Say YES to Hot Yoga
I walked into my first hot yoga class as a New Years resolution on January 1, 2000. It was a Y2K resolution, and I decided I was going to make a change in my life. My asked me to join her. My first class didn't come with a training manual, or a guide book, or even a what to expect brochure. I didn't know what to wear, and Lululemon didn't exist back then. I know Hot Yoga is always attracting new students, so I created this guide to help make it easier for you to join us and sweat safely. Hot yoga is certainly nothing new. This system of yoga is popular worldwide because it works! Purifying the Body I am not a doctor, but after having studied the body for the last 16 years, I have learned one thing: the human body was designed with a built in temperature gauge to torch bacteria and to help cells burn out disease. Sure, we get a fever for a reason, but what about the little things that are draining our precious energy? Not all invaders are strong enough to give us a full blown fever. Sri Pattabhi Jois taught that you must boil the blood to cook out disease. Just like the process of purifying dirty water so that it is safe to drink, one must boil the water within the body to be healthy. The great yogis have taught that one must heat the body through a yoga system that produces a great amount of sweat. Heating up the body for healing is nothing new. "Give me a
are some awesome new products on the market made out of
bathing suit material. They are tight and don’t hold the
sweat. For this reason, we don’t suggest wearing cotton and
don’t definitely don't wear a baggy t-shirts. A tank top and
leggings will do. Men do well with swim trunks. But
please, no Speedos. And ladies, please don’t show up in
your bikini. Skimpy clothing might make for a slippery
class. You might be too slippery to hold poses.
Tip #4-
SWEAT Responsibly
Bring a towel. I say this to everyone, and very often, people
brand new to hot yoga show up with a facecloth. Bring a
large beach towel. The towel should cover most of your
mat when you lie down for floor poses. Perhaps bring two
towels. At my studio, we rate our classes on how many
towels are needed to soak up the sweat. Like "two towel Tuesday's". Tip #5- You WILL GET DIZZY Expect to be nauseous, dizzy, or maybe hallucinate. Seems kind of funny, but everyone experiences nausea, stomach upsets, and may even see stars in a hot yoga class. In some ways it’s our fear of feeling this that makes it worse. I try to think that I’m dizzy because the yoga is working. The practice is constantly squeezing the body, and
pushing the blood up to the head. The super high oxygen
levels also can make one feel dizzy. It’s your
choice whether you decide this is a good or a bad
sensation. It’s only a temporary feeling, and the more you
control your breathing, and the stronger your mind, and the
fitter your body gets, the less dizzy you will feel. The
healthier you get from the practice, the more these
symptoms seem to subside. You master your body! Yay
learn more in class!

