It may be 50 degrees and raining outside, but it's always summer inside some local yoga studios. More and more local yoga studios and gyms are offering yoga in heated rooms, where sweat flows freely and poses are easier to achieve. As the winter approaches, studios are gearing up for an influx of people seeking a warm environment to practice yoga.

“When it is colder out, people like to come in and sweat,” said Adi Westerman, co-owner of Bikram Yoga Asheville. “It's also a good way to lose pounds after the holidays.”

Bikram Yoga, founded by Bikram Choudhury, takes students through the same sequence of poses every class and is performed in a room heated to 105 degrees with 50 percent humidity.

Westerman said the heat helps the body burn fat more efficiently, cuts down on the risk of injury, increases flexibility and gets the blood circulating more quickly. Sweating also helps to detoxify the body.

“I think a big part of the class is the mental challenge of it,” she said. “Once you are in there, you need the strength and willpower to keep going, and when you are done, you feel like you can conquer the world.”
Wide age range

Bikram Yoga Asheville is the first Bikram yoga studio in Western North Carolina, and Westerman said men, women and children, ranging in age from 8-75 come to classes at the studio.

“It's really good for everybody,” she said.

Jeff Pawloski, 42, started taking Bikram yoga classes a year and a half ago and now comes to the studio four-five times a week.

Before he started practicing yoga, Pawloski was struggling to manage his asthma, having to use an inhaler several times a day and winding up in the hospital at least once a year. Today, he uses his inhaler during class because of the high humidity but needs it only once or twice a month during his daily life.

“I can't say that I love the heat, but I just love the feeling. You feel on top of the world,” said a sweaty Pawloski as he cooled off outside the studio. “It's tough, but once you get going, it's great. Even though it's hard, I stick with it because I love the way it makes me feel.”