Benefits of a Hot Yoga practise
Are you a regular practitioner of hot yoga or thinking to try it? What better time to start as school is back in business, many are returning back to work or perhaps you have been working through the summer and seeking a positive way to support your body for the coming year. The daily rhythm starts to picks up, the to-do list increases, and summer starts to become a distant memory...
It’s important to understand that when life gets busy we need to carve out consistent time to refresh both body and mind! The use of the heat allows you to focus your mind to keep present, not to mention giving your whole body a workout down to the cellular level. It’s a time to leave all duties behind for a short time, let go completely so we can build strength and clarity to be our best in our daily life!
Below are my "short-listed" favourite benefits why the practise of hot yoga serves you:
1. Instilling good habits
Hot yoga encourages good habits of staying hydrated and nourishing your body with electrolytes on a regular basis. Good hydration goes hand in hand with movement and nutrition. It is vital particularly for hot yoga to ensure the nutrients move through your body to produce the energy you need and also lubricant your joints.
2. Detoxify with ease
A hot yoga practice will help your body flush away the toxins through sweat, alongside the appropriate diet and hydration. Eliminating the toxic load from your body through sweat allows your internal organs a well-deserved break. Sweat can be your friend!
3. Boosts those Endorphins
Hot yoga increases the level of the “feel-good” endorphin hormones that are naturally released during physical activity. It certainly brings a smile to yourself, your body feels an instant lift and you notice that extra spring in your step.
4. Food tastes good, you crave healthy foods!
This is one of my favourites. That moment when you are home after your class and you have cravings for the most delicious and healthiest food that you can get your hands on. I cannot recall a time that I felt like junk food after a hot yoga class. Your body is telling you exactly what it needs and because your body is so in tune after the delicious yoga it feels like a partnership in heaven.
5. You learn to Love Yourself even more!
When I started my yoga practise many moons ago, I was very young in my early 20’s, and sometimes the choices I made were not so loving for my body. The regular practise of hot yoga gave me a new rhythm and outlook on life, and other people’s opinions started to not matter anymore. You start to really look inward as opposed to outward. The heat brings a certain focus to remain present, whilst at the same time you are strengthening and nourishing your body with fresh oxygenated blood. The practise teaches you to love and accept yourself completely, and you quickly realise you are far stronger than you imagined.
6. You’ll deepen your practise
Maintaining a regular hot yoga practise no matter what season of the year you will deepen your practise particularly in the warmer months. The progress that you made and range of motion that you worked hard for would soon disappear if you suddenly stopped. It takes a greater length of time to come back to your practise as opposed to maintaining it. Take advantage of the warmer months to increase the motions of your joints, flexibility of the spine and mental stamina. This also helps you step up your game not only in yoga but also in your life, stretching you to new horizons in your practise and not becoming complacent.
7. You are preparing your body for other activities
This is also another favourite! Hot yoga compliments other sports or activities that you like to do, again like a partnership. The hot yoga builds up stamina, length and flexibility in body and mind whilst a lot of sports tend to focus more on the physical aspect. Those long runs or outdoor sports become easier because you have been training yourself in another way. Some activities can also build up a lot of lactic acid in the body, which hot yoga can help flush out.
8. You will Glow
Spending quality time with yourself and focusing on your own health needs first, you will be better placed and more in tune to help others. It is a creative and positive time that you are cultivating, whereby passion of other hobbies may start to develop, and the learning’s along your yoga journey you start to share with the outside world. You are creating a better place as the people around you can see that certain “Glow” from the inside that will spark the interest of others to join you.
It’s only a small portion of your week that you can develop a regular practise, where the benefits are numerous. I hope to seeing your bright shining faces soon!
Namaste,
Christina ♥