybe headaches.
Sometimes I get a headache when I get a massage. Maybe I need to suck down more water ahead of time.
Thanks for the reminder!
I love that you don’t give up. You don’t keep it to yourself that you’re unhappy with a class because of the headaches, etc… You researched, talked about it and got great responses that ultimately “fixed” the problem. To step outside your comfort zone to try a Yoga class, then end up hating it because of the after effect is just awful. So glad you are working to make things so much more enjoyable! Yay for that (and for friends and an amazing husband and their wisdom).
Oh I’m so glad you figured it out! I seldom get headaches and when I do, I drink more water instead of tablets.
Breathing is so important. It’s an area where I really need to invest more time in.
I’m glad you figured it out. But I still stand by the rule that if something doesn’t feel right, stop immediately.
Certain yoga classes are hard!!!!! On the bright side, yoga has always had a very high standard for women, in comparison to weightlifting, which currently has an extremely low standard for women.<<So sad.
When the yoga instructors say "warrior" pose, women do the same torturing pose as found in the Samuri movies. And when a yoga instructor suggests that we may put our arms down to make the pose easier, most women want to remain full "warriors" with arms up even if the pose is torturing them! Because we women are tough! And I love that.
I’m so happy the water and breathing have helped. My yoga teacher is always watching and making sure I’m breathing properly. She sometimes brings me water too, or I just ask for it. I guess I’m luck in my unluckiness: because my back is so fragile, I go for private yoga lessons with a yoga therapist, so she’s 100% there for me all time.
Be well, my friend!
Good on your husband and friend. I was going to say water as I was reading but I would never have thought about the breathing. I did yoga for a while and it is a helluva workout, I swear the fact that you were able to move the next day is a triumph.
The thing that’s wonderful about yoga is that somehow it aligns and unlocks everything. I had a little bug or something brewing inside me before I started up yoga again. After my first class whatever the fluish bug was hit me full force. It was as if stretching everything out opened the floodgates. So I have a lot of respect for the power of yoga in opening up the body.
Good for you.
My first thought was that you were dehydrated. Yoga is very detoxing so definitely hydrate. A nice cool coconut water afterwards to restore electrolytes couldn’t hurt either.
So glad you were able to work through it, but I wouldn’t have blamed you if you quit! How horrible to try to do something healthy for yourself and get rewarded with headaches. Hooray for a smart hubby!
Sounds about right!!
My family is full of massage therapists and yoga teachers (I know. I’m bred from hippies) and in addition to the “toxic stuff gets released from your body and can give you a headache/other physical complaints” notion, HYDRATION is big! You may not be running interval sprints but you’re still working hard!!
Omg, so true about looking up your symptoms on the web.
Your husband is amazing. I was thinking water…. but he is spot on!!
Oh, scored points for your hubby on that one!! nice! I never would have thought it was breathing… makes sense though. Personally I dont suffer from migraines but I get sinus headaches that KILL from time to time and I haven’t had any since I’ve upped the water… its a beautiful thing! Glad youre able to get your yoga on, Ive always wanted to try yoga but its intimidating!
We see this a lot in free weights classes too – headache, nausea, light headedness, flop sweat, panic, etc.
The causes can be water and breath. that is a good place to start. We always go back to the breath and move with the breath in any type of exercise (and life in general). It is very common for people to hold their breath or do shallow breath – both will cause problems.
In my opinion the only thing that hydrates is WATER. Plain water. Anything added to the water changes how the body reacts/processes and it does not necessarily hydrate. as you wrote, it can dehydrate.
other problem areas -
eating a total carb breakfast with no protein. So even something that one might see as ‘healthy’ like banana and toast, will set one up for problems. Because those carbs will not hold. (that volume/type of carbs would give me a very tight waist band also). I eat two hours before exercise and I personally eat an egg white omelet with salsa and a small avocado AND plain/real oatmeal/milk. Yes, breakfast is my biggest meal.
monkey mind will also contribute to problems – mind racing from one thing to the other. This can include watching the clock, being too involved in what the others around you are doing. being concerned with the environment of the class room (lights, temperature, fan, set up, etc). it can also include thinking of what one has to do the rest of the day, etc. Clear mind, focused on movement only, being in the moment and in one’s own body helps hugely. this takes a lot of practice (especially for us anxiety people).
I have posts written about some of this under newbies label on my blog. I think I have another one popping up next week. one of the past newbie ladies now takes new newbies under her wing and talks to them. it makes me smile every time I see it. she had a really rough start and now is very focused and very calm and very centered. she eats the proper breakfast and drinks her water. many people like this quit the first week. she did not. she listened and it was a real growth opportunity for her. I was her once too.
Now this is the time to admit that your husband was right! Before getting married I told my hubby that he has to realize that I will be right 99.9% of the time. That 0.1% he will be right and I would certainly sing his praises when that happens. LOL, and I love the flexibility/naughty comment!
Anyways, I’m glad you found the solution to your headache problem. I get headaches all the time after anything physical, so it sounds like I need to up my water AND breathe.
I thought of more to tell you:
Yoga can be extremely emotional at times.
The positions (vulnerability, being in touch with one’s body) can set of unexpected emotions.
I have been in more than one class where someone has been in tears on and off all during class and not really known ‘why’.
It is sort of as if the flood gates of things buried deep suddenly open. these people are often embarrassed. It has happened to most all yoga people. So if this happens to you – do not be embarrassed – it is sort of a rite of passage in working on the inner you.
I talked about monkey mind yesterday (my comment above). For many people when they finally get their monkey mind shut off and they are alone with themselves on their mat, this is a very new experience for them. It is often the first time they have ever been alone with themselves.
These are often go, go, go people who are always very busy (and perhaps hiding from themselves in the busy-ness).
All kinds of emotions can surface for these people. Tears and uncomfortableness are common. If one has never been alone with themselves, with no distractions what so ever, it can be a powerful experience.
Thanks for your thoughts on this, Vickie. I went into this class completely and utterly unprepared. I’m learning so much from these comments – things that I never before considered.
can set OFF unexpected emotions
Sometimes it’s the simple things that we forget. I am questioning whether your husband is actually a proper male and not an alien because he’s clearly too intelligent to represent us men. LOL
I’m glad you’ve solved the problem and thanks to this post, it might have helped solve a problem a friend of mine is having too!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sadie-nardini/top-10-reasons-not-to-do_b_260935.html?ref=fb&src=sp
cleaning out my overflowing email inbox and found this one sent by a blogger friend, thought you might like it too.
Vickie, I loved this so much, I’ve printed it out. Thank you for sharing it with me. I’m very excited about just having these as possibilities! And I love that it is something that I can actually do and not have to do WELL right at first. I’m usually the type of person whom cannot take the initial awkwardness of many situations. Feeling awkward in yoga doesn’t bother me though; that alone speaks volumes.
If only every problem with our bodies was so easily solved.
Glad you had your hubby and friends to figure this out for you. Dr. Google usually just makes the hypochondriac in all of us a bit agitated. Glad you won’t have to give up your yoga!
I’m glad I read this blog post. I was experiencing headaches too after my yoga sessions. Once I started breathing deeply, they went away. Now I know why. I also drink water before yoga and during yoga. I just tried Nia the other day, it’s a different techinque than yoga, while incorporating dancing into the mix. So much fun but a huge workout. I sweat so much! Doing it again this Friday then two yoga sessions on Saturday. Love it!