Yoga is Hot, Hot, Hot right now! I am not just talking about the increasingly popular trend of hitting class, but actual studios are heating up to extreme temperatures. I had the need to experience what the buzz was all about, and fortunately I have a Bikram Hot Yoga Studio right around the corner that I have wanted to give a try. It is always nice when fancy studios allow $49.00 for a month of unlimited classes because you really get a feel for the programs and see if the workout is really something that interests you in the long run.
Well, here I was in my first hot yoga class ready and raring to go, the one small problem here…it’s summer in Miami and I am in a 112 degree room with 80 percent humidity. I could barely sit in the room. How was I going to do an hour and a half practice? I awaited the pleasant music and soft lighting that makes the room feel less like you were living on the equator. Until the teacher walked in flipped the lights on and we got started. Wait what? Harsh light and no music. You don’t say?
In Bikram Yoga, you start in your standing series of poses warming up your body, detoxifying and bending beautifully. There is also a mirror so you can watch every bit of everything. The fluorescent lights are on, but you are encouraged to focus only on yourself. Some days may be better than others and it is hard not to get frustrated. The day before you may have landed a solid dancer pose and today you are hobbling all over the darn place. After that you move to your floor series where every move is counterbalanced with a Savasana so you can reap the benefit of each pose. See all 26 postures below.
The first few times I went to Bikram Yoga I absolutely loved it! You leave full of energy and like you just had the best facial of your life. The downside for me is that the class is the exact same every single time except sometimes your body doesn’t allow you to be as bomb.com as you were just the day before. Maybe you were more tired or ate a heavy meal. It is just downright frustrating, but practice makes perfect. The other drawbacks for me are the harsh light and lack of calming beautiful chime laden music. Maybe that is the dancer in me, but music motivates the tiny dancer within. The teachers are great, but after a little while my love for Bikram simply faded away. Spending an hour and a half in class really ate away at my day, but the structure and challenge may be great for others! Not to mention the fact that there was no way in heck I was going to class with a fresh blowout. Ladies, you get it right?
This now brings me to Vinyasa Hot Yoga. I met this awesome woman on set in the Bahamas and it took me over a month to get my butt down to Brickell to take her class. From the moment I entered the room I knew this was a much better yogi environment for my soul. Buddha’s and beautiful quotes on the wall, incense, dim light, just the right amount of heat to get your body going and don’t even get me started on the chime laden music mixed with Vegas club beats. The best part of it all, there is no mirror. Which meant no judging. Well sort of, I hate wobbling.
When class started Danielle was not only inspirational, but a force to be reckoned with. She is a powerhouse trapped inside her teeny tiny frame encouraging us to set our class intentions and push ourselves to the limit and beyond. I love the flow of Vinyasa and how the class constantly changes. There is no room for boredom and she kills us with an ab workout at the end of class that is counterbalanced by intense music that makes you want to be better, stronger, faster. The class is a rollercoaster ride. The heat only adds to the intensity and feels like a warm blanket covers you. It helps get your blood flowing and your muscles working. You don’t focus on the heat like you do in Bikram. There are many benefits to this practice and I love to practice Yoga as a counterbalance to my High Intensity Interval Training.
For me, Vinyasa is the way to go. All of us are different. You may enjoy a combination, Bikram or none at all. I would encourage you to add this to your workout routine and get all of the lengthening; strengthening and detoxifying benefits Yoga has to offer. If you happen to be in Miami, check out Danielle H.’s class at Brickell Hot Yoga!
Love and Hot Yoga,
Taylor
Comments 2
Not to mention the fact that there was no way in heck I was going to class with a fresh blowout. Ladies, you get it right?
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Why ruin a perfectly good blowout it you don’t have to?!