[getfitchicks]

A yoga studio just opened next to my office and the other day they were handing out "Free class" cards so a co-worker and I decided to give hot yoga a try at lunch. It was fantastic! a 45 minute class, geared towards beginners - advanced so every move was "doable" and I felt great afterwards!

I have no idea how many calories I burned - I was sweating because of the temperature of the room but the moves weren't overly strenuous - but it was fun!

[bethbeth]

I've heard people doing this lately, and am curious about it. Good for you for trying it out!
How hot is it? Can you breathe in it? Do you know how they heat the room?

[kiramira]

Oohh! I know!!!!
Hi guys! I've been doing Hot Yoga since February of this year, so while completely NOT an expert, I have a little experience with it!

Now, there are different kinds of Hot Yoga -- ranging from Vinyasa Hot Yoga (Power or Flow Yoga) to Hatha Yoga in a hot room to Bikram's Yoga which is very structured and a 90 minute class.

The Hot Room is heated to anywheres between 95-105F, depending on the class. Some studios do "warm Yoga" but call it "hot Yoga" and heat the room to only 85F. The studios are heated and humidified through portable humidifiers and a central heating system. You need to bring a yoga mat with you and a big yoga or bath towel to put over the yoga mat to mop up your sweat, cause you ARE gonna sweat! Also, you want to wear a sports top (I wear a sports bra and a light sleeveless cover top) and spandex-type wicking shorts (lots wear booty shorts. I wear modest mid-thigh ones!!!). You don't want cotton cause it will chafe when wet and will get very very heavy. You also need to be well hydrated cause you're going to sweat!

I do Bikram's Hot Yoga. Bikram basically developed the concept of yoga in a hot room and brought it to the US in the mid 1970s. His program is a rigid 90 minute sequence of 24 poses and 2 breathing exercises. No shortcuts! All of his classes are identical and beginner classes which can be boring for some, but you find the challenge within yourself -- to do the best you can that day -- and if you understand that the sequence was designed to work every part of your body in a specific order for maximum benefits, it is no more "repetitive" than those who do the ellipitical every day, or swim 30 lengths or whatever.

I personally LOVE it. As for calorie counts -- well, there are SO many different reports out there that the best thing to do would be to take a BodyBugg in with you to measure your caloric output.

I do Hot Yoga 4 times a week, and on those days, I have 2 extra WW points because my points tolerance is low. And I don't do Bikram's for weight loss -- I do it to improve my flexibility and balance...

Hope this helps!

Kira

[getfitchicks]

Thanks for all the info. Kira! I felt GREAT today after the yoga yesterday. I will be doing this again for sure!! I'm not very flexible and have a tight right hip which causes my hamstring to tighten when I run. I think doing the yoga will help with that and hopefully make me a better runner as well!

[SweetScrumptious]

I have been doing Bikram Yoga for almost 2 weeks now. It has been something I've been wanting to do for months and finally coughed up the money and got a year pass since it was on sale this month (by a lot). I have improved SOOO much in such the short time I've been going. My balance has been getting better and I'm becoming more flexible (finally can touch my toes). I have a lot of improvement to go but I can't wait for all the positive changes to happen! I sweat a TON but after class... I don't know if I can describe the feeling - but I just feel so relaxed and energized afterwards. Bikram Yoga is my new love