I enjoy hot yoga as much as I enjoy running. Translation: I really don't enjoy doing hot yoga; I don't know why I keep doing it. The first time I tried hot yoga, I almost barfed (my fault for wolving down a bag of gummy bears an hour before the class). The second time (which I thought would be better), I almost passed out. But recently, as I walked home from work, I saw a hot yoga studio and the masochist in me secretly jumped for joy.
The analysis:
What is hot yoga? Hot/bikram yoga is a type of yoga that Bikram Choudhury founded from traditional/hatha yoga (I only know this from the posters they put up at the yoga studio. I'm not even gonna pretend to know what hatha yoga is). During the 90-minute session, you'll do a set of 26 postures and some breathing exercises. Regardless of where you do hot/bikram yoga, you'll always be doing these 26 postures. Some of the studios I've been to are very quiet, where the yogis speak really softly, muttering some sort of poems at times. Some are more modern and mix top 40 music into the routine, making it more of a "power" yoga session.
How hot is HOT? The times that I've peeked at the thermostat in the room, I saw that it was around 104 degrees. In the 3 different yoga studios that I've been to, the yogis have always been very careful about checking and making sure that the temperature doesn't exceed 105. The idea is the room should be just hot enough to help you relax your muscles, allowing you to stretch longer and deeper with lesser chance of injury. A lot of people find hot yoga to be a great stress reliever, which is odd... I always feel the need to punch, kick or throw something in order to relieve stress. I do, however, find hot yoga to be very cleansing. I don't know if there's any truth to it at all.
Hot Yoga Must-Bring:
- A big bottle of water
- Yoga mat
- 2 towels: 1 big (to cover your mat) and 1 small (to wipe away sweat off your face). Of course, if you're planning on taking a shower at the studio afterward, you will need yet another towel.
- What to wear: shorts, tank top or t-shirt. Generally, it's acceptable for guys to not wear a shirt and acceptable for girls to wear just sports bra/crop top.
Hot Yoga Must-Not Bring:
- A stomach full of gummy bears or a huge burrito.
The verdict: Hot yoga is a 7 in my book. 0 being I would rather be digging through trash and 10 being I'm quitting my job tomorrow to solely focus on this. We'll see how it goes in a few months.
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