After hearing about hot yoga for months from Rita, Oyler, and Lisa... I finally tried it the other day... and LOVED it. I had taken a yoga class at NCSU a few years ago, and it was ok. While I saw the benefits of yoga in terms of improving flexibility and core strength, the class was slow-paced and we spent way too much time "breathing" (yeah, can you imagine me sitting still and being quiet for longer than 10sec?!?). Plus, I was always cold and the "soothing" music they played drove me nuts... felt like I was listening to a zen icecream truck or something!
While we did start the hot yoga class with breathing exercises, we quickly moved in to ~45min of standing exercises and ~45min of mat exercises. I was never cold, and I found this actually helped because (1) it is easier to stretch warm muscles and (2) it is easier to balance when you are not shivering. Another neat thing- we practiced bringing our heart rate down after a series of exercises (kind of like interval training at the track). It was the first yoga class that I actually felt like I got a workout out of, and would definitely recommend it for cross-training!
So, if you're thinking about trying hot yoga, here's a list of suggestion: (1) bring a towel to cover your yoga mat + an extra towel (you sweat a lot), (2) bring a water bottle, and (3) wear light clothing (spandex shorts are also a good idea). I would also recommend the Open Door Yoga studio (it's on W. Johnson St.) #20
yay, Meghan Im so glad you liked it. and you feel the effects 24 hours later as well, but i wouldn't recommend going to yoga and then trying to pay attention in class, it somehow just puts me to sleep:)
ReplyDeletehaha... running at 5:45 in the morning has that effect on me!!!
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