Feeling Hot Hot Hot!
Hot Yoga is... Hot!
I first walked into a Hot Yoga studio over 12 years ago.
If you’re not aware, Hot Yoga is a type of yoga that is practiced in a room heated to around 40 degrees Celsius. The heat helps to warm up your muscles and joints, making it easier to stretch and move your body. It also helps to increase your heart rate and stimulate your circulation.
Back in the day, these classes were 90 minutes long, humid as hell and the teaching style was very strict. They would only let you drink water at certain intervals, they wouldn’t let you leave the room, and it seemed like you were being shouted at the whole time.
I remember how much it blew me away. At the time, I’d never done anything like it or felt the way I felt after the class. I’m pretty sure I even gave up caffeine (for about 3 days haha!)
I told some of my friends about it and they laughed and said, “It’s a bit late for that isn’t it?!”
Well, I stuck with it (on and off), until I eventually stumbled across Vinyasa – which I became obsessed with and effectively got me to where I am now.
Over the years I’ve been practicing and teaching yoga, I’ve had a pretty varied relationship with Hot Yoga. I’ve loved it. I’ve hated it. And I’m pretty sure at one point, I swore I would never do it again!
But it’s something I like. And it’s something I teach regularly.
And I like teaching it.
To be fair, the way it is taught has come a long way from the old days. Most classes are only 60 minutes long, which makes it far easier to manage. And most teachers these days have a more modern and nuanced understanding and delivery of the sequence. They don’t shout so much as actually teach you.
Some studios these days use other names to describe it such as 26&2 and don’t heat the room to anywhere near 40 degrees. Which is fine - a hot room isn’t for everyone.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still hard as hell and the sequence hasn’t changed – but in my opinion, the modern approach to hot yoga is much healthier and safer than it used to be.
Which finally gets me to my point.
As a yoga teacher who also trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), I know firsthand the importance of keeping my body flexible and moving well. After intense BJJ training sessions, I constantly find myself feeling stiff and tight, which can limit my range of motion and increases my risk of injury.
Hot Yoga is actually an amazing practice alongside my BJJ training - it's almost as if it was designed as a therapeutic practice specifically for BJJ players. The sequence, the heat and the discipline make it the perfect accompaniment.
So I’ve come full circle, back to really appreciating my hot yoga practice.
And yes – any yoga for anyone is almost definitely going to be a good thing. But if you're looking to add some variety to your yoga practice, or if you're an athlete looking for a way to keep your body feeling loose and limber, I highly recommend giving hot yoga a try. It's a challenging and rewarding practice that can help you build strength, increase flexibility, improve strength at range of mobility and cultivate a greater sense of focus and well-being.
Hot Yoga is Cool ;)
** If you’re yoga teacher looking to learn how to teach Hot Yoga, check out TYA’s one-on-one Hot Yoga teacher training here or enquire here
