Verdict on Hot Yoga

Now I know what Dhalsim meant when he said “Yoga fire”! (random street fighter II reference..!)

When Carolyn and I first entered the room, (oh by the way, our yoga class was at Moksha Yoga – http://www.mokshayogabloorwest.com/index.htm) several people had already set their mats up and were ready to go. When all was said and done, I’d guess that there were about 40-45 people taing this 90 minute hot yoga class. The temperature was set at around 37 degrees celcius (approx 99 degrees fahrenheit). I’ve never sweated so much in my life! The sweat was literally dripping from my face to the point that I had to wipe the sweat out of my eyes. I loved doing the poses and some of them were really challenging for my underworked body.

It wasn’t really yucky hot aka humid, but it was hot. Only myself and Carolyn made it to class on time as the others got held up. I didn’t matter much as this wasn’t a social class anyways. I’m glad Carolyn was there as she has done Yoga before and I really haven’t. It was nice to be able to look over and see Carolyn there doing the poses…then I knew to copy her! 🙂

Some poses, while I didn’t feel tired or unwell, I simply could not do. They weren’t overly complicated or anything, but they involved me sitting in a certain way or doing something with my hip or my knee…and my body just isn’t having that. I cannot sit perfectly cross legged. I cannot sit on my knees either. Basically, anything that puts direct pressure on my left hip or right knee caused me problems. I did what ever modified version there was of that pose or I just lied down on my back. I won’t lie: I had to step outside of the class for a few minutes for fear that I might pass out. When I got outside and looked at the clock, it was 9:22 and class ended at 9:30pm. I was pretty happy with myself as I made it pretty far! The heat of the room apparently helps relax tight muscles and allows you to stretch even further than you thought you might be able to. I agree.

I feel a little sore now. Class was over 2 and a half hours ago or so. I hope I’m ok to get up and go to work tomorrow. But I really did enjoy this Yoga class and will certainly go again. I felt great right after the class was over. I felt an energy and revitalization that I haven’t felt in a long time. If you go to the FAQ section of the Moksha Yoga website, you’ll get some answers to questions that I also had prior to going in. Click here to check it out: http://www.mokshayogabloorwest.com/hy-faq.htm

My single piece of advice? Bring a change of underwear. There’s nothing more gross than walking around/heading home in sweaty drenched underwear. Luckily both one of my friends and my sister made me wise to this important piece of info before I went. I’m glad they did.