I just completed 30 days of yoga and I’m hooked. I love how yoga calms and relaxes me, how it’s increasing my flexibility and how much stronger I’m becoming.
I’ve started another Yoga with Adriene 30 day challenge, but last week, I decided that I wanted try a hot yoga class to mix things up a bit.
I found a hot yoga class in central London that looked interesting, although admittedly, I was a bit skeptical of my ability to actually complete the class. Not because I was worried about being in a group setting, it was more about my ability to cope with the heat of the room. Real talk: I’ve had low blood pressure since I was pregnant with my son, so being in really hot places always makes me feel a bit light headed.
I decided to give it a go and registered for a lunchtime class at Another Space with the lovely Ellisif.
So here’s the thing about hot yoga that makes it different to the vinyasa yoga I usually do. The class takes place in 32° infrared heat, so you’re doing vinyasa yoga at the normal high intensity, and the heat raises your heart rate even further.
In a nutshell: it’s very hot and you will get very sweaty.
The next time I do a hot yoga class, I will definitely wear fewer clothes. I thought I was being smart, wearing just cropped leggings, a tank top with lots of wicking capability and a sports bra. But even that was too much: there were men wearing only shorts and women in sports bras and short shorts in order to beat the heat.
For me, it was a bit of a mental transition going from doing yoga at home in an airy room with a draft to doing yoga in a very hot room, surrounded by people wearing as little as possible. And I won’t lie: the first five minutes of the class were tough, as I struggled to get to grips with the heat. And then just like that, something in my brain clicked into place and I was finally able to relax into the heat and the vinyasa flows.
The 45 minutes class was a very dynamic, with vinyasa yoga flows and very few breaks.
Reader, I loved it.
I left the class very sweaty but feeling full of endorphins, calm and very focused. And a little happier.
A little note: I wouldn’t recommend a hot yoga class to a complete yoga newbie. My view is that it would be a lot to learn the poses and flows and try to cope with the heat. So if you’re a seasoned yogi or have been doing yoga for a little while, I highly recommend trying a hot yoga class for a little variety.
Do you do hot yoga? Any tips and tricks to share?
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