Being trapped in a small, 105 degree room with strangers while being forced to contort your body into strange and uncomfortable positions for 90 minutes may sound like an unusual form of torture, but some people actually do it for fun. Bikram, or hot yoga, is gaining popularity as a more intense way to practice yoga. The high temperature forces you to sweat out all the built up toxins in your body, and it also allows your muscles to get a much deeper stretch. There are several hot yoga studios near Chapel Hill, but my favorite is Red Room Hot Yoga. They are relatively inexpensive and they offer student discounts. But be careful, because once you get into hot yoga, you become addicted. It gives you a chance to literally rid your body of all the gross stuff you put into it all week (alcohol, energy drinks, Cosmic Cantina burritos) and combat the stress from midterms and your hectic schedule. Here are some tips to survive your first class:
1. Hydrate!
This is definitely the most important one. If you don’t drink enough water before class, there is a good chance you will feel like passing out. Don’t forget to bring a water bottle with you to class! You are going to lose almost all of your water weight. Imagine taking a shower while still wearing your yoga clothes. That’s what you will look like at the end of class. The water loss from all that sweating can really take a toll on your body, so make sure you rehydrate after class too. If you don’t, you will get a massive headache. Also remember to replace your electrolytes by drinking Gatorade or eating a banana or energy bar.
2. Don’t put your mat down near a guy.
Guys tend to sweat A LOT, typically much more than girls. They also tend to have more powerful body odor after working out. Try to place your mat as far away from the males in the room as possible. Believe me, you don’t want to be in the Splash Zone and get hit with flying sweat when he is swinging his arms into Warrior pose. This applies even if you see a really cute guy in class. Remember, you are going to smell bad too. When you are sweating buckets in a hot room, you can actually smell distinct odors oozing off your body. You don’t want cute guy to get a whiff of the leftover garlic from last night’s Italian dinner seeping out of your pores.
3. Bring a towel.
If you don’t have a towel to soak up all of your sweat, you won’t be able to do any of the poses because you will slip off of your yoga mat. I usually bring a beach towel, or you can buy towels specifically made for hot yoga that fit the size of your mat. Target has some relatively cheap options in their sporting goods section. It’s also a good idea to bring a smaller towel to wipe off your face so sweat doesn’t get in your eyes, and to wipe off your legs before you do balance poses.
4. Take a break if you start to feel dizzy.
The first time I ever did hot yoga, I started seeing black spots halfway through class. It got so bad that I had to lay down on my mat for ten minutes before I felt stable enough to get up and continue with the rest of the poses. I was really embarrassed at first, but then the teacher came over and told me that it was perfectly normal for that to happen to beginners. It takes your body a few classes to get used to the intense heat. If you start to feel dizzy at any time, don’t hesitate to sit down for a few minutes and sip water until you feel better.
Bonus tip: Never go to hot yoga if you are hungover. You will inevitably feel the need to vomit and/or curl up in the fetal position and cry. Believe me, I would know.
5. Don’t give up!
Hot yoga is really hard. But that’s what makes it so great! After 90 minutes of pushing your body to the max, you will feel like you just conquered the world. If your first class is terrible (it usually is), give it a few more classes before you decide to throw in the towel. It will get easier with each class, and the dizziness goes away too. After a while, you will start to crave going to class to get that sweaty release.