Why Add the Heat? 5 Incredible Benefits of Practicing Hot Yoga Regularly
Yoga is for everyone. We believe this is true. There are so many different styles of yoga and such a wide range, from restorative Yin to fast-paced Vinyasa, holding poses for long periods and relaxing completely into each posture, to moving with the breath. Slow flow, strength-based, relaxed, long holds, movement with the breath, seated, balanced, upside down, right side up. I could go on. There is a yoga practice, a form, for everyone. It may take a bit of exploration, trying out new places, getting out of your comfort zone, and doing things you never thought you would. However, we do believe everyone can find something that fits them. That strikes a chord and hits a sweet spot that makes you say, “Yes, this is for me.”
This post is to help you in your journey of exploration. Maybe you have tried a few different yoga styles by now. Perhaps you haven’t tried any. Maybe you are already a hot yoga addict and want to learn more. Here we will give you a little peek into a hot yoga studio and what’s happening in the body and mind. How is the heat helping you? Here you will find five benefits of Hot Yoga. Here is why we like to crank up the heat here at Dóttir Hot Yoga studios:
1. Increased flexibility
Is flexibility a problem for you? Do the poses feel uncomfortable because your body feels so tight? Hot yoga can help! When you raise the temperature a bit (up to 35°C in our infrared heated studios), your muscles naturally warm up faster than at average room temperature. The heat allows your muscles to relax and even more to loosen up. The heat in a hot yoga class will enable you to get even deeper into postures than you were before. And man, does it feel good. Really good!
2. Detox and sweat out toxins
The yoga hall is 35°C, and you’re movin’ and groovin’, flowing with the breath, from planks to chairs, to lunges, to hopping back into chatarunga, to stepping forward into a fold. You’re moving and twisting. You’re sweating. In a hot yoga class, there is naturally so much more sweat than in a regular yoga class. It feels intense, and it feels so incredible. A frozen towel placed over your forehead at the end of the class helps you cool down and fully relax the body. After the hot yoga class, a fresh-pressed juice replenishes fluids and electrolytes. You feel entirely cleansed, and you’ve rid yourself of many toxins. Hot yoga is detoxification at its finest.
3. Increased metabolism & Caloric Burn
We have lots of different styles of hot and warm yoga classes at our studio, but if you have stepped into yoga sculpt or power vinyasa class, you can expect to use strength and work up more of a sweat than usual. Your heart will be beating a little harder, and your body will be working at a higher intensity. The added heat in the room causes your body to work a little bit harder to cool it back down actively. Your metabolism will be revved. Cue weight loss, high calorie burn, and a massive boost in confidence.
4. Improve Mindfulness & Alleviated Anxiety
The heat brings a whole new concentration and focus to a class. You can feel the intensity in the air. You are mindfully present, so caught in the moment, your mind doesn’t want to leave and wander off the mat. The heat in the air causes your heart to pump a little harder, you breathe a bit faster, and you focus on the breath even more. Yet, the mind is calm; the mind is clear, present on your mat. If you would like to know more about how hot yoga can serve as relief to stress then we recommend reading this blog post about hot yoga and anxiety.
5. A Stronger Immune System
This point can be a blog post in itself. We heat our studio using infrared heaters. Infrared heaters prove the most beneficial way of heating a room for a yoga practice. This infrared heating method heats your body from the inside out, beneath the skin, stimulating blood flow annd helping lower your blood pressure. This heating system has an incredible effect on the body and mind, including oxygenating your organs and helping alleviate anxiety and stress. Find a healthy body & healthy mind in hot yoga.
We have various membership options at the studio to fit all types of schedules and desires. We hope to see you at the studio soon!