How Hot IS Hot Yoga???

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Tonight was my first class at Moksha Yoga in Bedford, NS 🙂 I signed up on Saturday as they had their “Summer Special” on. $60 for 60 days.

I have taken yoga before, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I figured with the deal on it was a great time to try it out and see if it was something I would be into.

So, how does this hot yoga thing work?

I arrived well before the 15 mins they ask for, as I needed to change. Melissa greeted me at the desk and we had a quick chat. She made sure I was armed with water, mat and towels (they rent them if you don’t have any) and sent me on my way to the change room. (No late people here. You’re late, you are out of luck. NO YOGA FOR YOU!)

This studio is wonderful. Clean, quiet and welcoming.

I changed and walked into the “Brazil” room….and the wall hit me. IT’S HOT.

I walked to what I thought was the back of the class and set up my mat, beach towel over the mat and grabbed some blocks and a strap. With my water and little face towel beside me, I settled into Savasana. I figured this would help me acclimatize. I laid there and sweat BIG TIME, like someone had turned on a sweat faucet. But eventually that did slow down…until class started…

Because you’ll be full of it!

Tonight’s class was Yin Yoga (90 minutes). Melissa was our instructor.

Yin Yoga is a little different as you hold your poses anywhere from 3-10 minutes. It is all about relaxing and letting gravity do the work. The focus is on the breath and the stretch. No activating muscles. Release.

Upon Melissa’s arrival into the class, she advised today we would be focusing on legs! (AND that the back of the room…..was actually the front…no looking at the mirror and so much for hiding…lol)

I though “wooooohooooo!”….because today, I ran 5kms!!!!! (Go ME!) My legs were a little tight as this is the most I’ve run since the discovery of my OCD knee.


I am just a little excited in this photo…lol

We got started and at first I was struggling to get into a pose, until Melissa said to go with my body and when I felt the edge to stop and breathe. At first I thought “How am I going to stay in these positions for 3-5-10 minutes??”. The trick is (for me anyway) to close your eyes and focus on your breathing. I found that once I did that (like in meditation) I let go. I stopped worrying about where I was in the moment and let my body guide me. There was a moment of “Ummm, I am kind of hot…am I going to puke….”, but that passed once I got control of my breathing 🙂

I was dripping sweat everywhere! And thankfully, so was the rest of the room…lol.

At the end, while in Savasana (yay!) the lovely Melissa came around with cold facecloths and placed them over our eyes – BEST EVER!

Afterwards, she congratulated me. Not only on my first class, but for doing so well in a 90 minute class 🙂 I told her it was probably one of the best classes I have taken.

So, guess where I am going tomorrow night???