I’ve been doing Hot Yoga for a few years and own my very own Hot Yoga studio. It has helped me in many ways not just with my yoga practice but it has also brought me a lot of joy by being a business owner and meeting great people along the way. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with Hot Yoga, as I love heat and yoga.
Today I get to see people from many walks of life come through our studio doors to do Fitness Based Hot Yoga. Some begin with confidence and gusto; others begin with hesitation about what’s to come. All I plan to do as a teacher is give them an inspiring class where they can walk away knowing they’ve had a work out.
I’d like to share some advice on preparing for a Hot Yoga class and maintaining your practice:
- Have a goal in mind and create a plan to work towards them.
- When do you want to lose the weight by? How strong do you want to be? When do you want to be able to reach your toes? Do you want to be able to sit still and be peaceful more often? Think about what is important to you.
- Don’t let small setbacks stop you in your tracks. The number one thing you need to know is that Hot Yoga is challenging! If I haven’t had a good day and my mind is all scattered, I guarantee you, I will find the Hot Yoga class harder than usual. I’ll think it’s hotter than normal and I won’t be able to balance for at least the first half of the class. Once I allow my mind to slow down and I become more present, then things start to flow. Now that’s a setback in the class, let’s say you experience a setback in life eg. Your partner upsets you, you’ve fallen off the bandwagon again and went out partying or you get the flu – keep the momentum going with your fitness, that way you won’t completely stop your practice.
- Make a schedule. I know not all weeks are the same and it can be hard to make time for your fitness, however if you set up your week on a Sunday night and consider what classes you can attend, then it’s fairly straight forward to commit to those times. I recommend using your studio’s booking app if they have one, that way you’ll be able to see in an overview what classes you’ve dedicated yourself to for that week.
