From a beginner to a beginner: Hot yoga

At the beginning of the month, I stated this month’s health challenge for my Challenging my Health goal in 2011 (12 months, 12 challenges, 1 challenge per month) was to do yoga every day for the entire 28 days of February.

A reader asked me if I could do some posts on starting out yoga, and I decided it would be a great opportunity to tell you about my experience. I have been practicing yoga on and off for over six years now, but this month opened a whole new world of yoga to  me: hot yoga.

So far the challenge has gone amazingly. I have done yoga every day, bar none. A few days have been a simple 10-15 minutes in between writing and cooking but most days I have done a full hour-plus practice.

Much of this is due to the awesome first-month deal at Moksha yoga- $40 for 30 days of yoga, unlimited. How amazing is that? I signed up as soon as I could and couldn’t wait to begin. The only hesitation I had? Moksha yoga is practiced in a 37C, nearly 100F room. I had only done hot yoga once or twice before! I was a little nervous, to say the least. How hard would it be? Would sweating so much be gross? Would I be able to stand the heat? What if I passed out? How much water do I drink?

I did a little research, and here is what I found:

From the Moksha Yoga website:

• “Moksha Yoga hot yoga is a series of postures practiced in a heated room. The series works to stretch, strengthen and tone the muscles while detoxifying the body and calming the mind.”
• Each of the instructors brings their own unique style to their teaching, but all classes follow a basic structure that is fundamental to the Moksha Yoga practice.
• The basic structure goes as follows: Savasana (corpse pose) to start, an intention setting, a standing series, floor series and final savasana.
• The benefits of hot yoga are extensive. It is detoxifying, supports immune function and weight loss, and is amazing for strength, cardiovascular and flexibility training.

I felt a bit better, but I was still a bit hesitant before the first class. Then the class started.  Almost instantly I was put at ease. I loved the feeling of doing yoga in a warm room, my muscles felt loose and limber, the sweat dripping down my back was invigorating, not gross, and I felt amazing afterwards- like I was on a yoga high or something. I was hooked. I went again the next day, and the next, soon learning just like any other exercise doing it four days in a row may be a bit tiring, and opted for a restorative class the fifth day instead. But even though the classes tired me out and I was sore afterwards, there was something about it that made me feel so good, I only wanted to go back. I went from hesitant to completely gung-ho, but it wasn’t without realizing a few things quickly:

1. Don’t come with expectations. Hot yoga, especially moksha, is different than any other yoga I have ever done. Though the poses are similar to vinyasa and hatha, the flow of movement is different, the length of time holding postures can be different and it’s a different feeling overall. I had to let go of any expectations right away to enjoy the class, because if I had expected it to be like my usual vinyasa class, I think I would have been disappointed. By accepting it would be a completely different experience, I embraced it and ended up loving it.

2. Set an intention. At the beginning of ever class, instructors often tell you to “set an intention” for the class. I used to just brush it off- “I intend to do yoga…”. But for some reason, this month it clicked- if I set an intention for my practice- say, to focus on keeping my spine long, to focus on my alignment, to think about nothing but my practice, to go a little easier on myself, etc, I find it to be so much more beneficial and easier to focus on my practice.

3. Drink LOTS of water. Like, A LOT! You sweat a LOT during hot yoga, so always come hydrated, drink water as you feel necessary during the class and drink a lot afterwards- the main purpose of a heated room is for detoxification, NOT to dehyrdate you. I also love coconut water after to restore the electrolytes I lose during sweating. Water with a pinch of salt will help this as well, as will gatorade, though it’s a bit too sweet for my taste.

4. Let it flow. As I mentioned above, one of the purposes of a heated yoga session is detoxification- sweating out all of the toxins you have built up in your body to cleanse and rejuvenate. So let it flow! Don’t be afraid to sweat, and don’t constantly wipe the sweat away (unless it’s actually getting in your way, if it gets in my eyes I wipe it away!). Sweating is a way for your body to cool itself down- it’s important!

5. Come prepared. Before a hot yoga class, I don’t leave home without:

• My mat. Specifically, the best mat ever (IMO)- the jade yoga mat (in purple!). I don’t even need a towel down on my mat and I don’t slip, it’s that good. that being said…
• A beach-sized towel. And if you prefer, another hand-sized towel for your face. Nick likes to bring two, I’m usually good with one because I like to let it flow (see above). But a towel is necessary for floor poses where you may slip, and standing poses if your mat isn’t the greatest. You will sweat and it will get slippery!
• Water, water and more water. (see above)
• A change of clothes! Believe me, you don’t want to be in those wet, sweaty clothes for long. Most studios will have a change room- use it!
• An open mind. Classes change every night, instructors have different styles, and I try to keep an open mind for my practice that night, and also setting an intention helps- focusing on just that and letting everthing else just be.

6. Focus on yourself, not those around you. Last night my instructor made a really great point- our practice is about us, not what he tells us what to do, but what feels best for us, what point is too far to push and what point at which we can push further. By paying attention to just yourself during your practice, it becomes a more beneficial practice for you.

7. Give it a rest. Hot yoga is HARD! I’ve been doing yoga for years and I always wake up sore the next day after moksha. So give yourself a rest every few days. And as one of Nick’s co-workers, a yoga instructor, pointed out- hot yoga hasn’t been around that long so we really don’t know the long term effects of practicing in that kind of heat. So switch it up every so often. I highly recommend restorative yoga for relaxation and stress relief- it’s soooo good.

8. Take something from every practice. I try to make a goal of taking something from every practice, because it’s a practice- we’re constantly growing and changing in our yogic journeys, and the only way we can do that effectively is if we allow ourselves to learn. Taking something from every single class we take and every time we hit the mat. Whether it be an alignment you finally got right, a pose that feels really, really good for you or one that doesn’t, or a piece of philosophy the teacher shared with the class- take something from every practice.

9. Experiment! Find out what you like best- this doesn’t just go for hot yoga, but yoga in general- figure out what style fits you the best, because that is what will be the best for you and your body, and figure out within that style or styles which instructors have a vibe you really like. I know the best classes are often with my favorite instructors , as well as what you make of it.

Have you ever done hot yoga? How did you like it? I know I’m in love, but it’s not for everyone! I’d love to hear your experiences, good and bad.

xo

Tagged as: hot yoga, moksha, yoga