About one year ago, my best friend asked me if I wanted to try hot yoga with her. It was something we had contemplated for a while, but they were having a special where we got unlimited hot yoga plus hot barre classes for 30 days, and the offer was too good not to give a whirl. So even though the weather was still cold outside, I dressed in a loose tank top, grabbed a towel, and headed to yoga.
One of the first questions I get when talking about hot yoga, is how hot is it really? The studio I practiced at kept the yoga rooms between 98-104 degrees, and their barre rooms between 85-95. So…really warm. Is it uncomfortable? Yes. I’m not someone who sweats easily, or a lot for that matter. Hot yoga is a whole different story. My friend and I took a photo after our first session…and quickly deleted it. Ain’t no one want to see that. There is nothing you can do after your session than race home and shower. The small hand towel I grabbed for my first session was immediately upgraded to a larger towel, which still got soaked during class. By the time your warm up is done (basic stretches, nothing typically too strenuous) the sweat is already there, then you have to really get into your workout. It’s crazy. But also pretty darn good for you. I’m a big believer in saunas, so to basically have a trip to a sauna while getting in a workout…that sounded pretty all right by me!
We did try a few hot barre classes during our month as well, but we mostly stuck with yoga. Barre is like a ballet barre, and you would incorporate stretches and workout moves with the barre some of the time, other times we used props like hand weights and thigh toners or did just floor exercises. All while in an extremely warm room! I enjoyed the classes, but it was easy for me to tell I just preferred yoga.
I was fairly new to yoga at this time, and that made it really hard for me to sign up for that first class. I didn’t know a lot of yoga poses, I wasn’t what I would consider extremely flexible, and I was going to be working out in a hot room…can you tell why I wasn’t enthusiastic? It made a huge difference having a partner, because she kept me motivated to keep going back to class and I like to think I probably did the same for her. It was a little less scary walking into a room where the others already knew each other and the instructor, and the crazy yoga pose names like crow, pigeon and scorpion, with a friend by my side. I’m really grateful for those classes, because as some of you may know, that same friend and myself started The Cheeky Chicks, and committed to daily yoga practice as of September 2014. We have an Instagram page dedicated to our practice together, and we have a blast with one another pushing ourselves and continually learning and growing with yoga. I’m not sure we would have had the motivation and drive to do such a thing if we had not first taken ourselves out of our comfort zone and tried something new and different with hot yoga. And now…we have a lot of ideas for 2015, and are excited to bring them to you.
With the start of the new year, it’s a time to think of new goals (I prefer those over resolutions) and think of what you want to achieve within the year. While it certainly may not be hot yoga or anything fitness related, I hope this post makes you think about that question. I encourage you to talk to those around you. You never know who might have a similar idea or goal, and you can team up to do it together. Whatever your goals may be, I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015. Make it great!
The Cheeky Chicks
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Twitter: @cheekytimestwo
I was fairly new to yoga at this time, and that made it really hard for me to sign up for that first class. I didn’t know a lot of yoga poses,