What to expect from your first hot yoga class...

NEW TO HOT YOGA?

Hot yoga can be incredibly beneficial, whether you’re looking to improve your strength and flexibility or an opportunity to quiet your mind.

To some, hot yoga can be intimidating. The following points will help clarify some of your questions and help you work up the confidence you need to give it a shot.

YOUR BODY WILL ADJUST

The heat of the studio might feel intense at first, but I promise, your body will adjust to it. Know that it can take up to 3 classes for your body to become acclimated. Especially for the first few classes, be sure to be hydrated, breathe, and take breaks as needed. Do your best to stay in the room and allow your body to acclimate to the space appropriately. Though it might be tempting to run out of the heated room, don’t! The sudden change in temperature might be too much. Just know that soon your mind will be so engaged with what’s going on with your body—balance, placement, alignment, etc… that it will forget about the heat.

STAY HYDRATED

Be sure to drink plenty of water prior to class and take water with you into class. Also,  avoid eating an hour before class starts. If you’re hungry ahead of time, have a light snack, like fruit or nuts. You’ll regret indulging in sweets or rich foods prior to class.

DON’T LET SWEAT BRING YOU DOWN

Embrace the sweat and expect a lot of it. Sweat is very cleansing and detoxifying so enjoy it. To help with the sweat, you may want to bring a towel or two with you to class-  one small hand towel to wipe off sweat and a larger towel to lay over your mat. Otherwise, you may find yourself slipping and sliding between poses. Certain mats, such as the lululemon 5mm reversible are great for hot yoga. They are slip resistant and also have an antimicrobial additive that helps prevent mold and mildew from growing.

BREATHE

If you’ve taken yoga before, you know that your breath should guide your practice. This is especially true for hot yoga. Let your body take the deep inhales and exhales that it needs, especially during the more challenging poses, this will help cool you down and keep you calm and relaxed.  Avoid holding your breath or taking short, shallow breaths which will escalate your heart rate or make you feel dizzy or lightheaded.

STAY INWARD

Hot yoga is incredible. Go in with an open mind and get ready to have fun. Know that as in all yoga classes, everyone is at a different level so don’t compare yourself to the person next to you. Check your ego at the door and don’t become discouraged if you can’t take the same variation of a pose as your neighbor, find what feels right for you. Your first few hot yoga classes are about getting used to the temperature, the poses, and the environment. If things become too intense it’s ok to take a child’s pose. Listen to your body.

DON’T OVERTHINK, JUST DO

Things may feel hard, challenging, or just downright impossible, but know that you are capable of more than you think. Attempting challenging poses can be fun and with time, patience, and practice can be very attainable.  Change the script in your mind from one of “I can’t” to “I can”. Just allow the teacher to guide you and move through each pose with confidence and strength!

KEEP PRACTICING

You did it! You might feel a little shaky after your first class, but you’ll also feel cleansed, empowered, and strong. It’s a feeling like no other. After class, remember that hydration is essential, to replace the fluids you lost through sweating in class. Get ready for your next class- sign up online and perhaps even consider trying another instructor. Practicing yoga 2-3 times week can be essential in helping your overall physical and mental health.  The more frequently you practice the sooner you’ll see results-  such as better range of motion and flexibility, strength, reduction in stress, and better posture to name a few.

NAMASTE!

Meditation

With the hectic pace and demands of life, many people feel stressed out and over-worked. We often feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done that we need to. Our stress and tiredness not only make us unhappy and frustrated, but also can begin to affect our health. Meditating is a great way to help make you feel calmer, more focused, and more at peace.  In our busy day, we may feel like there is no time to stop and meditate, but a simple 10-15 min. is all you need to help calm your mind and body and allow yourself to feel less stressed.

My dad passed away on July 3rd. During the last few weeks, I’ve felt sad, depressed, and overwhelmed, so I decided to start meditating. Previously, I considered my yoga practice to be a moving meditation, but since I am always moving, I decided to try to sit in stillness for a while and see how sitting and focusing on my breath could help to calm my body and mind.  

In only 10 minutes a day, I was able to help transform my mind from negative to positive, from anxious to calm, and from unhappy to happy. Learning to sit with myself and love myself, helped me to find the inner harmony I was lacking.

Overcoming negative minds and creating constructive thoughts is one of the purposes of meditating. There are many different meditations techniques (i.e. walking, concentration, mindfulness, transcendental) you can choose from.  Meditating doesn't have to feel hard or cumbersome, so no matter what you choose or how you choose to meditate, it’s up to you. The most important thing you can do is focus on the present, try to clear your mind, and breathe. 

Here is a simple meditation exercise to try:

1. Sit or lie comfortably. 
2. Close your eyes.
3. Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.
4. Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly. Simply focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.
5. Maintain this meditation practice for two to three minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods.

