It’s not the be all and end all. You won’t burn 1000 calories in one session and you won’t magically ‘detox’ away all the chocolate you ate over Christmas. However, is it nice to feel a little more mobile and a little less rigid? Yes. Was yoga originally practiced in India where the average temperature and humidity left our UK climate far behind? Yes. Are cold toes at the start of class really irritating? Yes. So it is appealing.
Hot Yoga is practiced at a variety of temperatures across many different studios, and in fact hot studios now are often no way near as hot as they use to be. Most studio owners add a little heat (really nothing scary, sometimes just a few Dyson heaters) to help you ease into stretches and avoid pulling or straining cold muscles. If you live in the UK or anywhere else where winter hangs around to long then I would take advantage of the heat. When I practice hot yoga regularly not only do I notice an improvement in my practice but my skin and my digestive system are both a lot healthier – you do have to wash your hair a lot more though so its swings and roundabouts!
For your first class make sure that day or the night before you are well hydrated, take an extra towel and expect to get pretty sweaty.
Ready to give it a go?
