Bikrams and Insulin Pumps

Dear sister and fellow pump wearer,
I decided I had better post this as I often hear from people wondering about wearing a pump while practicing Bikrams and there, apparently, is nothing else on the web about it. If you have your own insight to share and want me to post it here to help others, please e-mail me at carla@perfectknot.com
Below is information, ideas, etc. that I have utilized myself or researched myself. I hope it helps you feel confident to practice Bikrams or any hot temperatured yoga.

First of all: you'll figure it out! Bikram's is very fun and health-supporting, so it is worth it.
Second:
Be prepared w/ glucose tablets and BG tester (right at your mat) and let the teacher know you will be handling these things to understand how Bikram's affects you during the first few classes and this means you may have to pause in your practice to manage your health. Tell her/him this is necessary for you to be able to practice safely and you expect to have it understood within 2-3 classes. Also, bring a BG raising food--juice, crackers, easy carbs-- with you for after class (or during if you need to leave the room).

Like any strenuous activity, it is possible you will, on occasion, have a low BG when practicing--stay tuned in and use tester to be sure it actually is blood sugar as some of the feelings you may have when practicing might not be low BG. Depending on how physically active you have been, just blood circulation, exertion, the thrill/anxiety of trying something new, or the increased level of oxygen in your blood might make you think you are having a sugar drop. As you practice more, it will even out and you will understand how BIkram's affects you seperately from blood sugar. If you have a very strong sense of when your sugar is dropping, just eat a few glucose tablets while you're practicing (better a little high sugar than dealing with a super low!) and ease up til you feel your power coming back up.
I have not had any major problem doing Bikram's and wearing a pump. Of course, I have had low blood sugar during class. We just need to be responsible for ourselves before, during and after class.

I spoke with a Mini-Med technician and his concern was less about the heat's effect on the pump itself or the insulin, but on the sweat moisture getting into the pump. The pumps are not waterproof (resistant not proof). if you have any case for it that would keep sweat off, that would be fine. Then just stick it in your jogbra under your armpit and it won't be in the way at all. The waist belt or the clip on the shorts is fine, too, on your hip so that it is not in the way for the back or belly poses. The great thing about the pump, though, is you can shimmy it around as needed in seconds.

Depending on your specific diabetes stability or brittleness, it may or may not be a problem to be without the pump for 1 1/2 hrs while you are in class. If you consider yourself to be stable, in pretty good control, 1 1/2 hrs. without the pump may be fine. You'll only be missing a small basal drip.

Be sure to check your BG a 1/2 hr before class, noting that yoga recommends no food for at least 2-3 hrs. before practice. (It can be a bit nauseating otherwise.) You may find it is necessary to walk into class with a slightly elevated BG as the practice will use it up. Drinking a juice & water mixture 15 minutes before class could both hydrate you and make you more confident of having BG in your system for the upcoming exercise. I have sometimes finished practicing and had my BG high--if that happens, just inject right away. At least initially, check your BG soon after class, too, so you have that information and can make adjustments.

Insulin is now made to handle much higher temps--there are pump users that live in places where it is over 90 most of the time. Protection from wetness/sweat is more important and they make carriers for athletes which would probably do the trick or just make your own. I just ordered a product today for keeping insulin/pump cool for some hot weather traveling I am doing soon: http://www.lifesolutionsplus.com/frio-insulin-pump-cooling-wallet-p-606.html
If the studio you are practicing at runs their heat very high and you don't feel right taking the pump off for 1 1/2 hrs, this FRIO wallet might be a good way to go.

If you keep your pump on, you might need to temporarily adjust (slightly lower) basal dosage but, as this is the only insulin coming into your system during practice, try with what you have currently first.

I hope this helps you. Enjoy your yoga practice!

with love,
Carla

Carla Raushenbush
Director/Instructor
A Perfect Knot Yoga Center

Letter from Carla
Dearest People with whom I have the great pleasure of studying Yoga:

I want to to express a few things to you. It centers around the relationship between the Bikram sequence, Bikram Choudhury, A Perfect Knot, and who I am.

As many of you know, Bikram Choudhury is a flamboyant figure who receives varying types of media coverage. He has also been known as someone attempting to trademark and control all things connected to the pose sequence that bears his first name, and to franchise all Bikram schools. All franchised Bikram studios would follow the same rules of size (3000 sq. ft minimum.), temperature (105-120) and decor (mirrors, carpet, showers, certain colors), allow only Bikram Yoga to be taught at the school, by only Bikram certified instructors using the exact dialogue Bikram indicates, much of which has not changed in 25 yrs. The hope is that this would maintain the "purity" of the sequence and allow a person to travel anywhere and know in advance what they would be getting at a franchised studio - hence, the media wordplay: McYoga.

For awhile, media reported as though franchising the studios had happened. It has not and is still struggling. But is may be closer as a franchise agreement was sent out in October, '09, after 10 years of talking about it. There was major opposition to it from numerous senior Bikram teachers 10 years ago and the recent contract was rejected by enough teachers that Bikram is having his lawyers rewrite portions after meeting with some teachers for feedback. That's all I know now.

Those of you who have practiced Bikram at other studios know that the atmosphere in my Bikram class is quite distinctive from the majority of Bikram classes. I intend to keep it that way and would not want to teach Bikram's otherwise.

