Have you ever considered doing yoga in a 104-degree room? Yes I know it sounds crazy, but the benefits are well worth it. Hot yoga (also known as Bikram Yoga) beginning series classes run for 90 minutes and consist of twenty-six postures and two breathing exercises. Here are some of my top reasons why I think everyone should try hot yoga.
1. FULL BODY DETOX
When doing Bikram Yoga, your body will certainly go through a detoxification process. You sweat like crazy, so your body is forced to flush out many toxins.
2. BUILD STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY
The postures incorporated in any yoga workout are great for developing strength and flexibility. It’s a great cardiovascular workout that gets all of your major muscle groups involved. My favorite posture for this is the fixed firm pose.
3. TONE AND LENGTHEN
The stretching techniques featured in the Bikram postures are designed to lengthen your muscles and will surely tone you up as you gain strength. I managed to lose 7lbs within three to four days by doing Bikram Yoga and eating healthy balanced meals. I definitely slimmed down and toned up a lot when practicing Bikram Yoga regularly. Even my co-workers noticed and would compliment me and say things like you look very slim and tone.
The added bonus here is that yoga is a very mindful practice. It is an exercise of focus and concentration as much as it is one of strength and agility. The practice teaches you to pay attention to your body and notice the incremental improvements you make from session to session. This is especially important since it’s a challenging, hot environment and you need to know your limits!
A few of my favorite postures are the standing bow pose, and the dead body pose. Standing bow pose brings out the maximum concentration in me that I try to apply to my everyday life. The dead body pose is one that helps me to meditate and relax my body/mind to help refresh my spirit.
Keep in mind that Bikram Yoga is intense because of the heat but it’s all about your approach to the workout. It’s more of a mental battle then anything else. You have to learn how to relax and embrace the heat during your postures. Focus on breathing normally to help with the postures, and always take breaks when needed. Allow your body and mind to become one so that your concentration is at a high level. In other words, if you think positively during your workout your body will follow suit with good results. The more you make this a practice, the more improvement you will see. And don’t forget, it’s essential to hydrate before, during and after class!