Why 'Hot' Yoga?

Written by Jacob Wouthuis.

Warm-Up

It just makes sense as you need to warm up your body before you do any vigorous exercise. At Hot Yoga Wellness the studio room is thermostatically heated very close to body temperature. The humidity is around 50% which allows you to breathe easier. The body can regulate its internal temperature to 98.6F through sweating and you are in a comfort zone. By sweating, your body will safely regulate its own temperature.

why hot yoga

Tune-Up

There are a number of reasons for heating the room to body temperature. Some of these are as follows: A warmed-up body can stretch, twist, bend and arch further which means that you will literally massage all your inner organs, glands, muscles and ligaments, etc. thus allowing greater mobility without causing pain. You are giving yourself a 'tune-up' because you are affecting every cubic centimetre inside your body plus the largest organ of your body, your skin, is getting a genuine cleansing due to sweating.

Toning and Weight Normalization

Think about when you were much younger and you climbed trees, furniture and literally turned yourself into a pretzel nearly every day. When you did that, all your internals received a major workout (likely every day). Well, hot yoga allows that to happen to you again thus giving yourself a 'tune-up' each time you take a hot yoga class. There is simply no better exercise than a complete hot yoga class. You will find that doing this exercise at least 3 times per week will achieve wonders for your mind, body and soul. Your body weight will simply normalize itself which means that your optimum weight will be achieved and toning will be accomplished depending on the depth and extent of your efforts in following the postures.

Peace of Mind

You have the added advantage of not having to think at all about the outside world as you are concentrating on breathing and balancing and basically following the instructor's guided session. This gives your mind a release which creates a genuine calming effect. You will notice that you come out of the class feeling 'lighter' and at peace. The studio room becomes like a second home for you as a refuge from the everyday pressures of life.

Summary of Benefits

Much greater flexibility thus reducing the chance of injuries if doing sports.
Efficient toning and burning fat effectively through increased metabolism.
Removal of waste products from every cell which allows for better circulation.
Attitude changes resulting in a friendlier and more tolerant you.
Challenges are simpler due to better self control, concentration and willpower.
Better immune system.
Check the web re arthritis, circulation, blood pressure and more benefits of Hot Yoga.

Remember:

Don't 'push' yourself too hard for your first few Hot Yoga classes.
Do allow yourself to acclimatize and get used to postures and breathing.
Drink 8 or so glasses of water per day and more when doing classes.
Don't come to class totally hungry.
Don't eat 2-3 hours before class (have some juice or a bit of fruit instead)
During class take frequent small sips of water (20 oz. during class but up to you)
Drink water after class.
Do eat properly. You know! -You have read all the do's and don'ts of eating properly.

Sujun Chen and Jacob Wouthuis are founders, partners and instructors at Hot Yoga Wellness International Inc, 1750 Steeles Ave West, Concord (Toronto), ON and started the Hot Yoga Wellness studios at Concord, Woodbridge and Scarborough. They are also involved in organizing the Hot Yoga Wellness Teacher Training which will start Sept 4th and run each Sat and Sun till Dec 4th.

Visit www.hotyogawellness.com for more information.