I’m more of a contact-sport kind of girl, but when a friend informed me that there was free hot yoga in town I was intrigued. Hot yoga, unlike regular yoga, is performed in temperatures up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Yoga studios often offer both regular yoga and hot yoga. The sauna-esque heat allows your muscles to stretch further sans pain throughout the duration of class.

I partook in two hot yoga classes and can honestly report that hot yoga is an excellent workout. But before attending a hot yoga class, let me fill you in with some details.

Class Length
Classes can run from 45 to 90 minutes. For your first class, always pick the shortest duration. Even if you run marathons for fun or bench 280 plus pounds, hot yoga is a completely different workout. Allow yourself time to adjust to hot yoga before continuing onto a longer class.

Hydration
Drink water before, during and after class. It is 105 degrees in the room, and you are practically swimming in your own sweat (attractive, I know). Due to the heat, you are losing liquids faster than Kim Kardashian’s marriage dissolved. If you feel dizzy, do not feel ashamed to lie down in Savasana (Dead Corpse Pose) and guzzle down water. In fact all instructors encourage their students to listen to their bodies over pushing themselves. I made the mistake of not hydrating before my 90 minute class and, consequently, sat out for most of the session.

I suggest bringing two 16-ounce water bottles (the standard size) to class. Before class, drink enough water that when you pee your urine is mostly clear. It is a crude test, and may sound excessive, but nothing is worse than fainting from dehydration.

It is Not a Competition
A wide variety of people do yoga: super fit yogi masters, me, beginners, you name it. At first, you will not be able to complete every pose with poise. Your legs will shake, you will sweat, but no one will care. Yoga is personal; you are not competing against your neighbor.

Materials

Combine hot yoga with a cardio routine every week, and hello beach body!

By: Lisa Swanson | Image: Source