There are a couple physical activities that, at one point, I vowed never to do: run a half marathon and taking a hot yoga class. It turns out I’m a pushover because to date, I’ve ran three half marathons and go to hot yoga almost weekly. To me, hot yoga seemed especially dreadful between the stretches and the sweat, it didn’t seem like my cup of tea. One day though, I was turned around when a friend convinced me to go to a five dollar class. I figured for such a steal, it was worth a shot.

Hot yoga is basically a yoga class in a room that is heated upwards of 95 degrees. When I workout, I sweat a ton, but I also feel like the more sweat, the better the workout; this is why hot yoga worked for me. With normal yoga, holding poses doesn’t always seems like the best workout because you aren’t breaking a hard sweat. All of this changes with hot yoga.

Not only does this style of class push you to sweat, but a good yoga class is also positive and accepting of attendees on all levels. A hot yoga class is hard for everyone participating because people can modify each step of the flow to their level, making a fun challenge for everyone.  

My weekly class is on Fri. evenings and it is the perfect way to wind down after a stressful week of school and extracurriculars. Hot yoga isn’t an easy going, mellow activity, but it helps participants let go and just focus on them and nothing else.

Last week, I brought my friend with me to class. She was new to yoga and a little nervous, but after we finished our class, she loved it and decided to come with me again this week. Even though she was challenged, she still enjoyed herself, and there’s no fun in doing something that doesn’t pose a challenge.