Bikram Hot Yoga When It's Hot = Sizzling Idea!

Bikram Hot Yoga When It’s Hot = Sizzling Idea!

Hot yoga in hot weather…YES!
Below are two articles on why hot yoga is perfect whatever the weather, even when it’s hot hot hot!

Bananas right?? No! There are many wonderful benefits to practising your yoga during the hotter months and we are going to tell you why.

(p.s. the picture to your left is teacher Andy practising dressed as a Banana, we said the word Banana, so any excuse to get this pic out from the archives!)

1) You’re Hot:

The beauty of hot yoga is the heat, helping you to work safely, as the m uscles, fascia and connective tissues become more elastic, allowing for greater flexibility with less chance of injury. Coming from a colder climate into the hot room, can often take time heating the body up, to allow the yoga magic to happen. However, when the temperature is hot outside, our bodies are already more on the journey. Also, as you are leaving your hot yoga class, it can actually feel cooler outside!

If you are a regular practitioner, you may even find that the weather outside becomes more manageable.

2) You have worked too hard to quit now:
You have worked so hard throughout the Autumn, Winter and Spring months on your yoga practise/journey look how far you have come and all you have achieved. The fun has only just begun! Your muscles, ligaments and joints are nicely warmed prior to class in the hotter months, so your body is likely to be more flexible, allowing you to go deeper in your practise. Just think of the breakthroughs you would be missing out on!

Keeping our yoga routine going throughout the summer, means come September, there is no yoga hill to climb to get back to our spring fitness. Plus all that summer indulgence of ice cream, Pimms, strawberries and cream, BBQ’s and such are basically guilty free, right?!?! It’s all about balance, we do the good (yoga), so we can get away with the bad (whatever your summer sin maybe).

3) The Habit: from staying hydrated to weight loss:

In hotter months, hydration is vital and being hot yogi practitioners, we are used to fuelling our bodies with electrolytes and water that we lose through sweat. You’ve done the prep…so why not the practise!

“Exercise is important and crucial for weight loss, but not only because it helps you to burn calories. About 80 percent of your ability to achieve an ideal body weight is related to your food choices, and new research shows that exercise may make it easier for you to make healthy food choices.” Dr. Mercola.

In summary, research has shown that exercise helps your brains executive functions, like inhibitory control, making it easier to choose healthy foods and not simply down a gallon of ice-cream for breakfast!

It has also been shown that regular exercise make your brain more sensitive to signs that you are full.

So when it’s win, win, win; why would you give up your mat for your sofa or the pub?! It’s only an hour and a half, then you can go about your summer business guilt free.

4) Summer sports:

As your body adjusts itself to the warm temperatures inside a hot yoga class, you may find that you can handle the temperature outside easier, and maintain a longer endurance in other sporting activities: i.e. running, tennis, cycling etc. Not only that, but the strength and flexibility that you gain from your hot yoga practise, will help aid your other sporting pursuits.

5) Yoga Energy:

Hot weather can often leave many of us feeling tired and sluggish. We want nothing more than to chill in the park or have the summer sun beating down on our face, that we often neglect our physical health and forego exercise.

We know that exercise gives us energy, keeping our bodies and mind active, warding off fatigue. So take some time out of your day for you and your practise, so that you may enjoy your ‘relaxing’ time thoroughly, guilt-free.

If you are practising in the hotter months:

– Stay hydrated, replenish your electrolytes.

– Eat well. Make sure you are giving your body enough fuel before and after class.

-Be kind to yourself and listen to your body. Yes the heat is wonderful, but be mindful of your body’s personal edge and avoid pushing to hard. You want to nurture not injure your body.

– Enjoy!

Hot Yoga makes a Hot Day Hotter!

(in a good way!)

Hot day, hot yoga – might not be the first combination that comes to mind, however, while it may not be the first, they definitely are a winning combo.

Here are 6 reasons why BYC hot yoga should be a part of your Summer (Autumn, Winter & Spring) routine.

