I did my first hot yoga class

Cathe Friedrich

Cathe Friedrich

Administrator
Took a hot yoga class with my friend today. Wow, that was HOT, but you get used to the heat and then it's ok. That was my first hot yoga class. I enjoyed it :) Who else has done Hot Yoga? Did you like it?
 
What is Hot Yoga? Where do you do it? And how is it different from other yoga? Plus, is this yoga for relaxation , weight loss, stretching?

Veronika
 
Hi Veronika! The class I took today focused on postures that help detoxify the body. I found it different from regular yoga (aside from the fact that the room was 105 degrees) in that there weren't the classic warrior poses, down dog sequences, strength poses, or sun salutation sequences. This class had 26 (or was it 25, hmmmm) poses that focused on proper breathing, balance, flexibility, stress release, meditation, and organ detoxification.

Hot yoga (known as bikram yoga) is a way to detoxify and to remove toxins from your body. It honestly feels as if you are in a sauna. The room is kept this warm to help the body rid itself of waste and impurities through your skin.


It was different. I liked the change but at this point I enjoy the more traditional yoga that I'm used to just a wee bit better.






Burning2 said:
What is Hot Yoga? Where do you do it? And how is it different from other yoga? Plus, is this yoga for relaxation , weight loss, stretching?

Veronika
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Hi Cathe, I have never taken a hot yoga class. Where I live it is always hot. In summer it can get to 104 degrees so I know what it is like to do yoga in the heat. I like the Bikram sequence of poses and like to do non-flowing/non-power styles of yoga at least as often as I do the flowing style.
 
Nice that you tried hot yoga today, Cathe!

I used to do it on a regular basis at a Bikram studio, and I really liked how detoxifying it felt. After several months, a chronic jaw popping/sticking thing that I'd had for years actually disappeared and has never come back! It's been a few years since I've done it; I've been busy with other sports and activities, and I got a little tired of the exact same 26 poses in the exact same order, time after time. The Bikram-trained instructors are even trained to say almost exactly the same thing every time, so after a while it got repetitive.
 
Hi Cathe,

I've considered doing hot yoga, as I really prefer to do yoga when really warmed up (usually after a lot of cardio). But I prefer the style of yoga I'm more used to, so I think what I should do is move to India and hang out with Vee for a while (hi Vee! Mind if I crash on your couch?) or maybe just turn up the heat!
 
Oh I love Bikram Yoga!!!! I try to do it 2-4 times a month. I love how much i sweat!! I literally look like I got soked with a hose but it feels so good sweating out all those toxins! i wore my HRM last time i went and i burned 623 calories!!! YEAH!!! Hot yoga is awesome and everyone should try it once!! :eek:
 
Hi Cathe, before I knew you, I used to do Bikram yoga for a while -- it is tough! I lived in San Francisco then, so it was fairly easy to get to a class, but I moved and since the classes are 90 minutes with an hour round trip drive, that is just too time consuming for me! I am an exclusively at-home exerciser, except when on a Cathe road trip! ;)
 
Vee said:
Hi Cathe, I have never taken a hot yoga class. Where I live it is always hot. In summer it can get to 104 degrees so I know what it is like to do yoga in the heat. I like the Bikram sequence of poses and like to do non-flowing/non-power styles of yoga at least as often as I do the flowing style.
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I hear you Vee! It gets into the 100s here too and we always get a few hot waves of 110-115 every summer. Hot yoga is way easier than cold!
 
Cathe,

One day I would love to try a Hot Yoga class. So far though, there is nothing like that around where I live.

I guess I shouldn't let that stand in my way. Hmmmmm, think I'll check the yellow pages and see what I can find.

Now you got me inspired to do it! LOL:D

Janie
 
I, too, think eventually the same poses over and over would begin to get repetitive on a regular basis. But I love a good sweat so I think once every couple of weeks or so will be fun. I had a very hard time following the poses since the instructor sat at the front of the class in a very high podium chair and looked down at the class and cued with words only. She never got out of her seated pose the whole 90 minutes. Luckily the girl to my left was a regular so I watched her. The hardest part of class was getting into the tougher poses when I was a slippery wet fish :) My legs and arms just slipped away from one another on some of those intertwined postures.
 
Cathe, I can only imagine how freaked out I would be to be any kind of instructor with you in my class - I'd be afraid to move too!
 
I did Bikram for awhile and loved it. It was tough but I always felt wonderful afterwards. I had to drive 45 minutes to get to class, then 90 minutes for the class and 45 more to get back home so it became too much.
 
We have a hot yoga studio nearby with a fabulous instructer named Rob, who discovered hot yoga while coaching college volleyball. He lost 30 pounds then went through the very tough training in California to become certified.

I go not often enough, everytime I go I feel great but I can't seem to commit. I highly recommend it during MESO 3!!! Personally, I like knowing the 27 poses and what is coming next, and I love that there is no downward facing dog!!

Glad you enjoyed it Cathe!!
 
Cathe,
You can get the same slippery feeling after a Cathe DVD workout and it does not have to be 105 degrees. I know, I've been doing Cathe for 4 years now.
There is nothing like that here in my neck of the woods. But, maybe when I'm in the Woodlands with you in October I'll try to find a place. My family is planning on making this a family vacation.
Veronika
 
I really like hot yoga, but I really don't like Bikram after I read his beginner yoga book. Ugh, what a horrid person - he insults the people who take his class in front of everyone! And then writes about it in his book. The more I learned about him the less I liked him - so much so that I don't want any of my money to go to him - extreme, I know. And I no longer take hot yoga.

But I live in Hawaii in an un-air conditioned house so I can do hot yoga most afternoons in my own house (ha ha).

Yea, that is how Birkram yoga seems to work, the instructors don't do the poses. At the studio where I went, the instructors wore microphones, too.

I think of Hot yoga as almost the antithesis of yoga - it is the most "competitive" yoga I have ever participated in.

The classes are always really packed, so it is wildly popular here.
 
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macbeanur said:
I really like hot yoga, but I really don't like Bikram after I read his beginner yoga book. Ugh, what a horrid person - he insults the people who take his class in front of everyone! And then writes about it in his book. The more I learned about him the less I liked him - so much so that I don't want any of my money to go to him - extreme, I know. And I no longer take hot yoga.
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Yes, besides just getting tired of the same routine, I was also turned off by Bikram's arrogance. He has openly insulted other forms of yoga, claiming that his yoga is the only "real" yoga. It's hard to not let his attitude taint the experience.
 
I would have to agree with this too. Hot yoga lost some of it's lustre after reading more about him and his arrogance. I also think the instructors should be able to instruct while doing the poses themselves, maybe not holding them as long but at least to show the movement. I like to know that an instructor is capable of doing what they are asking me to do and I can't imagine why someone would want to be an instructor (and from my understanding they pay quite a bit for the privilege) if they aren't going to participate But.. I did enjoy the classes and loved the way I felt afterwards and it's such an ego boost to know I completed it without dying in the process. :)

What would be truly awesome is if Cathe found a way to bring hot yoga into our livingrooms. :) I believe if it can be done, she's the one to do it. What about it Cathe?
 
I'm going to give this a try next month! The studio offers a local intro offer of $29 unlimited for one month :eek: (regular prices is $150 a month for unlimited classes). I figure I'll get a good feel for it and then I can see if I want to make it a regular part of my routine. Here's to sweating!
 
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