Hot Yoga, Hot Boomer

I’ve been wanting to try hot yoga for some time now. I could imagine the benefits, I could feel the heat warming my bones on a cold February day, it was just a matter of finding the right environment.

For those of you who read my earlier article “Discover Yoga – a Gift for the Rest of your Life”- you’ll recall I embarked on a yoga journey at age 58, exactly three years ago.

I’d already experienced a huge shift in my body and wanted to build on my range of motion. Winter set in at a bone chilling minus 17 F. Instead of hiding under the duvet I went looking for heat – and found it with a group of studios called Moksha.

YOU’LL GET A FREE FACIAL

Of course I’d heard of Bikram, the copywriting of the exact flow, but the apparent rigidity of the same 26 poses did not appeal . Moksha seemed to have it all – the founders were previous Bikram followers and the spin off felt like a good balance. Hatha yoga in 102 plus F. I enjoy the endless variety offered in Hatha, and yes, I adore the heat.

If you are one of those people who can’t stand hot, humid days, then this may not be for you. Because you do work very, very hard, and you DO sweat a lot. For me, my heart rate increases after about 30 minutes, and by end of the 75 minutes, it’s back to a normal beat. It does take awhile to become acclimatized to being so physical in 90 degrees, and you’ll discover after several classes that it’s really the face that sweats the most. Think of it as getting free facial while increasing your mobility!

THE BENEFITS OF SWEATING

You get all the benefits of yoga plus the benefits of a good sweat. The skin is the largest organ of our body and sweating for that length of time must release toxins and purify the body – check with your doctor about this, but I do feel purified along with having an excellent cardio workout. The heat does relax muscles and allows you to go deeper in the postures. The downside of this, you will hear, is that some students go too far. As far as I’m concerned they have not parked their ego at the door and are just showing off . No one in the class cares or even looks at you – it’s your class your way, so just do what feels good for your body. The Moksha teachers remind you of this often during the class.

After I cool down, takes me a couple of hours, I feel as if I’ve had a total body workout, but it’s the same feeling as having had the best body massage of your life. Your body is more relaxed, yet more alive than ever. I really think that’s it – the heat wakes you up, makes your body work harder, yet the end result is total relaxation.

GENERAL TIPS GUYS AND GIRLS

• Eat very lightly, if at all, before class – classes are 60,75 or 90 minutes
• Bring your own mat – although they are provided, I would think you’d want your own
• Bring a water bottle
• Try to plan to arrive 15 minutes ahead of class and allow 15 minutes after class to enjoy the heat and relax
• Start by bringing a face cloth and a large towel – over time you may not need the large towel but best to begin with it You don’t slip as much as you may think!
• Fragrance free
• I would recommend at least one year of a solid “cold” yoga classes before you begin hot yoga. I think if this is your first yoga class, you may become discouraged, it’s hard work! However, many people do this as their first class and love it. Note to self: don’t compare yourself to other students and just do what you can.

TIPS FOR GALS

• no make-up, no point, it just pours off your face
• if you shower before, avoid body moisturizer – this will make your body just too slippery to do balance posses
• wear your yoga top and longer cropped pants (I tried shorts but found my legs got too slippery to grab hold off-although many, students do wear and prefer shorts), then layer on top with a turtle neck, and “fat pants” over your yoga pants
• one face cloth and one towel
• after class peel off yoga top and pants, pull on turtle neck and fat pants – have a plastic bag handy for your wet clothes
• yoga studios are not spas – there is limited shower facilities so you may want to think about work or your social life – difficult to look glamorous after hot yoga!
• Count on your hair being soaked
• Men are attracted to hot yoga as they feel they are getting a full workout. First time I’ve ever seen a 50/50 class

TIPS FOR THE GUYS

• Running shorts with lining are the best – Nike has a great product
• No need to wear a T-shirt, but if you wish to, bring a second clean T shirt when you peel off the soaked one
• Think layers – clean T, fat pants, clean towel if you have quick shower

Look for a hot yoga studio near you – I guarantee if you do at least 5 classes your will feel the difference!

A personal account by Louise Dewar

heart rate increase shower, mandarian blue yoga clothing line, shanghai red yoga pants

Tags: Boomer, Cardio Workout, Cold February, Copywriting, Downside, Duvet, Endless Variety, February Day, Followers, Founders, Hatha Yoga, Heart Rate Increases, hot yoga, Humid Days, Length Of Time, Louise Dewar, Muscles, Postures, Range Of Motion, Rest Of Your Life, Rigidity

This entry was posted on February 18, 2008 at 3:54 pm and is filed under Yoga. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.