As some of you also know, I have chosen to not involve myself in what is sometimes called "the Bikram family". I don't know the inside scoop on what's happening at "headquarters", nor do I want to know. I am extremely grateful for encountering Bikram and being able to practice and teach the sequence. There is no question it has and will continue to enhance my life. I thank Bishnu Ghosh for sending Bikram from India and that Bikram came to the USA or I might never have the experience I get to have today with each of you. (Persons have asked how I started Bikram Yoga. Here's the story: I was visiting a friend in L.A. and while she was getting ready to go out with me, I picked up a magazine and read a 1 1/2 page article about Bikram and this yoga sequence. The last paragraph stated that a training intensive was now being offered. I had the strongest gut reaction/ intuition/guidance I had ever had that I must go take this program. I had never taken a Bikram class nor heard of it. Two months later I was there...and now we're here! I did not go to become a teacher--that was not in my mind at all; I went partly because of personal health problems, but mainly because of an internal insistence that I must go.)

There are many things I could write about. The most important things I want you to know are the following:

Thank you for taking the time and mind to read this. I am utterly blessed with how lovely you make The Perfect Knot. So be it.

I bow to the flowers blossoming in you!
Carla

Below are some ideas to ponder and below that is some thoughts about your Hatha practice to consider. (Drawn from various teachers and texts)

Paramahansa Yogananda:"The end result of all spiritual practice is happiness."

There are no energies in the body that are not also in the universe and there are no energies in the universe that are not in your body.

Notice how you've already made a HABIT out of the poses.

PERCEPTION: Remember, we see out of our beliefs. Since childhood, we've built a lattice by which we understand and everything is filtered through this grid. What you believe is what you see. We bring our beliefs to the yoga mat-- what this class is about, what we should be doing, what the teacher should be doing.

Ask yourself respectfully and kindly to do things:"Leg, would you be willing to straighten just a little more?"

5 mantras from Judith Lasater (a yoga teacher who started Yoga Journal):
1. What can I learn right now?
2. How can I experience love right now?
3. Uncertainty is the norm.
4. It's just a thought!
5. Time is big.

The true practice of yoga is off the mat, the Yamas and the Niyamas.

The tribe always worries "what will they think of me?" To be an individual, leave the tribe mentality.From Pilot Baba:"Choose a path which leads you more and more into aloneness. Remember that only individuals have become enlightened. Only individuals-those who have the guts and courage to be alone-are capable of stopping the movement of the mind and can settle into their own innocence."

From Rod Stryker: "Separating the observer from the observed, the soul from the mind, or Parusha from Prakriti is ultimately what the Yoga Sutras convey. It is about separating ourselves from our negative parts, of heightening our capacity to witness and of getting closer and more aligned with the inner guru - our inner teacher. Robbi Svabodha calls the core conscience that resides in a person or thing as "Adesha" (the first guide). It's the concept of Adesha, this inner light that we're trying to get to and activate.One of the most important things you must address is drama. Consider all the unnecessary drama you live with, both internally and externally. It's not enough just to clear it out externally, it must also be internal. Most of us don't even know there's internal drama. We just assume this is what it's like to be ourselves. One of the things we really have to look at in our lives is how do we get rid of drama. I'll ask you to consider that all your drama is built out of just a few core insecurities and fears, just a couple of core insecurities and fears, are the source of all the drama and major conflicts in your life. At the same time it is important that you avoid committing to a false sense of detachment or to do this deep work too fast, in an inorganic way. It's easier to not really resolve the dramas, and instead to actually unplug from them, pretend they're not there or don't matter to you. Then you become unenergetic, unimpassioned, and undynamic, a person without vital energy. I don't want you to become devitalized to avoid drama. Be clear about the difference in these two approaches. One is denial. The other is a holistic and conscious process."

Excerpt from former new student intro letter: First and foremost, although we are all practicing similar postures, this is your personal practice so develop the ability to keep your focus inward and make these postures your personal tools. Each of us have different reasons and goals that brought us here. Each of us has a unique life so please do not waste one second of this precious life comparing or competing with another. (I still do it sometimes--it's a cultural training we all have--but it is nothing like it used to be!) How "advanced" your physical pose is of no matter. What you are doing with your breath and your mind is the key! I will, however, be paying attention to your correct alignment in the pose, whatever stage you are practicing.

Second, enjoy yourself. As the Dalai Lama said,"Happiness is a mental discipline." If you don't already have it, develop the ability to decide what you are going to think about. Re-organize your mind whenever necessary to have the best, most liberating experience. In this class, if you start to feel you are suffering, see if you can free your mind of this idea and let your body continue to exert itself while the mind stays calmly focused on your breathing. This is a practice that will empower your mind throughout your life. If you cannot do that, slightly lessen the intensity with which you are practicing a pose until you find you can stop the feeling of suffering. Remember, there have been no medical studies that found frustration or suffering beneficial to human health!

Third, don't do any more than you want to do. Respect that the Bikram sequence is well researched and has lots to offer AND respect that some days you'll do more or less than other days. Patience and awareness! Prioritize developing your concentration to stay on one focal point-- in this case, your inhale and exhale. Remember, hatha yoga is just one branch of Yoga, and not the most important one. If you practice hatha for exercise only, I'm happy to tell you, you'll get more and better results than many other forms of exercise. Some of you will decide to study Yoga further and will find it fascinating. Wonderful!