Hot Yoga???

Went to lunch with a friend this weekend who told me about going. She said it was a bit expensive, but was awesome, 99 degrees, and that she never feels like she gets a true workout unless she sweats. Ive not done hot yoga, but my experience with yoga is that its a fantastic way to destress, relax, stretch, & lengthen muscles. Its hard to get focused at first and hard not to let a million things run through your head, but a good yoga instructor should take you through a relaxation exercise to help get your mind calmed. The calmer your mind, the more you will get out of it. I hope you can go experience it.

I attended a Hot Yoga class for three months. Here are some pros and cons from my perspective:

PROS: enhanced my mood - I was a lot happier and calmer, it made my muscles feel like I was in a sauna for an hour, stress relief, good muscle toner, my skin felt healthier (odd but true), made me crave sushi and salad and ice water (for real)

CONS: very hot, very sweaty, costs a lot, you have to drink a ton of water (I had to start using enhanced drink tabs for my water in addition to supplements and regular water drinking because I would get charlier horses in weird places like my neck), potential nausea if you didn't eat right that day or the day before or if the heat gets to you, slow weight loss

I've always been flexible so I cannot comment on increased flexibility. I would expect that it would given you are stretching the same muscles repeatedly and loosening them up.

I do find myself more flexible in my bikram class than I do in my other yoga classes. It takes a while to get used to it, but it is a fun change of pace. I'd say it's worth trying!

charlie horse = muscle cramp/spasm/knot... hurts like holy hell and makes you want to punch your neighbor.

I think it's an "Americanism"

I say go for it!!

Ok, this is my first forum I've ever commented on, but it's right up my ally. I am a hot yoga instructor and will advocate it for many reasons, most of which have all been posted already. Not only will you feel better, gain more flexibility, increase your water intake, increase your Vo2 max, but you will also shed inches from unwanted water weight. Hot yoga is "safe cardio", it raises the heart rate without increasing your risk for injury, it then lowers the heart rate safely (inversions) therefore helping your blood pressure and other major organs. Hot yoga is one of the most awesome all around exercises out there...I completely recommend it to people of all shapes and sizes. My only rule is you must try it twice before you knock it. The payoff is worth the pennys!

I've been doing Bikram yoga since January. The reason I started was because I did a bioage and it came back that my flexibility was poor. I hadn't liked other yoga I had tried and a friend did this one.

Well, the first one you will think you will die of heat exhaustion. That is why most of them (where I lived anyway), allow you a 10 day pass for $19 so you get to go a few times before you decide if it is for you. The second class is usually much better than the first.

Now my flexibility is fantastic, I can touch my knees with my nose (straight knees in front or standing) and I notice my breathing when I am running is much better.

I am able to really clear my mind because you need to concentrate so much during class. It remains a huge challenge, but I like the discipline of it, for some reason it just appeals. The best thing though is my skin is really clear now, if I miss a week or so it goes back to being spotty (I am nearly 50!) I sleep really really well (which has been a problem on and off), and it does encourage me to be more hydrated even on days I'm not practicing. It also flicked the switch back on the eating right track, which was good.

You really can't know what it is like before you go, so give it a try!!!

GG