Everything you wanted to know

Hot yoga is a sequence of yoga postures performed in a heated environment. The increased temperature allows for greater stretching and flexibility and helps prevent injury caused by stiff muscles. The combination of heat and the hot yoga poses means you will sweat a lot and burn calories during class. Your body also experiences a deep detoxification. Drinking plenty of fluid before, during, and after each hot yoga class is essential.

Yoga is the integration of mindful breathing with movement that cultivates strength, flexibility, stamina, balance, and nurtures not only our physical but also psychological well-being. Hot yoga is strongly influenced by a philosophy that suggests practicing yoga in an artificially heated environment will more quickly and effectively generate the benefits associated with a yoga practice.PowerYoga.com

The best evidence is for flexibility and strength. A randomized trial of Bikram yoga found significant gains in spine, hamstring and shoulder flexibility along with increased strength after eight weeks. Beyond that, regular yoga practice is associated with lower stress, better quality of life, and improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol, and it is recommended by the American College of Physicians as a first-line option for chronic low back pain.

We will also be straight with you about what the heat does and does not do. When researchers compared the same class heated and unheated, the heat did not burn more calories or add measurable cardiovascular benefit. What it does is create a practice people genuinely love and keep coming back to, and consistency is what actually changes your health. We wrote up the full research, including the studies that disagree with us, on our benefits of hot yoga page.

Practicing yoga in a room that is heated up above your body temperature does not only make you sweat. It gives you an entirely new experience and shows you how your muscles and circulation react to an environment you would normally not choose for working out.DoYou.com

A typical 90-minute hot yoga session at SWEAT Yoga Studio will burn about 500 to 1,000 calories, depending on factors like your weight, sex, and how consistently you practice.

A 150-pound person who performs 90 minutes of hot yoga burns 716 calories. A 185-pound person burns 882 calories, while a 135-pound person burns 644.HealthStatus.com

Hot yoga offers more postures to prepare your body, mind, and soul for mindfulness and meditation. Vinyasa is a flow, continuous movement, of those postures. The Vinyasa series incorporates many hot yoga postures mixed with fluid movement, synced to music.

At SWEAT we teach both: Static is our Hatha-rooted held-posture series. Flow is our Vinyasa-style continuous movement class.

Wear light, stretchy clothes that still cover the necessities. Covering as little skin as you feel comfortable with is great for body awareness. Keep in mind you will be moving and twisting in many directions, so your clothes need to stay put through the whole class.

Drink as much water as you can before coming in. Avoid large meals for at least three hours beforehand. If you're new, arrive at least 15 minutes before class begins and set up your mat toward the back of the room so you can observe experienced students.

Listen to the instructor's verbal cues. Don't worry if you get tired or overwhelmed. Sit out a few postures and know that it will get easier over time.

Yes. A few reminders as you plan for class:

• The studio opens 15 minutes before class and closes 15 minutes after class.
• There are only 44 spots in each class, so please sign up online.
• The minimum age to practice is 16.
• We start class on time. The door locks when the teacher goes into the hot room to teach.
• Classes are open for registration 7 days in advance.
• A $10 late fee is charged if a reservation is not cancelled within 30 minutes of class.
• We provide Manduka yoga mats and blocks.
• Please bring a mat towel and a water bottle. Mat towels can be rented for $6.
• Our locker rooms offer plenty of space to change, showers for your convenience, and natural products for your use.

Absolutely. Hot yoga has an amazing ability to help heal injuries of all types. Make sure you discuss prior injuries with your instructor before class. Once aware, they can help you get the most out of your practice while remaining attentive to your limitations.

If you're just starting and you have a chronic injury, consider attending an Intro class first. It's a great forum for learning the best ways to tailor your practice for healing.

Yes. Hot yoga is unique in that it's a well-rounded workout that's also healing to the body. In a 60 or 90-minute class, you'll get cardiovascular work that also increases strength and flexibility. The owners of SWEAT believe hot yoga can be a student's only physical activity while still achieving optimal health.

That said, you don't have to abandon your favorite sport. Hot yoga is a great complement to every athletic endeavor. Come talk to us about our experiences with high school, collegiate, and professional athletes who have used hot yoga to improve performance.

Our classes offer an excellent cardiovascular workout and burn fat. If you incorporate a minimum of three hot yoga classes per week along with healthy food choices, you'll soon notice weight stabilization. Hot yoga also helps your digestive, endocrine, lymphatic, and respiratory systems function at an optimal level and brings heightened body awareness. Together, these benefits help you crave better food choices and portions.

The elevated temperature and humidity protect muscles by allowing a deeper range of motion, intensify the cardiovascular workout, and detoxify the body through sweating. As with any new setting, the environment can be a challenge for the new practitioner, but students adjust much faster than they expect.

As an added benefit, consistent practice in heat and humidity helps outdoor athletes acclimate to summer conditions without the harmful side effects of sun exposure, increasing performance outside.

Please bring plenty of water and a mat towel. We provide complimentary mats and blocks for use during class. Our locker rooms are fully stocked with all the amenities you need: organic shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, plus hair ties, deodorant, and tampons. We take sanitation and hygiene very seriously, and you can learn more about our facility here. If sharing mats and towels is not your thing, you can absolutely bring your own.

Be on time, and only leave early if you must. If you're not planning to stay the whole class, let your teacher know ahead of time, set up near the door, and leave when it's least disruptive.

• Bring only the essentials into the hot room. Use the locker rooms or outside the studio door for the rest. Please don't bring keys, shoes, bags, or cell phones into class.
• The hot room is a meditative space. Enter and exit quietly. The lobby is the right place for conversations.
• Tailor your practice by skipping a pose or modifying its depth, but don't digress too much from the teacher's instruction. Doing so noticeably impacts the energy of the class.
• Be mindful of your neighbors' space when setting up your mat.
• Avoid strong-smelling lotions, oils, or perfumes out of respect for others in a vulnerable environment.

After your first hot yoga class, or after an extended break, you may feel a little sore the next day and may have a headache. The headache is a sign of your body detoxing and possibly some dehydration. Drink plenty of water before and after, and if you sweat a lot, consider using electrolytes. Try coming back to class to help your body acclimate. You may find it relieves the soreness.

Hot yoga is not about bending yourself into a pretzel. Saying you don't do yoga because you're not flexible is like saying you don't eat because you're hungry. Increased range of motion is one of the many benefits of hot yoga, but it is certainly not a prerequisite.