Hellobee

Since the new year is right around the corner — literally look right and she’s there — I wanted to share one of my loves. And like the main loves in my life (my husband and kids), this one also totally changed my life for the better. There are no clothing items, color palettes or styles that will make you feel as good as loving yourself and what you look like – for me keeping my body healthy and happy is number one. So in honor of the new year, I wanted to share my love for moksha yoga (a type of hot yoga), and also some tips to maybe help one of you take the sweaty plunge into hot yoga.

I had always wanted to practice yoga. I even tried it a few times, but not enough to actually say “I do yoga.” I was more into other styles of working out (P90x, Insanity, 30 Day Shred, etc.), but my obsession with those were fleeting and they faded when the 30-90 days were up. I can now proudly say “I do yoga” and it feels way less cheesy and granola-y than I thought it would.

When you fall head over sweaty heels in love with something, it’s really hard not to talk about it a lot. For the past 8 months I have been hooked on sweaty hot yoga, 4-6 times a week wishing it was 7, sorta hooked. The benefits I have noticed in my mind and body have been pretty astounding — no other physical activity has offered so many fantastic positive changes. Here is why am I so head over heels in love with it and some tips from a nervous beginner’s point of view (I was SO nervous and intimated to start).

There are several different types of Hot classes, and when I say ‘Hot Yoga’ I’m lumping together a few types of yoga that are done in a hot room. I mainly attend Moksha Yoga classes (HIGHLY recommend this form, and there are studios all over the world), a few Hot Pilates classes (not yoga, but holy cow what an amazing core work out!) and even a hot Vinyasa class (some studios call this core flow or just flow; it’s awesomely intense).

When I did a search to try and create a list of the different types of hot yoga to help explain and make it easy to choose one to try, it was hard and I am far from being an expert to explain or decipher. There were a shocking amount of different types and styles, so finding one that suits you best might be a bit of trial and error. But personally I would recommended Moksha. I’m no expert, but these are my observations: 1) it is derived from the classic Bikram, but much less structured and more fitness focused (flows and ab work outs included), and 2) it’s very eco and environment focused, which I love.

Getting Started. Some tips on getting started from a former nervous beginner’s point of view.

• Don’t stress if you’ve never been to a yoga class or it’s been years, it’s okay! You will most likely not be the only beginner in the class, even if no one else is admitting it. Before I started going I did a tiny bit of yoga at home, just so I could re-familiarize myself with some of the poses, not that I needed too but it made me feel a bit more confident.
• Drink lots of water all day leading up to your class. It’s not like a pelvic ultrasound where you have to chug tons just before you go – you don’t want to be jumping around trying to hold your pee in. You just need to be hydrated, which means drink those 8 glasses a day. Easy stuff.
• Don’t eat at least an hour before, sorta like swimming. It’s hot in the room and doing anything physical on a full stomach, especially in the heat is no bueno.
• Bring: a mat, a towel to lay on your mat (you can buy special sweat absorbing towels but I have yet to own one), a smaller hand towel to help wipe away facial sweat (I can’t stand when it’s getting in my eyes), a bottle of water, and if you want a clean, dry towel to use for after class if you want to shower. You can usually rent a mat and a towel from any studio, so if you don’t own a mat you can do that.
• Arrive 15 mins early. Then you have time to relax a bit before going in. Sometimes the lead up to doing something new is the most stressful part. Once I’m there I feel better, calmer and you can use the extra time to set yourself up in class so you feel more relaxed when class starts.
• Wear something you feel comfortable moving around and sweating in. I find clothing that is a bit more fitted, that pulls the sweat away from your body works best. Lots of shops sell “yoga clothing” but not all of them have the sweat pulling away properties. Lululemon (though a bit pricey) has by far the best hot yoga clothes, in my opinion.
• Once you enter the room, set up quietly and then lay down (feet pointed to the back of the room). Start to breathe slowly and relax. The initial heat shock fades and you get used to it pretty quickly. Getting used to the heat does not mean you still don’t sweat like crazy. Also while we are talking about laying down, if at anytime during class you feel a bit too hot or dizzy, go back to the mat and lay down or go to child’s pose. Even expert yogis have moments when they need to do this, so don’t push it too hard.
• Breathe! I find the room much cooler, I sweat less and my balance, ability to hold postures and not feel the burn is MUCH better when I concentrate on my breath over everything else.

