Important Tips for a Hot Yoga Class

Hot yoga is an increasingly popular yoga practice that involves doing yoga in a heated studio. It has a number of health benefits and is an incredibly fun experience. Fit Athletic members from gyms in Downtown San Diego, gyms Solana Beach, gyms Carmel Mountain and other SD County areas like Poway, Rancho Bernardo, and Solana Beach adore the mix of Bikram-style and traditional yoga, and are absolutely crazy about the Heated Inversion Flow class.

Before you start typing ‘’ hot yoga near me’’ or “health clubs San Diego” and “barre solana beach” in search, here’s what you need to bear in mind.

Drink lots of water

Doing yoga in a studio heated to 85-95 degrees means you will sweat a lot. The sweating is natural and beneficial as it helps you get rid of toxins and burn calories. It also means that you should stay properly hydrated to compensate for the amount of fluid you will lose.

It’s vital that you keep your body hydrated throughout the day, not drink a lot of water at once. Bikram yoga experts and hot yoga instructors recommend drinking 2-3 liters of water a day (that’s 11-12 glasses of water).

A pro tip: Have a small dose of salt before each lesson (not more than a pinch). When you sweat, your body loses sodium it needs to function properly, so you need to replenish it. As an alternative, you can have a natural sports drink before the class that will also make up for the sodium you will ‘’sweat out’’.

Avoid eating too much or too little before a session

You need to fuel your body properly so it can make the best of the workout. This means avoiding large meals and heavy food. Instead, you should eat a healthy snack such as dried fruit (figs, apricots, raisins), banana (it has a high concentration of sodium), watermelon (rich in water), and nuts. Also, go easy on the dairy before a Bikram or other hot yoga session.

Don’t do hot yoga on an empty stomach. Your body will need energy that comes from healthy food.

Listen to your body and find your own pace

Yoga is not a competitive sport. You should pay attention to yourself and your body only, and discover the rhythm and pace you are most comfortable with.

Because of the heat in a hot yoga studio, our bodies feel more flexible, so you have the feeling you can stretch more than normal. Experiment with different poses gradually. Bikram-yoga style involves a series of 26 postures you will gradually learn to do without instruction. As you grow accustomed to the exercise and atmosphere, the postures will become internalized, your body will know what to do instinctively, which is when you can begin to experiment.

Get an OK from your doctor

Hot yoga may not be best suited for people with a respiratory or cardiovascular disease, or other heart-related diseases and health issues such as diabetes. Make sure you check with your Poway or Rancho Bernardo doctor before taking up a hot yoga class. This applies to all types of hot yoga, including the combination of Bikram and traditional-style yoga.