Who's tried it? Love it? Hate it? Anyone bigger who's practicing? I have over 120 pounds to lose and I'm interested in starting up - I've done crossfit at this size so I think I should be able to hack it...right? I'm supposed to try it out at 6:00 tomorrow as long as I get off of work on time!

Any tips from all you experienced athletes out there?

Other people swear by it but I didn't like it. I don't like being hot... and I don't particularly like yoga, so that might have been my first clue.

I think I would have liked it a lot better if it had been shorter in duration. Thirty to sixty minutes. Ninety minutes was just too long for me.

It seems to be a love or hate kind of thing.

There's some concern that, because of the heat, you might be able to stretch further than you really should go, which could cause injuries. Some people also end up light headed from the heat. You may want to ease into it slowly to avoid some of those pitfalls, and be careful not to overstretch to prevent injuries.

I didn't like it... But it really was the studios that I didn't care for... the classes were too big and studios just weren't well suited to that practice... and 90 minutes was a bit much... 60 minute yoga sessions suit me better... So some friends and I found a yoga instructor who does private sessions for us in her private studio that has a heated floor and less humid, more gentle heat that I really like... Maybe not as hardcore as Hot yoga, but since I like to do yoga just to stretch and relax and not as a "workout" that works for me...

Definitely take it easy at first, pace yourself, and enjoy yourself...

I hated it, honestly. I usually love yoga - it tends to center and calm me and I'm usually sore afterwards.

Honestly the studio I went to had great people, smaller class size and a really wonderful instructor. But I felt absolutely horrible doing it, especially for 90 minutes. I was sick about 75% of the time. At one point one of the workers had to bring me in a water with an emergen-c packet poured in it to help. And I wasn't overdoing it. I started getting sick almost immediately after we started warming up.

Needless to say I won't be going back. But I have friends who have tried it and loved it - one of whom weighs more than I do. It's definitely a personal preference. I think since I despise being hot, it probably was a terrible choice. But you kudos to anyone who likes it. I heard it really is great for you.

LOVE hot yoga. Though I prefer my 60-min hot class versus Bikram. However, I will do Bikram in a pinch if I have to.

First of all, make sure you drink TONS of water ALL DAY LONG the day you are going to do yoga. Chugging a few liters an hour before you have to go isn't a good idea. For me, if I'm pouring sweat onto my mat and off my body, that's a sign that I haven't drank enough water that day. I drink at least 3-4 liters, often more.

Secondly, replace electrolytes. Probably a good idea not to drink them during the class because you might feel nauseous, but drinking them afterwards (emergen-C or coconut water) is a good idea.

Third, take it slow! Just because the people around you are hard core doesn't mean you have to be. If you push too hard you will feel nauseous, dizzy, lightheaded.

Your body will give you signs when something is wrong, listen to it!

I have managed to completely shape my body (and my entire life!) with hot yoga only (I do no other exercise other than walk everywhere). I love it so much. I hope you do too!

And remember, if you're not fond of Bikram, try a 60-minute hot class if it's offered instead.

LOVE BIKRAM

Only thing that helped me recovery after a car accident. Toned everywhere, breathe and sleep easier. More focused, relaxed, flexible.

I'm Muslim, so I cover head to toe when I am there and you will get used to the heat. It's all about controlling your mind and just being ok with it. If you can be relaxed and "cool" there, you can be anywhere!

Tonight will be day 3 of my 30 day challenge (at least what I can get in before the last semester of school starts).

I'm also doing Insanity, which is probably the worst idea to do them together, but it just kinda happened that way!

Hydrate, get your electrolytes, and just breath. The first week is the hardest.

So I thought I'd update since I finally made it to my first class! I remembered to hydrate all day long and that was clearly a very good idea - I never had the overwhelming urge to drink water during the class. I kind of wavered back and forth between feeling AMAZING and feeling nauseated/dizzy, so whenever I started to feel bad I sat down on my mat or just lay down in savasana. The instructor told me the goal for the first class was to stay in the room the whole time, so I didn't feel too bad about missing a few poses, and everyone seemed to be really focused on what they were doing and not worrying that I was skipping out on a bit of it

However, when I got home I felt TRASHED - nauseated, starving, shaky and generally ill. It took me a 25 minute crash nap and two hours of rest to feel semi-normal again, though eating helped a LOT. Of course, when I did crossfit I felt like this after the first day of that, too, but felt ridiculously good the next morning, so I'm hoping for a really good morning tomorrow. Either way, I'll be going back at least 4-5 more times before I make a firm decision about it - I definitely get the impression that my body needs time to adjust!

YAY! i'm glad you had a good (or semi good) first experience. Yes, I will definitely get a blood sugar crash if I don't eat enough before I go. They say to not eat anything 2 hours before the class, but I'm fine with eating 1-1.5 hours before, as long as it's not something tomato-y or too crazy. I feel like you NEED a good meal before you go to class because you expend so much energy.

The nausea/dizzy during class will go away (although after a year of practicing I still can get it). I take that as a sign I'm working way harder than my body can handle so I just really slow it down and just BREATHE at that point if that happens to me in class.

As for the post yoga crazy tired EXHAUSTED feeling, that will go away in a few weeks or a month if you do it regularly. I remember when I started hot yoga I would stumble home and literally barely be able to take off my clothes and all i wanted to do was go to bed. after a few months I have so much energy after yoga when I get home I can cook and clean for hours before I relax.

So I would say, as it sounds like you are open to it, give it some time for your body to adjust, and then welcome to feeling AMAZING!

Did you get the post yoga high the next day? ;-)

Ha! I would still call it a good experience! I hadn't had anything to eat for 6+ hours by the time I went to class, so next class I'm definitely going to at least have a snack 2-3 hours beforehand to stave off the CRAZY post-class hunger!

Good to know! I don't mind budgeting time for crashing after class for a month or so, but obviously it's not something I'd want to do forever! I actually didn't feel that bad immediately after class - I was pretty chipper in the locker room and holding conversation, etc. - but when I got home I felt like I'd been put through the wringer. I'm wondering if I cooled down way too fast and that contributed to making me feel as bad as I did, as it was pretty cold last night.

I DID feel pretty darn good today - definitely sore in all the right ways! I'm going back on Friday. How many times a week do you practice? I'm aiming for 4-5 but could probably work an extra day in here and there.

I practice minimum 4 times weekly, although if my weekend schedule was different and the studio was closer would probably practice 5 or 6 times.

omg I can't believe you did your first class after not eating for 6+ hours! I would have died!

I'm pretty hefty and started doing Bikram last year. I actually gained weight on it - although I got smaller. But boy was it amazing! Really helped me heal some old aches and pains and improve flexibility. (I'm really inflexible). Sometimes I hate being the biggest person in the room, but most of the time I don't worry about it.

I also completed a 30 day challenge last summer. But then I quit going for a while :-(

I've started going back again recently, but I'm only going once a week. It's good stuff.

My biggest tip is it doesn't matter WHAT you do as long as your knee is locked and your BREATH is in control. Keep going if your breath is good even if your heart is racing or you feel knackered. If your breath is bad, stop and rest. Don't worry about how far you can go into a stretch. Just worry about doing the best you can.