 Benefits. The major benefits I have personally noticed.

• Number one for me is it’s alone time. This is HUGE. I’m a WAHM, so I rarely get a moment alone. My Moksha classes are alone time, fitness and relaxation all balled into one. I don’t think there is anything else I have ever done that has offered so much in a 60-90 min time frame. Finding time can be tough but SO worth it. I usually wake up extra early and go to a 6:30 AM class. Then I’m home during breakfast and before my husband has to go to work.
• I’m naturally a very anxious, stressed out person – something I’m pretty good at hiding. Yoga helps to calm and center me, so I have to fake looking calm less. Attending class in the morning is my favorite; I am able to take the relaxation away from class and use it all day.
• Strength and toning. In 8 months of yoga, I have noticed maybe a bit slower toning from when I was doing aerobic or weight work outs. My arms are becoming more defined and my strength is not just weight lifting strength; it’s core, back, arms, legs, and full body strength. I find the change is slower (yoga works deeper muscle tissues, so it take more time to see), but for me it’s easier to maintain and in the end I’m stronger. Also, there are added benefits of increased flexibility, stretched muscles and balance – all things that have improved my daily life tremendously.
• Inches lost. Technically you could call this weight loss – personally I have just noticed my clothes FIT differently, better and some inches lost means some clothing is falling off. This is one of those things that would be different for each person I think.
• I am not a scientist (nor do I play one on tv), so I can’t say for sure that these benefits are results everyone will experience, but for me my skin is much healthier (I had a major teenage acne break out when I first started, but huge improvements otherwise), my allergies are much more bearable (a morning class helps to sweat off the symptoms that came overnight), that horrible monthly visitor is still horrible but not as nightmarish (cramps are little to none and the time length is drastically shorter), sleep has also been much smoother and less of a fight (before even though I’d be exhausted, I just couldn’t sleep).
• Generally, it’s hard to explain without sounding like a total cheese ball – I just feel like a better me: I’m stronger, I breathe deeper and more clearly, I’m more understanding towards myself and others because I’m calm), my anxiety levels are much lower and anxiety itself is much easier to control, I have more energy, and am way stronger to go on longer walks, runs and vigorous playtime with my kids.
• I find I treat my body and mind much better after attending yoga regularly: drinking more water, eating better, being kinder and more understanding towards myself, which in turn means I’m kinder and more understanding to everyone else. I feel good so naturally I make good choices (this one is hard to explain).

Trying to find affordable ways. This for me was the biggest downfall of falling in love with yoga. It’s flipping expensive!

• Most studios have an introductory month special. The studio I practice at, Moksha Yoga Uptown has a $40 unlimited intro package for new people (in fact I think all Moksha yoga studios offer this). Considering a single class costs about $20, this is a pretty great way to get started.
• Memberships. Moksha studios offer an auto renewal membership (payments automatically come off your credit card each month). This is usually significantly lower than buying on a class by class or even month by month basis. Similar to a gym membership.
• Energy Trade. Every studio is different, but the idea is, you work for a few hours (doing general cleaning, etc) and get a certain amount of yoga classes for free (at Moksha Studios, it’s a 3 hour weekly shift for unlimited free yoga). A pretty awesome trade.
• Hot yoga clothes. This is one I haven’t really found a way around – yet. You need something that you will feel comfortable sweating and working out in; something that pulls the sweat away from your body is preferable. Lululemon, in my experience has the best clothes for hot yoga, but they are by far the worst in price.

If you’ve ever been interested or curious, I obviously highly recommend trying hot yoga, or any type of yoga (if doing any sort of activity in a heated room does not sound like your cup of tea, try a non heated yoga class!). I also suggest giving yoga more then one try. Sometimes the first time you feel super discouraged – but it gets easier and better with every class, promise! If there is anything I didn’t cover, that you would like to know about. please leave a comment!

Are you a yoga or hot yoga fan?