Will someone explain hot yoga to me?

[liubotflittyfud]

Hot yoga:

What is it?

Do you do it?

Are there beginners classes normally?

What are the body benefits?

[formerlyak]

It's yoga but the room is kept at a certain temperature. I am sure if you go to a hot yoga studio they can point you in the direction of a beginning class.

I don't do it because I hate being hot like that. And I don't like when my palms are so sweaty that I slip around my yoga mat. I actually prefer pilates over yoga in general, so I may not be the best person to talk about this

[turtle1120]

I did it for the first time a couple weeks ago and LOVED it!!!! You're in a room that's heated to 105 degrees with humidity so you sweat like a mofo (good for calorie burning). I've never done regular yoga, but I imagine that it's easier to stretch and do different poses because your muscles are so warm an loose. It's definitely a workout and I felt so relaxed and amazing afterward. The one I went to wasn't a beginners class, but they showed you how to modify poses depending on your level.

You should try it. It's awesome! I want to start doing it regularly.

[lovelybb]

It's all sorts of awesome... try it! I absolutely love it and if I could afford it, I would do it 2-3 times a week. If you go, find a beginner class if you can and bring a towel to put on your mat and one to wipe down with along with some water!

[redredwine]

I HATE it during beucase I'm literally dripping buckets of sweat and I hate the heat. BUT I feel good afterwards. It's a pretty easy form of yoga and most teachers have "adaptable" poses based on your skills level (like you can adjust if you need more of a stretch, etc.)

It's supposedly good for cleaning out you system of toxins, etc. Honestly, I think it's more for the fact that you are dehydrated afterwards so you drink a ton of water which is good for you anyways!

[wingingitinmotown]

I think I would like to try it at some point. I'll probably get a little more comfortable with the basics before I go sweat my arse off though.

[liubotflittyfud]

Thanks! I've done regular yoga before. I used to go to a class 3x a week and it was tough but fun. I got kicked out for giggling when I would lose my balance lol. I want to buckle down and be serious this time and there's a hot yoga studio near my house. I might check it out

[liubotflittyfud]

Aug 31, 2012 12:26:44 GMT -5 mintchocochip said:

::Just being the little bird on your shoulder::

There are a TON of free and low-cost ways to exercise. If you're on Pinterest, they have great ideas. There are also YouTube videos for working out at home. I'm a big fan of doing a "bootcamp" at a playground using the equipment there. Monkey bars, sit ups, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, laps around, tricep dips, speed skaters, etc. I know you're trying to make good decisions (including financially) and new ways to exercise and fun and exciting, but there are a lot of ways to do it without investing a lot of money (I know yoga classes can be between $5-$20 a class and those add up in a big way!)

Thanks MCC

[formerlyak]

On the cost thing, ask around and see if anyplace near you offers free community classes. I know the Lululemon store here does every Sunday morning. And sometimes new teachers offer free yoga on the beach here to get to know potential students. So there are free ways to get yoga classes -- although I don't know of any free hot yoga classes.

[lovelybb]

I agree with PP, there are usually a lot of charity classes that ask for a small donation or some free classes around. I know there's a hot yoga class here that's $10 every Sunday...

[wingingitinmotown]

Aug 31, 2012 12:26:44 GMT -5 mintchocochip said:

::Just being the little bird on your shoulder::

When I read this, I pictured a little yellow cartoon bird in a cowboy hat.

[liubotflittyfud]

Aug 31, 2012 12:38:58 GMT -5 wingingitinmotown said:

Aug 31, 2012 12:26:44 GMT -5 mintchocochip said:

::Just being the little bird on your shoulder::

When I read this, I pictured a little yellow cartoon bird in a cowboy hat.

Haha love it.

[explorer2001]

I refuse to do hot yoga and I'm extremely heat tolerant. I live in Phoenix and run out side in the summer. That level of heat and humidity is a recipe for heat exhaustion or heat stroke, especially if you are being active.

Sweating buckets may seem good but all you lose is water weight which you gain back when you rehydrate. Being that soaked actually means you can't regulate and cool your core temperature properly. The whole reason people sweat is to use evaporation to cool them off. We get heat warnings warnings when its that humid and hot (ok 110 and humid) but if it would generate a national weather service warning if it was outside, I'm not going to work out in it inside.

Just my 2 cents.

[dakotadangerdog]

Check out bodyrock.tv and zuzana light. They have free workout vids on youtube that I hear are amazing!

I am also not a fan of hot yoga, I was always skeptical of it and did some research before trying it. Some doctors recommend drinking something with a lot of electrolytes, because sweating so much and drinking a ton of water can cause your electrolyte levels to get very low, which is really bad. Also, since you can stretch a lot deeper in the heat it's easier to injure yourself.

I still tried it because I was curious what it was like. I took gatorade (nowadays I'd take coconut water) and was cautious about how far I'd push poses, even when the instructor was telling everyone to go deeper I'd just stick with what I knew I could comfortably do.

Sweating does not burn many calories, though it is good for your skin? lol I just don't think it's nearly as amazing as people think it is, it's just over hyped. Plus I'm not much of a yoga fan anyway. It's great for flexibility and stability and relaxation but if your goal is weight loss there are way more effective options out there.