My husband and I are avid tennis players and play often when there is a window of opportunity. It’s our way of getting a tan, bonding and exercising all-in-one! The stakes are pretty high for the winner. If I win, I get a mani/pedi at the nail salon and if he wins, he gets a foot massage by yours truly. I was highly in-need of a mani/pedi the day we were playing, so I was in it to WIN! I rallied back and fourth until I won, I killed it, but now I have been paying for it with a lower back injury.
It’s been driving me crazy that I haven’t been able to play and a little afraid to get back onto the court with my bad-ass forehand that got me hurt. 😉
My girlfriend suggested we go to this new hot yoga studio called, CorePower Yoga. They offered a free 1-week trial and I figured it would be good to stretch out my back and work on my core.
I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never gone to an actual yoga class. The only yoga I’ve ever done was Yoga X from my P90X dvd, an awesome workout, by the way!
So my girlfriend and I decided to go after work and try their Yoga sculpt- heated power yoga with weights! I know, as if yoga itself wasn’t enough.
As soon as we walked in, we had to take off our slippers at the door, put our belongings into the lockers and rush into the heated yoga room. We were the last two that could fit into this room. It was packed!
Two beautifully sculpted women made room for me in the front row, and I would see two more rows of people behind me.. I was hoping my stage fright wouldn’t kick in. I honestly didn’t know what was in store for me.
I just looked in the mirror and started copying what the two girls between me were doing. It all started coming back to me. I remembered all these poses from my Yoga X dvd. I didn’t feel like a fool after all and actually knew what I was doing..
The room seemed to get hotter and hotter, but it wasn’t an unbearable feeling at all, I could feel how the heat was assisting my body into a deeper stretch.
Not sure if it was the high intensity yoga with weights or what, but the sweat just kept pouring out. It was almost like a yoga aerobic class with high energy music. It felt great!! At the end of the class, our teacher turned off the lights and sprayed a mist of lavender in the air while laying on our mats. The smell of lavender was the best final touch to ending my first hot yoga class!
My body felt so calm and relaxed afterwards like I had just spent the day at the spa. Can’t wait to go back again!
Benefits of hot yoga:
– release toxins
– improve flexibliity and range of motion
– increase the chances of weight loss
– develop muscle tone
– build the immune system
