Yoga has always been a strong connect between philosophy, spirituality, body and mind. A lot of people follow yoga because of it has wonderful effects on body and mind. Yes, there are a lot of yoga CDs and DVDs available out there that you can just buy and start practicing immediately. But once you start practicing yoga, you would want to indulge into more and more of it. That is when an instructor comes into the scene. When you start off with yoga, you might not know the complicated postures. The whole idea of yoga is fitness and body control.
Having said that, hot yoga has become one of the most popular yoga type in the history of mankind. Do you know that when your body is hot and your heart rate is higher, you will have a long and healthy cardio life? Hot yoga is all about practicing yoga the right way and keeping yourself fit at an extremely high room temperature with a set of people.
Hot yoga is a lot prevalent in the Western countries. India has not gotten there yet, but you should know that some places in India, something similar is being practiced. Hot yoga is something that is practiced in a room that is almost a hundred and five degrees temperature, which is believed to be the temperature that fits well for a fast running athlete. Anybody can do yoga, but not everybody can do hot yoga. So there are some rules that you might have to follow and would have to consider before you get into hot yoga. Hence, we are going to give you a set of tips for hot yoga and rules that you can follow to prepare for your first class of hot yoga.
Top Rules To Know About Hot Yoga
1Choose the type of class you want
First Tip for Hot Yoga – Basically in hot yoga there are two types. One is ‘Bikram’ and the other one is ‘Vinyasa’. The difference between Bikram and Vinyasa is that, Bikram being one of the most popular type of hot yoga tries to focus more on all the 26 posters over the period of the continues classes. Whereas, Vinyasa is altogether different from the former.
Vinyasa is all about a flow of different kinds of posters in each of the classes. Vinyasa hot yoga (1) is taught in your room of 90 degrees and this class goes up to an hour. But Bikram (2) is more intense and goes around for 90 minutes generally.A lot of instructors would ask you to start with Vinyasa because Bikram is highly intense and it might not be recommended for people who have not done hot yoga at all. However whichever you choose, you should know that you are getting into it with all your involvement. Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that all kinds of yoga are the same. Hot yoga is very intense and you should make sure that your body is fit for this.
2Always carry towels
Second Tip for Hot Yoga- You all might know that for yoga classes you generally have to carry a yoga mat. But for a hot yoga class, you should make sure that you take one or more towels with you.
If you keen about this class, then you should make sure that you should invest on yoga towels that are specially made for hot yoga. These towels are generally the same size and height of the yoga mat. But if you are attending the first class of hot yoga, a beach towel is probably enough.
Ladies, you should definitely take this seriously and not avoid this particular step because if you do not take towels with you, you will be dripping with sweat and you will not be able to handle it. Since it is your first class you will start dripping and sweating so much that you might likely not be able to perform the posters due to a sweaty mat. Some people also prefer to carry small handkerchiefs with them so that they can wipe themselves during short breaks. Suit yourself.
[Read – Benefits of Early Morning Yoga]
3Keep your body hydrated
Third Tip for Hot Yoga – Hot yoga as I have already mentioned is one of the most difficult and intense workout in the history of yoga. Your muscles will get cramped, you will have detoxifying feeling and you will feel like your heartbeat is racing every second.
Yes it is not easy to actually sit through a class of hot yoga, so you should always remember that your body should be hydrated with a lot of fluid before you enter the class. Also, remember to drink lots of fluids or just plain water throughout the day before the class starts. But, when you are doing the posters or exercise did not guzzle water. Don’t gulp water right before the class, because you may start feeling dizzy or you might have stomach aches.
To avoid all this try to take small sips of water between each posture. Save the water for after class, because you will be extremely tired and this time gulping water will keep your system hydrated and happy.
[Also Read – Water Rich Foods]
4Wear the right clothes
Fourth Tip for Hot Yoga – It is important that during hot yoga, you wear perfect clothing. You of course, don’t have to buy expensive clothing at all. Remember that you’re not going to impress anybody in the class. It is going to be a lot about yoga and exercise only, so always wear clothes that are comfortable, breathable yet fit.
Yes it is very important for you to remember that your clothes should be fit. Wearing loose clothes may come off during or post yoga session. Try to go with a tunic top and long leggings. Short leggings are fine too and you can wear capris. But since you will be profusely sweating, it might not be easy for your one leg to grab the other, while doing difficult postures. So try to wear, comfortable clothes that do not slip off your body. Loose shorts could be disturbing too since you could end up showing a lot more than necessary.
I would strongly recommend you to wear shorts that are tight yet they are stretchable. So always come to hot yoga class with fitted clothing. Probably a sports bra and legging could be your go to clothes for hot yoga.
-Pavithra Ravi