1. The Injury Tamer
Come rain or shine, heat or chill, one of the many wonderful benefits to a regular BYC hot yoga practice is its wonderful way with your injuries. Whatever your extrayogic activity of choice might be, from running, the gym, judo to HIIT, beach volley ball to water-polo, BYC Hot Yoga is the oil to your joints, the spring to your step.

We will keep you primed and able to continue these pursuits. If you are currently working through an injury, please check with your medical practitioner that you are ok to participate in BYC hot yoga and speak with your teacher prior to class.

2. Detox to Retox
Summer is a wonderful time full of festivals, BBQ’s and holidays. The kids are off school and we ‘treat’ ourselves to all those yummy indulgences, that we might usually avoid in our healthy day to day. Pimms have fruit in it, so its basically a health drink right? However, life is too short to live in a permanent state of denial and as the great Oscar Wilde says, ‘everything in moderation including moderation itself’. It is important, however, to make sure these little lapses do not become a permanent life style change. We do the good, so we can do the bad.

So make sure you keep your yoga up.

We release 99% of our toxins through our liver and kidneys & 1% through sweat (although we would love someone to do a study on BYC hot yogis… have they seen how much we sweat?!).

Our body is ALWAYS in the process of clearing us of toxins. Our liver, kidneys and colons are on permanent detox duty, eliminating these nasties, when we go to the loo. Our lungs and lymph system are also on the job. However, we can help speed this process up by exercising & staying hydrated. I ncreasing your heart and breathing rate, your body can work more effectively to

flush out unwanted toxins, fats and waste.

3. The Great Destresser

Summers are for fun, but when the temperature rises, sometimes our stress levels do too. The tube is packed and delayed, the kids are off school, everyone is on holiday and your left to run the show. Remember to take that 90 minutes for yourself, on your mat at BYC and let that stress melt/drip away. The concentration demanded by the challenging environment and postures, push us into the present moment and take us away from those pesky stressors, allowing us a to find focus and calm in the here and now.

4. Routine isn’t routine.
In the words of our very own NHS: ‘Step right up! It’s the miracle cure we’ve all been waiting for. It can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, by up to 50%. It can lower your risk of early death by up to 30%. Its name? Exercise.’

People who do regular activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers. Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

‘If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented.’ says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant.

However, Summer roles around with all its fun and our exercise routine falls by the waist side. If we fall out of our routine: a day, a week, a month can go by and we haven’t exercised. Exercising is one of the most important things we can do for our minds and bodies. Nothing and no one should come between you and your BYC hot yoga! Keep your routine, make a new routine, make it to class. Your body and mind will thank you today, tomorrow and beyond.

Consistency is Key.
If you want the magic you have to put the time in.

5. Confidence is key.
Summer is the season of the dreaded (for some) beach wear. The trick to an awesome beach body; take your body to the beach and be awesome. For some of us this is easier said then done, so lets build that confidence together on the mat. We have one life and one body to live in. A healthy diet, regular exercise and a positive self attitude, is the how we get there!

Be kind to yourself, you are amazing. As cheesy as it may sound, you are! Lock that knee, engage that core, put down those white carbs and pick up the complex ones. No one said it was easy, but is anything that is worth having? The best thing is you are not alone. We are all here sweating together, whatever our goals: to heal our injuries, loose some pounds, free our mind or build our confidence, we are all on a journey together!

6. Consider yourself a weather Chameleon.
Keeping your BYC hot yoga practise up during the warmer, more humid months, helps you cope and acclimatise outside the room as well as in.
Firstly you will be surprised at how you may acclimatise quicker in the yoga room, as you are already warm and your body has less of a distance to travel to heat up, as in the winter months.
You also take this knowledge out into the world, while others are stifling on the tube. You are breathing through the heat, a master of your own calm. While all around you in the office are struggling under the weight of a hot summer day, your breeze is calm and collect. They should try a BYC hot yoga class!

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