Think sitting in a sauna while wearing a sweat suit made you sweat buckets? Then you haven’t placed yourself in a room that’s over 100 degrees for 90 minutes while focusing on holding poses you thought only someone with the flexibility of a contortionist could form.
You may have heard it around town, the buzz about the upcoming rise of hot yoga. But have you ventured to try it yet? As intimidating and unbearable as it may seem, there’s a surprising soothing relaxation that many have found behind all the sweat and what may appear to be near impossible stretches and poses.
“It’s for everyone. You’re never too old or too young to try it,” Donna Jackovich said. Jackovich is the owner of Sumits Yoga of Boise and has been practicing hot yoga for five years. “It’s a progression and a practice. I love seeing other people fall in love with it and watching them change from the inside out.”
The most popular form of hot yoga is the style of Bikram. This practice takes place in a room of around 105 degrees where each yogi student will work towards 26 postures known as asanas for 90 minutes. Each pose is held for 10 to 60 seconds with a few short savasanas, otherwise known as moments where the body lays flat for a pose of relaxation.
“I remember starting and my hands couldn’t even touch my feet, it was horrible,” Boise State student Zoltan Cserna said. Cserna has been practicing hot yoga for five months and has found yoga to be a constant state of progression for him. “When you’re finished with hot yoga, everything that has stressed you out before is gone. You’re just happy to be there.”
Because the room is at an increased temperature, the heat helps the body to stretch further than it may be able to in a room temperature environment. The heat also helps with the flow of oxygen to the muscles and assists in the release of toxins. The increase in the bodies temperature and sweat can help boost the metabolism and build up immune system endurance.
Many other benefits come from this practice and with more time and commitment, the reward is eternally satisfying. This includes helping with weight loss, relieving stress, improving flexibility, alleviating pain from joints and injuries, as well as an increased performance with athletics and fitness.
“The yoga philosophy of teaching you to control your mind and thoughts is very, very powerful. It takes discipline and it’s healing,” hot yoga instructor Brad Pickett said. Pickett has been doing hot yoga for four years after initially looking for a way to become more flexible after years of working out. “I’m just one person and I’m helping 30-40 people at a time. It’s a very rewarding job where you can leave people in a positive way and to give that is amazing.”
There are several places to practice hot yoga and most offer a trial deal so you can test it out to see if you will become the next yoga master. No one is too inflexible and all it takes is one try. So bring your towel, mat, and water and be ready to see your body partake in the change through yoga.