Hot yoga

[Landing~Lutzes]

Has anyone here tried hot yoga (more specifically, to help with flexibility?)
What was your experience? I am thinking of trying it... Never done yoga before and want to try it! The closest studio to me is a bikram hot yoga studio.
Would be interested in hearing any experiences with hot yoga!

[AgnesNitt]

You can come weed my flower beds .

95° F in the downward dog position for an hour.

[irenar5]

I have tried it once and did not like it.  It is just plain too hot in there!  I was sliding all over my mat and did not feel stable. 
I mostly did Ashtanga yoga in normal temperature room.  Yoga helps with flexibility,strength and balance. If you have never tried it, be prepared for major soreness for the first few times, though.

I have met a lot of people who love hot yoga!  I would just try it and see for yourself.

[jjane45]

I did bikram once, lots of sweat and it was difficult to breathe toward the end. I prefer doing things in the natural way. (and then picked a sport where nothing feels natural lol)

[amy1984]

I wouldn't rec Bikram - lots of the instructions they give you ('lock your knee, lock your knee, LOCK YOUR KNEE' - and yes, they yell ) aren't good for your joint health.  They also yell a lot and encourage you to push past limits.  Some people really enjoy it, but knowing what I know about the human body, I found it a little disturbing.  They also have CARPET IN THEIR STUDIOS.  Think about it.  Sweat.  Carpet.  Lots of people.  I once had someone else's sweat seep up through my mat.

However, if you have Moksha or similar close by, I would highly recommend them.  They're awesome.  Encourage you to work at your own level and give 'safe' instructions.  And they use cork floors and clean them between classes It really helps me stretch out tight muscles.  And the heat is really nice.  If you don't have a moksha chain close by, I'd suggest checking out the non Bikram studios to see if there's one you like.  Wear as little clothing as possible, bring a mat, towel and a water bottle, and you're ready to go.  A good mat is needed to avoid slipping.  They can be expensive, but it's worth it.  Most studios usually offer some sort of first time discount.  I go through phases in terms of how often I go, but right now I'm going 2/wk and really enjoy it.

[sampaguita]

I've tried Bikram and Ashtanga. IMHO Ashtanga is harder, but at the same time, easier to do, because you don't have to do all poses in one session. When I started Ashtanga, I only did Sun Salutations for almost 1.5 hours, followed by the cool down poses. You also progress at your own pace -- some of my classmates were doing headstands while I was still doing the basic poses, but that's not a problem. Each pose has an easier version, and when your teacher sees that you're ready, you're made to do the original version.

On the other hand, in Bikram, you're required to do all poses in one session. Some poses have an easier version, but for me, I prefer the gradual progression offered by Ashtanga.

I had one session of Bikram after months doing Ashtanga. I found Bikram more manageable than I expected it to be, partly because I already had Ashtanga training.

One note about Bikram: it depends on the instructor. My friend who introduced me to Bikram made sure that our Bikram teacher was the kindest one in the studio, and he also didn't make the room unbearably hot (apparently, it's the instructor who controls the thermostat).

They also have CARPET IN THEIR STUDIOS. 

Not in the Bikram studio that I went to. They had hardwood floors.

For weight loss, Bikram's great. Flexibility wise, I think it is equal to Ashtanga. The nice thing about Ashtanga is that you don't need a hot studio for it, and therefore can do it at home, but some people prefer the environment of a hot studio.

Try both, if you can manage it.

[Kitten23]

My sister does Bikram twice a week and when she gets home (we're room mates), she's exhausted and a puddle of water.  Don't know how great it is for skating, but as an observer, it's quite entertaining.

[Neverdull44]

I do P90X's Yoga as my favorite.  He talks the whole time, so it may not be the purest yoga.  But, his chatter helps me get through it.  Whatever yoga you do, I encourage it.  It will help you tremendously, and I think skaters find it easier then the average folk.  Alot of it is the ability to hold a knee bend, while stretching.  As Mr. P90X says, he didn't get strong from lifting weights, he got strong from Yoga.  I had very bad plantar fasciutis, and Yoga's stretching helped me heal it.  You're working in a small space, but sweating like a pig in normal yoga.  I don't know about "Hot Yoga", but I hear you'll drop a few stones in sweat/water weight.  They heat the room up, and you are exercising in a hot room.  I find exercising in the heat to be unbearable, part of my allure to the ice rink.  But, hey, to each his own. Namaste.

[Skittl1321]

I used to love hot yoga. I loved how much I sweat, and I loved that yoga now felt like a workout.  I had to stop hot yoga because I kept overstretching.  I am very flexible when in the heated room, and it causes no pain or even 'stretch' feeling.  The next day, I would always have pulled my hamstrings, and often a few other muscles too.  I would go again, and hold back- making sure not to do positions as full as I could, but still, I would end up injuring myself half the time.

Unfortunately, the heat camouflaged the signs the body gives me to let me know I was over stretching.

My other advice- if you do it, go to a place that uses radiant heat instead of heat lamps.  At the studio with heat lamps I always feel like I'm getting a sunburn on my shoulders- it is painful. The radiant heating gets the room just as hot, without directing heat in one place.