5 Tips for Hot Yoga
Hot yoga can be a challenge even for the fittest athletes. When you spend 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees, performing different postures, it will feel like you are working out in the desert.
So why is hot yoga such a popular exercise amongst yogis? Most yogis who do hot yoga find that the heat enables them to stretch their body more and have a more intense workout.
Hot yoga is not a sport for the fainthearted, nevertheless, you can try and challenge yourself through this workout and learn to master the heat by preparing yourself well with the following five things.
1) Nourishment
During class, the heat can make you feel dizzy and even nauseous, so you should refrain from eating 2 to 3 hours before class. What you should do during this time, and for the matter, throughout the day, before class, is to drink as much as possible, so that you will be fully hydrated and your body will be able to cope despite all of the sweating you will be doing.
More than just a mat to do the postures on, you will need towels during this class. With all of that sweat, placing a towel on your mat is a way of keeping your mat as clean as possible. Besides that, you will also need a towel to dry the sweat off your face and shoulders whenever you can.
3) Clothing
You may love your loose fitting t-shirts but for hot yoga, opting for figure hugging pieces is ideal for performing the postures in the heat. Go for pieces that hug your body so that you won’t need to fix yourself every few minutes. Invest in breathable pieces so that you can help your body cope with the heat.
4) Listen to your body
With all that heat in the room, expect to feel dizzy during this workout. Although yogis recommend that you ease such discomfort through proper breathing, you should never push yourself too much. If you feel sick, you should stop until you feel better. Yoga is not about pushing yourself to the breaking point but about getting yourself to the edge of your limit without causing pain to your body. Never feel pressured to keep going when you are not feeling well.
5) Class
When going for your first hot yoga class, make sure you go there early so that you can take your time and get used to the heat of the room. Once class is over, do take a few minutes before you head home in your car as you might still be light headed from all of that heat.
What about you? Have you ever taken a hot yoga class? What tips would you have for first-timers? Post in the comments and let us know.
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