Happy Friday everyone! Now I don’t know you. But one of the things I’m trying to do more of this year. Is to be healthier. Be nicer to myself. And try new things. And one of those new things I’ve tried recently is Hot Yoga. Now I’m sure you’ve all heard about Hot Yoga before. It’s essentially yoga in a room heated to about 95 degrees – what could be better?! But before you let the heat put you off. It’s well worth a try. Now I’m sure most of you would have heard of the the zen yogi-bliss that yoga induces. Well hot yoga amplifies that feeling. I recently went along to a Hot Yoga class at the Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre in St Albans and loved it! The instructor was fab and the group quite small. But I think it’s my new fitness addiction. So here are 5 reasons why you should try hot yoga:
It burns calories. A lot of calories!
So a standard hour-long yoga session will burn a between 150 and 300 calories. But, a hot yoga class can burn between 460 – 600 calories. Impressive right? Well the heat puts more of a demand on your body so you end up burning more calories. I’m sure I probably sweat out at least 300 calories a session – gross I know!
Flexibility
Now a regular yoga class will help with general flexibility. But the heat from a hot yoga class is even better for your muscles. It allows you, no matter what your experience, to stretch that little bit deeper. And hold poses that you might find more challenging in a normal temperature yoga class.
Stress relieving
Not only does the heat relax the muscles in your body. But the heat also relaxes your mind. Which means you can focus on your breath a lot easier. And when you focus on your breathing and the moves ahead of you. You’re not thinking about the other things that would normally stress you out.
Detoxifying
Now it’s no secret that you will sweat during a hot yoga class. And you will probably sweat a lot. But you know what. It’s one of the nicest feelings! At the end of the class I feel lighter. My head feels clearer and just generally detoxed of my worries.
Feel good factor
And the final reason you should try a hot yoga class? Well because of all the feel good endorphin’s! There’s a science behind feeling so zen on the mat. And that’s because yoga focuses on a total mind-body connection. I normally finish the class feeling sweaty (obviously) but also on a bit of a high.
You can see a full list of Hot Yoga classes at the Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre in St Albans here.
Have you ever tried hot yoga before? Would you want to?
As always thank you to Kaye for taking these pictures!