We have HOT YOGA and we have S2-S3 Yoga practiced in the heat, what is the difference?
- Our S2-S3 classes are a combination of classic Hatha and Vinyasa class done in the heat. Our Hot - 90 is a sequence of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises design to be performed in a specific order and done the same each time.
Benefits to Hot Yoga are endless! The postures work every part of your body down to a cellular level flushing toxins out of your system.
Hot is designed for EVERYONE – any adult, any size, any shape, any condition, or any problem. To receive the benefits, a regular practice of 3 – 4 classes per week is necessary. Beginners are encouraged to start slow and take it easy for the first few classes. Benefits happen right away for some, including normalizing your weight. and it usually takes ten classes for your body to start to understand the poses.
1. Weight loss
Hot Yoga is excellent for weight loss. Your digestive system and metabolism will improve, normalizing your appetite and diminishing unhealthy cravings. Your fat will turn into muscle as you develop muscle tone and strength. Warm muscles burn fat more easily as the heat flushes and detoxifies the body. Hot yoga is known for burning anywhere from 500 to 1000 calories a session. The harder you work in class the more calories you will burn. Your cardiovascular system is worked and strengthened therefore, the more weight loss benefits you will receive. You may see and feel immediate results. You will naturally begin to start eating less and make better food choices.
2. Arthritis
Many students experience quick relief from arthritis after only a few classes of Hot Yoga. A combination of the heat and the moving, twisting, extending and compressing of every joint can alleviate arthritis. A regular practice is necessary for continued relief.
3. Blood Pressure
Unstable high blood pressure can respond very quickly to a regular Hot Yoga practice. Consult your doctor and don’t push too hard for your first few classes. If you are tested about a week after starting Yoga, you may see a slight rise in pressure. Don’t be alarmed. By the second week, that pressure will be normal or close to normal and will stay there as long as you continue your yoga regimen.
4. Back Pain
Yoga has helped countless numbers of people with back pain, stiff necks, headaches, scoliosis, herniated disks and many other back problems. The series is designed to work the spine in every direction with many beneficial backbends, creating a healthy spine and thus a healthy nervous system. Make sure to tell your instructor what type of back pain you suffer from in case modifications are necessary.
5. Skin and Beauty
Watch your face and skin develop “glow” as your eyes become brighter and your skin becomes more clear and soft. As you sweat, your pores are opened and cleaned allowing natural lanolin to release through the pores, softening and preserving your skin’s elasticity. Faces in general change expression from looking disturbed and frustrated to looking full of life and happiness. As your body detoxifies, you may eventually never need deodorant again!
6. Diabetes
Yoga can be a perfect complement to the lifestyle changes necessary to help keep diabetic symptoms in check. Recent research has found that performing these postures on a regular basis can decrease blood-sugar levels. Check out a dedicated (Bikram) Yoga student, who lost 50 pounds without dieting, healed his chronic back problems and no longer needed his diabetic medication after practicing (Bikram) Yoga for 6 months. He tells his story in the book “Diabetic Always, Insulin No More.”
7. Stress & Anxiety Management – When performing the 26 postures and two breathing exercises, the fight-or-flight response is turned off and a feeling of balanced well-being is replaced. A regular practice can lower cortisol levels, calm the mind, increase mental clarity and release and reduce stress and tension.
8. Depression – On those days when you don’t feel like doing anything, going to Yoga class is crucial. You just have to show up and the yoga takes care of the rest. After each session your mind will become more balanced and depression will be lifted. The more you practice, the better you will feel. Many students come off antidepressants and other medications after establishing a regular (4-5 days a week) yoga practice.
9. Breathing problems – Asthma, Allergies, Respiratory Problems
Hot Yoga will be good for your breathing problems in several ways. The heat promotes relaxation of the muscles and nerves, and you can work with as much intensity as appropriate for your needs. These postures will relax your mind and help let go of tensions, toxins and negativity. It strengthens your heart and lungs, improving your lung function. You will breathe easier and deeper than you ever have before.
10. Balancing Emotions
Yoga helps to balance the emotions in several ways. Physiologically a regular practice harmonizes the nervous and endocrine systems – two systems which play a large part in emotional well-being. Practicing Yoga cultivates the mental faculties of faith, self-control, concentration, determination, and patience. As we become more aware of our inner life, we notice how events, interactions, and even the atmospheric pressure can affect us. As we become more aware, we exercise better choices in our responses. This helps us balance our emotional life.
11. Cholesterol
Helps to improve circulation - as it increases it allows blood to flow throughout your body cleansing and clearing your arteries.
12. Thyroid regulation
Many of the postures in our hot yoga sequence helps to compress and work the thyroid thus helping to regulate the gland balancing thyroid levels. Along with thyroid regulation comes increased energy, weight loss and better metabolism.
13. Anti-Aging / Preventative Medicine
Hot Yoga acts as anti-aging and preventative medicine keeping the body young and healthy.
“Yoga maintains youth long. It keeps the body full of vitality, immune to diseases, even at old, old age. The Yogi never becomes old”. -Bishnu Ghosh