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Surviving Hot Yoga

Five Tips for Surviving Hot Yoga

As part of our staycation, Bo and I each had the opportunity to suggest workouts. On a whim, I asked if Bo would be interested in taking a hot, power yoga class at Tangerine Yoga, my favorite Brooklyn yoga studio. During the sales pitch, I told him that the studio felt like a boutique in that they provided cold, lavender towels, mats and didn’t have a horrible stench like other yoga studios. I also told him that it’d be a great workout and a nice post-holidays detox since he’d sweat a lot and it would spike his heart rate. What I never expected was for him to leave the class saying that he “loved the practice and their message” and would “definitely be willing to go a few times a month.”

Our first hot yoga experience was a success, but often times, a person’s first experience practicing hot, power yoga can be a nightmare. Whether it’s Bikram or another form of hot yoga, the experience can be overwhelming, miserable and intimidating if a few simple steps aren’t followed. Based on our experience together, here are five tips for your first hot yoga practice.

Invest in or rent a skidless yoga mat cover or at least an extra towel. Once you start dripping sweat, holding a safe and firm grip on your mat becomes very difficult. Wiping your mat in between sequences or covering it with a large, absorbent or “yoga towel” will help ensure you have a safe practice. Slipping can result in injury, so pay the extra few dollars to rent a skidless yoga mat or an extra towel to put on top of your yoga mat. Bo was able to rent a manduka mat from Tangerine for an extra $3 and he said that it was well worth it as it absorbed most of his sweat and gave him a firm foundation. These are three different options of various price points:

Manduka

Yogitoes

Good Karma Mat Towel

Arrive early and use the extra time to introduce yourself to the teacher. Whether you’ve practiced other forms of yoga multiple times or if this is your first time stepping foot in a studio, it’s important to let the teacher know it is your first time practicing hot yoga. The teacher can provide tips and also give you some understanding of what to expect from his or her class. Being aware of your level will also allow the instructor to provide the best adjustments possible and more guidance and direction to ensure you are able to follow the class. We arrived to the studio ten minutes early on Saturday which allowed ample time for Bo to introduce himself to the teacher, acclimate to the heat and relax.

Situate your mat in the back next to a wall. Much to my surprise, when I walked into the studio on Saturday, I found that Bo had already reserved what I often consider to be the worst spot in the yoga studio – far back, left corner against the walls. I immediately told him that I thought we should move in order to have the best class possible. But, then he explained that for a beginner, this was the best spot. By being in the back of the class, he could easily follow other students through the flow while not worrying that others would judge or watch his form. In addition, in the hot yoga class, having two walls near you means that you have half as many people dripping sweat on you and your mat.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  Not only should you enter the yoga studio with a large bottle of water, but you should also hydrate in advance of class. Do not try taking your first hot yoga class hungover or with only coffee running through your veins. Believe it or not, people lose as much as 32 ounces of water during 60 minutes of exercise. Hot yoga, especially hot power yoga, is an intense practice which will leave you swimming in a puddle of sweat. In order to ensure that you can last the entire class and aren’t at risk of passing out, bring a large bottle of water or coconut water with you to class in addition to sipping on water before class.

tangerine power yoga

Wear the right clothing. One of the things that Bo and I both loved about Saturday’s hot yoga class at Tangerine was that we never felt judged. Hot, power yoga is not the time to be modest and worry about those few extra pounds. Instead, you should focus on the fact that you made it to class and do everything you can do be comfortable.  For most people, that means stripping off layers of clothing. People of all shapes and sizes were in the studio enjoying the 60 minutes of intense, physical exercise and emotional release on their mat. No one was staring at what we were wearing and everyone knew that the fewer clothes the better. I sported only a pair of shorts and a sports bra during the class and Bo wore his shortest technical shorts and a light shirt. In addition to sweat wicking top and bottom, an absorbent headband can help keep your hair in place and the sweat out of your eyes! 

Your turn: Have you practiced hot yoga? Love it or hate it? 

