Hot Yoga

History of Yoga ... a union of body, mind and spirit
Yoga HistoryYoga is an ancient system of health and fitness which originated in India. Today yoga is accepted as a comprehensive exercise to promote control of the body and mind. Yoga has become accepted as one of the best ways to achieve health, fitness and balance.
Literally yoga means to unite, and it is through yoga that we work towards uniting the harmonious integration of the body, mind and spirit. In this way the result is optimal health and longevity.

Yoga is not a belief or a religion but a way for us to reach our greater potential. Yoga is a refined system that works on developing and balancing strength and flexibility, stamina, focus and endurance. Through a series of physical poses and a focus on the breath and an awareness of the body yoga helps us to deepen our sense of well being.

Why is yoga better than other forms of exercise?
Many people engage in mindless physical exercise where trance-like states occur as the exerciser repeats the same movements again and again. The gym exerciser can often feel that they gain some rest from their everyday stresses by escaping while performing rigorous exercise. However these benefits are usually only limited to the session and the exerciser leaves with a feeling of reduced energy.

Yoga is unlike this because we cultivate awareness and mindfulness whilst achieving better coping mechanisms for everyday stress. Coupled with the superb body workout this is an incredible path to mind and body fitness - and to cap it all off we leave refreshed and regenerated with a new resource of energy.

A regular yoga practice not only brings physical benefits, but also restores a natural grounded feeling, balances emotional states and virtually eliminates stress. Many students report an 'unexpected' feeling of well-being and vitality even at the very beginning of their practice. Why 'unexpected'? Because most students enrol to lose weight or reduce stress - little do they realise that a whole new life is ahead of them!

Whether you approach your practice as a physical regime or a spiritual practice, the benefits will be there for you.

Hot Yoga Benefits:
If you think about it, it makes sense.
Any exercise program focuses on warming up our bodies before vigorous activity. The temperature of the yoga room is similar to our body's own temperature. This accelerates improvement in many of the benefits of your yoga practice.
Regular exercisers recognise that peak performance occurs when fully warmed up and your body generates heat from the inside radiating out and into your muscles.

Why is sweating beneficial?
After experimenting with different levels of heat and moisture, we have found that the increased moisture in the air is more likely to make you sweat, rather than the absolute temperature! And the more people in the room, the more moisture from our breath, the more we sweat.

Experts agree that the optimal humidity when considering lung function for protection against colds, flu and other respiratory problems is around 60-70% .
Enjoy the sweat! It is doing you so much good on many different levels!

Our room is thermostatically controlled so the temperature never gets too high and in dry conditions we use a steam vaporiser to ensure correct humidity.
The heat has many benefits.
The heat means we can get into postures more deeply and effectively - plus the benefits of the postures come quickly. Like thousands before you, you will find that practising yoga in the warm room creates a satisfying and almost addictive feeling of achievement.

The benefits are many:
-Your body burns fat more effectively, fat may be redistributed and burned as energy during the class. It is common to lose centimetres of shape in a very short time;
-The heat produces a fluid-like stretch allowing for greater range of movement in joints, muscles, ligaments and other supporting structures of the body;
-Capillaries dilate in the heat; more effectively oxygenating the tissues, muscles, glands and organs and helping in the removal of waste products;
-Your peripheral circulation improves due to enhanced perfusion of your extremities;
-Your metabolism speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids;
-You benefit from a strengthening of willpower, self control, concentration and determination in this challenging environment;
-Your cardiovascular system gets a thorough workout;
-Your muscles and connective tissue become more elastic and allow for greater flexibility with less chance of injury and improved resolution of injury;
-Sweating promotes detoxification and elimination through the skin - which is the body's largest eliminating organ;
-Just as when your body raises its temperature to fight infection, the raised temperature in the room will assist in improving T-cell function and the proper functioning of your immune system;
-Your nervous system function is greatly improved and messages are carried more efficiently to and from your brain; and
-Metabolism improves in your digestive system and in the body's cells (that is food in the gut and nutrients in the cells)

Source: Quick Fit Yoga