I started with some simple meditations on my own, but then began to explore some guided meditations. Here are a few things I found and enjoyed:

1. Meditation Studio- I enjoy this when I don’t have much time and am looking for a shorter guided meditation. They offer meditations for stress, relaxation, and sleep, just to name a few.  
2. For longer meditations, I enjoy listening to Deepak Chopra’s Healing Meditation on youtube. He has quite a number of them and I really haven't found one I havent liked.

Next time you are having a hard time or are feeling stressed, find a comfortable seat or lying position and begin to meditate. This may not make the negative experience go away, but it can help you tolerate it with kindness and patience.

Namaste!

Mindfulness

As a yoga instructor, I frequently have students asking about mindfulness and how to live more mindfully.  A good place to start, is defining the term.  The commonly acknowledged definition of mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.

Mindfulness is often practiced and cultivated through meditation, but being mindful does not require you to sit and meditate for long periods of time. To me, being mindful is more about just being aware and paying attention to the present without judgement. Recognizing feelings & sensations and noticing them. Mindfulness has been linked to reducing stress, and improving one's physical health, mental health, and well being. Mindfulness has been found to be the key element of happiness. Mindful people are overall healthy and happier. The moments we spend being mindful compound and pay interest in the form of clarity, gratitude, and presence.

When we start paying attention to how much we pay attention, we’ll notice how often our attention dwindles and it’s hard for us to actually pay attention. Sounds confusing, right?! Our minds are constantly moving, thinking, processing, and being over stimulated that it is actually hard for us to become more present.

When we make the decision to stop and focus, to be grateful, to notice our emotions without trying to change them, we not only improve the quality of the present, but invest in our ability to be mindful in the future. The time we spend lost in thought, emotionally scattered, anxious and stressed become compounded and lead to unhappiness, stress and depression.  So adding up mindful moments whenever we can is so valuable and healthier for us.

Carving out time in your day to become more mindful will only help you appreciate the present. Remember, every moment counts!

Here are a few things that you can do to become more mindful:

Take a yoga class:

Yoga can help teach you how to become more mindful and aware. In a yoga practice, you focus on movement and breath and everything else seems to fall away. When we become more present and mindful on our mats, we can start to become more mindful in our daily lives.

Go for a walk:

Get outside. Take in the sights and sounds, enjoy nature. Feel the weight of your feet pressing into the earth on each step you take. Notice the sun on your face, wind at your back, and the sound of your breathe. Enjoy it!

And if you can’t make time to “go for a walk.” Do this when you walk to your car in the morning or after work. Do it when you walk towards your bed at night. Walk and be present.

Write down 3 things you’re grateful for every morning:

Maybe start a gratitude journal. Take a few moments every morning and reflect on how wonderful your life is. Stop stressing and thinking about all the negative (what you don’t have, want) in your life and begin to think about the positive. What’s good in your life, what is it that you love, & what you’re grateful for.

Check in when you move:

Moving from one position to another gives us a chance to check-in with ourselves. When you stand up from your chair, getting out of your car, moving from your desk at work, are you in a hurry? Notice how you feel. When you sit back down does your mind begin to rush towards the rest of your day before finishing the task at hand? Gently reel yourself back to the present. Close your eyes, take a breath, release tension in your body &  jaw and focus on what’s happening right now. Allow the rest to fall a way, you’ll get to it with time. Be present.

Enjoy your food:

When you eat, are you always ready to devour your food? Where are you when you’re eating or what are you doing? Are you on the couch, watching TV, checking your phone? If so, you may realize that before you knew it, your food is gone and you have no recollection of chewing. Instead, during your next meal, sit at the table, avoid distractions and focus on those first few bites. Notice the smell, identify the flavors and taste. Tune into your body and mind during the meal.

Turn off your devices:  

Every once in awhile, turn off your electronics (i.e. phone/ipad/ipod) and engage with the natural world around you. Have a proper conversation with someone, rather than like what they did on FB, talk to them and tell them what you liked in person. Enjoy the company of friends and family, make the time to spend with them and enjoy life together.

Listen to soothing music:

Turn on relaxing and soothing melody and really listen to it. Lay down or sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and feel the music in your soul. Soothing melody will help you clear your mind and thoughts after a busy or stressful day.

Meditate:

Sit quietly and focus on your natural breathing or on a word or “mantra” that you repeat silently. Allow thoughts to come and go without judgment and return to your focus on breath or mantra. Sit in stillness for a few moments or an hour, just relax and listen to the sound of your breath.

When we are mindful, we learn, grow, and have an overall better quality of life. Just remember, when you’re practicing mindfulness, there is nowhere to arrive at. If you focus on what is going on right now, the rest take care of itself.