What should I expect?
At Hot Lotus we have a range of heated and unheated classes. Come to class with an open mind. Some people love Hot classes from their very first class, whereas some people might take a few classes before they get in to the swing of it and feel the benefits.
You don’t need to have experience, as there are always modifications and our teachers have the expertise to assist you whatever your ability and can work with any injuries or issues you might have. Do talk to the teacher beforehand if you want to let them know of any specific issues.
You can expect to tone your muscles, strengthen your core, improve your flexibility and your cardio fitness. You might even find muscles that you never knew you had!
For more information on our class styles visit our class styles page by clicking here.
Hot Yoga
Classes begin with breathing exercises and/or warm-up poses to ease out any stiffness in your body. Next there is a sequence of standing postures, which often challenge your balance, build strength and begin to open up your body. After this this there is a sequence of postures on the floor, which allow you to move deeper into your body with back bends, forward bends and twists.
In some classes, the postures are repeated to allow you to focus on alignment first and then move deeper into your body. Other classes include more challenging poses here, such as arm balances.
All classes end with either a second breathing exercise or finishing sequence and then a final Savasana.
Come with an open mind. Some people love Hot Yoga from their very first class, whereas other people take a few more classes before they feel the benefits. Give it a try and see how you feel.
Inferno Hot Pilates
Be prepared to sweat! This is a challenging workout to music incorporating exercises to strengthen the core, define and lengthen your muscle tone, together with a 20-minute HIIT session which will raise your metabolism to help you get fit fast. Working out in the heat means you get results faster.
There are modifications depending on your level of ability so you can take the class at your pace. We have students ranging from 14 to 70 actively enjoying Inferno Hot Pilates!
After your first class, you’re going to feel core muscles you never knew existed, and that feeling will be amazing. Warning! It is addictive and you will want to come back for more.
How often should I come?
It really depends on what you want to get out of it. People definitely report benefits from going just once a week, but they feel that it starts to wear off after 5-6 days. If you are looking to see significant changes in your life then 3 times a week is the minimum needed based on our experiences, and greater than 5 times per week if you really want to see changes quickly.
Although you may not be able to attend classes that frequently, you can still benefit from a weekly class and supplement it with a home practise. You’ll find that by doing just a few minutes of Yoga or Pilates every day will help to calm your mind and loosen up your body.
Why is the room heated?
For two main reasons – it’s good for your body and your mind!
Physiological benefits
Your body works harder – you get a great workout without going to the gym or having to run for 12 miles
Your muscles are warm – you get a deeper stretch with less chance of injury
You will sweat – cleansing your skin and giving you the hot yoga glow
Psychological benefits
The class is challenging – you feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards
You train your mind – you enhance your ability to focus and concentrate, as well as increasing your self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-respect
You connect with your inner self – you access deeper levels of meditation
I’m worried about the heat – should I be?
It’s hard for us to give an unbiased answer to this question because we love the heat.
If you get cold very easily, then you’ll likely love it right away and when you walk into the hot room you’ll immediately feel all your muscles start to relax and all the tension just releases out of you.
In contrast, if you are the type of person who doesn’t like the heat, then you may keep coming back to class because you love what the Hot Yoga and Hot Pilates does for your body and mind.
If you are concerned about the heat, it is important to realise that it takes approximately two weeks for your body to acclimatize to a dramatic change in temperature. Therefore, go easy on yourself while your body is adapting.
You can stand or sit out a posture or exercise if you need to. You can also control your breathing by slightly constricting the back of your throat, which will result in a slow, even breath that keeps your heart rate down and has a cooling effect on your body.
But don’t just take it from us, here is what a student had to say about the heat, “Before trying Hot Yoga and Hot Pilates I had thought that the heat would be distracting, but actually I’ve found it helps focus.”
I go to the gym and don’t sweat – will I really sweat in this class?
The simple answer is YES!
So long as the heat and humidity are sufficient, then you will indeed sweat. However, you will quickly get used to the feeling of sweat running down your body and allow it to do its thing.
The sweat is cleansing and feels good. It helps to keep you cool and if you wipe it away, then that prevents its cooling effect and your body will sweat even more.
What if I’m not flexible?
Many people think that they need to be flexible to do Yoga, but we tend to think that’s like saying you need to be strong to lift weights – just as you become stronger by lifting weights, you’ll start to gain flexibility by doing Yoga.
This is especially true of Hot Yoga – because your muscles are warm, your body will be more open and pliable and you’ll find that you can stretch more deeply than you can at room temperature.
What if I’ve never done Yoga or Pilates before?
Great! We’re glad that you are looking to start now. All of us were beginners once and can remember our first class, and perhaps you are both excited and nervous.
Many people come to Hot Yoga without any previous Yoga experience because this type of Yoga is great for people who are stiff or have had injuries or just like the feeling of having a really good workout.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly you start to see progress and feel the benefits. Many people report already sleeping better after the first class.
What if I have an injury?
In general, Hot Yoga is great for helping you recover from an injury and many athletes use Hot Yoga as a way to prevent injury and enhance their performance.
If you are currently healing, then make sure you let your teacher know before class about what you’ve done and how it is currently feeling. Often, we can make suggestions or recommendations for you to adapt certain postures to your current abilities.
Know that it is your practice and your primary concern should be taking care of yourself. Be aware of your edge and respect where your practice is on the day.
You must check with your doctor if you feel there is any physical reason why you should not take class.
I’ve done other types of yoga and exercise before – will this help?
You’ll likely find that there are similarities to the other types of Yoga that you’ve done before. You might find that some of the postures are exactly the same, or they might be variations on what you’ve done before.
Some people find that having previous yoga experience makes the class easier, whereas other people find it a bit challenging at the start because they have certain expectations about how a posture is done.
Each posture has a range of expression levels, from quite easy to very challenging, so even if you’ve done yoga for a while, then you’ll likely find that hot yoga allows you to keep exploring your edge.