Yoga like it's Hot

I recently found a Hot Yoga place in my area.  I stopped in the other day to get some information about it and they gave me a pass to come back to take a free class. So one day last week I took my free class!  This was my first Hot Yoga class. I really didn’t know what to expect. I have only taken a yoga class once, years ago and did not care for it because I didn’t feel like I got a good workout. I guess for me what constitutes as a good workout is something that is going to make me sweat, and I heard that Hot Yoga does that.

Usually everyone brings
their own mat but since I have never been there, there were mats available to use. She quickly gave me a tour of the studio then set me up for class. There was a mat, a towel that went over top, and a block and a belt to lie beside the mat. She sprayed the towel where my hands and feet would go. She said that is so I don’t slip when I start doing my moves. When I first went into the room, I thought it would be a lot hotter in there; after all it was Hot Yoga.

We were just about to start and there was a lady that came in and there was no more room for her, so the Instructor told her to take her spot. I thought, man my first time and I will not even be able to watch the Instructor show the moves. We started and she began to talk “yoga terms” that I had no idea. We first started on our back and were told to just relax with music playing in the background. You know the music, the kind that you would hear if you would be getting a massage. I thought this is going to be a long class. Well I was wrong. Soon enough we were doing very challenging moves, and there were different levels of each moves, depending on your flexibility. I couldn’t believe the moves that some of the ladies were doing. There was this one in particular I noticed a lady on one leg and the other leg was fully extending up to the ceiling, and then she took her leg and practically wrapped it around her neck. Wow! And the music got better too. It was basically my ipod playlist, so I really enjoyed that.

Even though the Instructor did not have a mat and a spot, she was very helpful with the instructions and she would still perform the moves so we knew how to do them correctly. And remember that thing I said about the temperature not being hot enough? Well it didn’t take long for sweat to start dripping, so I guess it was hot enough. After class I saw that the temperature was 98 degrees. That ended up being one of the quickest hours. At the end of the class she said she would be coming around to give us cold towels. She pressed the cold compress on our forehead that smelled like eucalyptus. It was very refreshing. 

After class I asked the Instructor if she teaches the same exact classes. She said that the moves may be the same, but she never teaches the same class again. She also told me that she incorporated certain moves during that class because she knew that I was a runner. I thought that was very nice of her. Before class I did feel a little tight in spots, but I really felt that taking that class loosened everything up. I think it will be a nice compliment to my running and I will be going back.

After class, I didn’t think I was going to do much more the rest of the day. Honestly that class took it out of me.  When I got home, I was happy to see that then I got two package and I just had to try out my stuff.  I'll share my goodies in another post though! 

Have you ever taken Hot Yoga? -L