My new addiction

So I have an addiction, which I have mentioned on here before, but I haven’t gone into any detail. I love hot yoga and would go every day if my schedule would allow it. LOVE IT! I feel like I need to be the spokesperson for Moksha Yoga.

I ended up trying yoga back in the spring shortly after becoming friends with a local filmmaker Jake. He had been going for some time and thought it might be something I would be interested in and since my life is very different than it was a couple of years ago and I have periods of time where I’m alone a lot, I decided that I was more than willing to try something new.

I had not tried yoga before, but had some idea of what to expect. The part I didn’t expect was that hot yoga was so hot. I believe I was told the room is held at 98 degrees, 50 percent humidity. So when you first walk into the darkened studio and lay down in savasana to calm your mind and wait for class to begin, you already can feel your heart rate quicken, as your body adjusts to the heat. And during the class you sweat unlike anything you can imagine. I’m talking drops of sweat dripping constantly off your body. More sweat than I thought was humanly possible.

The first class I went to was a 60 minute class and from the completion of the class I knew I was hooked. I loved that once you entered the room and went through the series of postures your mind has no time to wander to other topics that can distract you from the rest of your day. While in that studio you have escaped the reality of your life and are brought back to basics; listening to your body and focusing on breath and balance.

And here I am almost a year into practicing and I still cannot get over the improvement in my body. Now, I haven’t lost much if any weight, because that really hasn’t been my focus, but I have noticed toning in my arms, my hips are more loose and my posture overall has been improved, most dramatically while sitting at my desk at work. I also love that you only push yourself as much as you want. There are no expectations put on you, although if you’re like me you push yourself a little harder in some area every class. And another thing that keeps me going back is that I feel it in my muscles every time I leave the class.

So, I certainly endorse hot yoga. I have taken a number of friends to the class already and have at least four more who want to give it a try after the holidays. One of my closest friends was going thru a very emotional break up and couldn't keep from crying and I took her with me.  As I drove her home after the class she told me that it was exactly what she needed, An hour that she didn't think about her ex.  And if anyone reading this has a Moksha or similar hot yoga studio around you, I ask you to just try it once and see what you think (but drink a ton of water before you go).