Hot yoga is one of the thousands of health trends bombarding our lives every day, and it’s one that I think a lot of people are afraid to take up themselves. I have always been interested in trying it, but with my busy schedule and excuses to not put myself through the intensity of the classes, I never got around to signing up. This summer, a studio near my house offered ten classes for $10 and when my friend Kathryn and I saw it, we knew that we absolutely had to finally try it out.
I’m not gonna lie, everything about the first Hatha class that we took could be described as “hell on earth.” It was hot (like 105 degrees Fahrenheit hot), you were lying in a pool of your sweat for an hour, and you had to hold poses that, although looked easy when done by “avid yogis,” were incredibly difficult for newbies like us. I soon learned to drink tons of water the night before class not during it and to bring a towel to keep the sweat from blinding your eyes during poses like downward facing dog.
From my first Hatha class to my favorite Power classes, there is so much variety to the practice of hot yoga. The coolest part about the studio I went to at home was that each class was taught by a different instructor. It’s amazing how much of a difference a good instructor can make in the class. The advice on how to keep your breath, which is actually a very important part, is so crucial to keeping your cool in the hot room (yes, pun intended). I remember thinking to myself, “there is no way that breathing a certain way can make this any easier”, but it is surprisingly true. Deep breaths help you to push through some of the harder poses and help you to keep your pace, and be engaged for the full hour.
There are so many benefits that I have reaped from hot yoga. My personal favorite is how great you feel walking outside after class is over. Not only is the cool air appreciated, but I tend to have an overall healthier day after morning class is over. But, the greatest reward that hot yoga has to offer is that you adapt to the environment so fast; with each class you improve so much more than the previous class. I remember after just a couple of classes I went from barely, painfully, touching my toes, to being able to put my whole palm on the floor while standing. As a runner, I have never been very flexible, which is also bad for preventing sports-related injuries. Yoga has allowed me to not only improve my flexibility but also to test my limits and to become more in tune with my well-being. I am so glad that I finally forced myself to give it a shot because it has placed a very positive impact on my life, and I truly believe that it will for many years to come.
