Sweaty Savasana! My First Hot Yoga Experience
What’s the only thing better than 90 minutes of sun salutations and forward bends? 90 minutes of sun salutations and forward bends in a room heated to 90º!!!
I’ve been practicing yoga with on and off regularity for about a year now, both as a means of strengthening my physical body and as a method for calming and focusing my mind. I’ve only ever done yoga in your standard 68º room…that is, until last week.
Enter…HOT VINYASA at Charm City Yoga.
The Hot Vinyasa class I took was 90 minutes long, in a room heated to 90º. It differed slightly from the standard hot yoga – or Bikram yoga – which is taught in a 105º room and follows a standardized, uniform routine. I figured this Hot Vinyasa class would be a nice way to get my feet wet (or should I say sweaty 
) before going full out.
So what did I think?
What I Liked
- On a very basic level, the heated room actually made me feel more comfortable. I’m one of those people who is always cold; I learned long ago to carry a sweater or jacket with me at all times. So stripping down to my workout tank top and not shivering was quite nice! But I realize that I’m a bit bizarre in this regard.
- I am NOT a naturally flexible person, and the fact that I often skip my stretching routine doesn’t help matters. But the heat definitely made my muscles feel more flexible. I was able to go far deeper into the stretches than I usually do, and I enjoyed feeling more bend-y and pliable! 
- Throughout most of the session I felt extremely invigorated. The heat helped to raise my heart rate, and I felt like I could sense my blood pumping, circulating through me. My body just felt more alive – if that makes any sense – and it was a wonderful feeling!
What I Didn’t Like
- As expected, there was a bit of extra perspiration. Honestly, the sweat covering my body didn’t bother me…except for my HANDS. Sweaty hands, I discovered, slip a bit on moves like the downward dog. Putting a towel on my mat helped a little, but still.
- By the end of the 90 minutes, I was SLEEPY!!! And not like “my body feels fatigued from a tough workout” sleepy, but rather “I could really curl up and take a nap” sleepy. 
I had to force myself to stay awake throughout the relaxation poses at the end!
Overall, my experience with Hot Yoga was a great one; I will definitely be taking the class again. In fact, I’m going to try to incorporate a once-weekly class into my 10-mile training schedule, to help stretch my muscles from the longer runs.
Have you ever tried Hot Yoga? If so, did you like it? If not, do you want to?
Themocracy
I have never tried it but want to. It is just so expensive! Like you I am always cold so it sounds tempting…..
Have a great Monday!
I’ve never tried hot yoga, but I’ve also never gone to a class to try yoga either. I’m not a very flexible person and hear it would help with running, but I just haven’t gotten into it yet. I do enjoy pilates though!
I have practiced lots of hot yoga.I have done bikram, which I don’t like, I have done regular hot vinyasa classes and then I have taken Baron Baptiste power vinyasa which is taught in a 90* room. I also took an 8 hour workshop with Baron Baptiste himself and that was crazy hot. I guess because there were 300 people in the room and we were literally mat to mat on all sides. Crazy, but awesome.
Oh, wow, that does sound crazy but awesome!!!
Just found your blog from BranAppetit!
I love hot yoga – for similar reasons. I’m definitely not flexible, and the heat helps so much! Plus, I find afterwards I feel so refreshed
i’ve never tried hot yoga but am TERRIBLE at regular yoga… so it’s probably for the best!
i always feel sleepy after yoga – i’d probably pass out at a hot yoga class!
Hey! I’ve never tried Hot Yoga but I’m a HUGE fan of Vinyasa. Yoga changed my life
xo
Jocelyn
Thanks so much for linking me here! Now that I’m newly interested in yoga I need all the info (and personal reviews) I can get =) I’m with ya on being cold all the time – that’s one of the things I see myself loving about Vinyasa.
I’m definitely going to start out small with some beginner classes, but I can’t wait to give Vinyasa a try. I’ll let you know what I think