How to Prepare For Hot Yoga

Yogis swear by the benefits of hot yoga. In fact, celebrities, athletes and royalty have been seen flocking yoga studios around the globe and this is because anyone can do it!

As soon as you start, you sweat instantly! That’s like detoxification manually because heavy sweating can actually flush toxins from the skin and the body. Working out in a heated room makes your body work harder – perfect for people who are looking for a more intense workout, who want to develop flexibility and strength and who want to tone doing cardiovascular exercises.

In addition to this, hot yoga helps the body to relax, improve breathing and supports the development of better mental concentration and focus.

Hot Yoga Styles

Hot yoga comes in different styles similar to regular yoga and is practiced at certified studios that are usually heated to approx. 36 degrees and more (link to studios). Hot yoga classes can either follow a set of sequences ( 26 postures) or be based around a Vinyasa / flow style class – both focus on building strength and endurance.

How to Prepare For Hot Yoga

If you are planning on trying a class, here are some of the things you need to know. The key here is preparation. To enjoy the benefits as well as the class you should prepare before trying out hot yoga for the first time.

1. Determine the type of class. Bikram and Vinyasa are two different things. Hot Vinyasa classes involve flowing between different postures and are typically taught in rooms heated to around 90 degrees. Bikram on the other hand, focuses in the same 26 postures and lasts for 90 minutes.

2. Don’t forget your towels. You will definitely sweat doing the postures so it’s advisable to bring your own or invest in a special yoga towel.

3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Seriously hydrate yourself hours before your class or you will likely feel bad or event faint while the class is going on. Keep this in mind you will sweat more than you’ve ever sweat in your entire life (especially in Bikram class) so your body needs more fluids than it would for other forms of exercise. Drink a lot of water throughout the day. And Do not eat immediately before class as this will give you a stomach ache.