Man, I love hot yoga — but that wasn’t always the case. I attended my first class about seventeen years ago and had a shitty experience with a judgmental teacher. I went to class with my sister and at the end of class, the teacher praised her profusely and encouraged her to come back. Then she looked at me. I had struggled with the poses and left the room mid-class because I thought I was going to die. She sneered at me and walked away.
I was in my twenties and pretty damn insecure. That bitchy teacher got to me and convinced me that I did not belong in a hot yoga studio.
Except over the years, I could not escape the nagging feeling that I was supposed to be doing hot yoga. Especially after I moved to Pasadena and regularly drove past my local studio. After I had kids, the nagging idea amplified until it became an inner call that I could not ignore. So in 2019, I started attending classes and was getting my momentum going when 2020 came and you all know how that went. But when restrictions on exercise studios eased up, I returned. Now I consider myself a bona fide hot yogi.
These are some of the reasons I love hot yoga:
- I get a full body workout. Cardio, strength training and stretching for every part of my body.
- The practice has helped me build and deepen my body-mind connection. (Update: I blogged more about that in this post.)
- I sweat out the crazy.
- And toxins.
- The heat and humidity help me get deeper into the stretches.
- Hot yoga is not a contest – but I am the worst. Kidding aside, yoga is not my wheelhouse! I’ve never been naturally flexible. When I go to hot yoga, I get to be bad at something which is so beneficial for this recovering perfectionist.
- In addition to the full body workout, it’s a meditative practice that calms my nerves.
- My hot yoga teachers are very encouraging and positive. They have changed my inner monologue, making it gentler and kinder.
- My teachers tell us to explore our bodies and see what we can do today. Can we reach the toes? Or not yet? They constantly repeat the phrase “not yet” which has really helped me cultivate a growth mindset.
- It makes my body feel so damn good! Before I started hot yoga, I suffered from back and shoulder pain all the time. Now, I experience that pain rarely and when I do, it goes away quickly.
As much as I love hot yoga, I will never try to convince anyone to try a class because it’s not for everyone. (You have to be a little crazy). But it’s definitely for me! I’m so glad I got over my first negative experience and found a studio that welcomes all bodies, no matter their natural flexibility.