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So, What Did We Do During Our Staycation?

staycation pic
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, then you know that we are very thankful for the six day staycation we are just finishing.

staycationWe decided to sell the spots we’d initially purchased for Yacht Week in the US Virgin Islands, in exchange for six quiet days at home in Brooklyn. At first, this decision shocked both of us, as we’d looked forward to sunshine, clear water and fun with friends. But, as we approached the holiday season, we both knew we needed time to relax, reconnect and rest versus a week of travel. Many of our friends and family have asked us before, during and now, following my posts on social media, what exactly we did during our staycation that made it so beneficial.  As I look back over the past few days, I think the reason we both benefited so much from the time was because we did exactly what we wanted to do, together. The only rule we made during the time is that we did things together versus getting together separately with friends or doing things that only interested one of us.

tangerine power yoga

  • We slept at least nine hours each night.  We set an alarm each day, just to ensure we didn’t sleep past any of our plans, but we actually woke up naturally each morning.
  • We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast routine of coffee, fresh grapefruit, toast or yogurt and the New York Times. We rarely have the pleasure of reading the paper together while sipping coffee so doing this six days in a row was a nice change of pace.
  • We watched all eight episodes of Making a Murderer on Netflix. No, we didn’t watch it in one day, instead we spread it across four days. If you liked Serial, then you’ll love this documentary/series.
  • We saw two movies together: Joy and The Big Short. While you can probably imagine who chose each one, we both left the theater after each, having thoroughly enjoyed the movie and agreeing that we’d recommend it to others.
  • We hosted a New Year’s Eve dinner party. Hosting five of our friends for New Year’s Eve provided us the perfect opportunity to see friends during the holiday. We’ve realized, more and more, that we enjoy hosting smaller parties, of 20 people or less, more than the larger parties we used to host. Everything just feels more manageable while also providing us with a small enough setting to truly talk and enjoy everyone’s company.
  • We worked out each day. During the course of the six days we went for two runs, two spin classes, one gym session, and one hot power yoga class. It was the perfect way to kick start our bodies and get back on track after an indulgent few weeks.
  • We spent a lot of time in the kitchen together. Since Bo is the stronger cook, it’s historically been easy to let him be the more dominant cook in the kitchen. But, over the past few days, we’ve had a great time balancing the kitchen tasks and partnering on meal planning and cooking. Including New Year’s Eve, we cooked four dinners together.
  • We tried a new neighborhood restaurant. We’d heard great things about French Louie, so on the 29th we enjoyed a leisurely date night together. We took our time, first having a cocktail at their bar before being seated for our meal. We ordered four small plates and shared the dishes instead of going the traditional entree route. If you’re in Brooklyn, French Louie is a perfect spot for brunch or dinner and in the summer months they have an outdoor garden.
  • We drove down to New Jersey for lunch with extended family. It’d been far too long since we had seen my aunt, uncle and cousin who live down in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. We took advantage of the time off to hop in a rental car and make the 1.5 hour drive down for a holiday lunch. We scheduled this for the beginning of our staycation time since it meant leaving town. We also wanted to ensure that if there was traffic or bad weather, it wouldn’t ruin the mood of our staycation. Luckily we had no traffic and had such a great time with them that we’re already planning our next trip.
  • We crossed a few things off our to-do list. While these few days could have easily been all about conquering our to-do list, that would have left us overwhelmed and exhausted. Instead we chose a few, small projects that we wanted to accomplish and focused on only those projects. Once those were done, we allowed ourselves to relax.
  • We indulged in a couples massage. Bo has never loved massages but after feeling his tense shoulders the other night, I convinced him that a couples massage, enjoyed in the comfort of our home, would be a great way to end the staycation. If you’ve never tried Zeel, we highly recommend the in-home massage service after today’s wonderful experience. The two masseuse both arrived 15 minutes ahead of the appointment time so they could create an in-home spa like environment. If you want to give it a try, you can use this code (7uet)  for $25 off your 1st #Zeel Massage.

Hopefully, each of you will take at least 48-hours in the near future to invest in yourselves. Do the things that make you happy, try to disconnect a bit, turn off the alarm, and relax!

 

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