On Monday afternoon Miranda tweeted about needing a partner for Hot Yoga that evening.  I have been wanting to try a Hot Yoga class for a while, and so I jumped at this chance to try it in a small class setting, with someone who wouldn’t be terribly offended if I fell on them.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I pulled up in front of the cute gray building that houses Yoga 101, I knew it would be great.  Jana, the owner, was very kind and welcoming as I came inside, and Miranda was there waiting for me, along with 2 other ladies to make it a class of 4.  We got our gear, and headed into the studio.  

I knew to expect sauna-like heat, but I wasn’t fully prepared for the humidity of the room.  It was like walking into a wet towel.  I got myself into Savasana and could feel the sweat start to roll off my forehead.  

I really enjoyed the way that Jana gave us a good long time to warm up and stretch.  I have been to yoga classes before where the instructor was very regimented, and I didn’t enjoy myself nearly as much.  We started off with some brutal (at least for me) ab work that had me shaking all over.  Jana then took us through seated twists and stretches, and then moved into sun salutations.  Once we came up out of the sun salutations and into the standing postures, I started to feel a little sick/dizzy.  I stepped out of the studio to catch my breath and cool down, and snuck back in right when they were moving back down to the floor for the ending movements.  I was debating whether or not to go back in at all, but I really wanted to finish the class, and try to reclaim some of the mental benefits that I lost by getting so dizzy.  Once we got back into Savasana Jana placed cold towels on our faces.  I think that was my favourite part.  The cold towel felt so good on my face as I was relaxing.  As usual when I haven’t been to a yoga class in a while, I couldn’t really sink into Savasana like I can when I’ve been doing it regularly.  Last year when I was going every week it got to a point where I was mostly asleep during that part of class.  I left the class feeling like I had an extreme workout, but also feeling light and relaxed.  

It’s 2 days later now, and my abs and glutes are still screaming at me when I do things like laugh or cough.  I am feeling much more aware of my body and my posture.  In conclusion, I love hot yoga! I am really looking forward to the next time I can go, and working on my endurance so that I can make it all the way through the class.  

Do you have something that you’ve been meaning to try?  I’m so glad I finally tried hot yoga!