Why Hot?

A Definition of Yoga

Here’s a little background about yoga. Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. It’s not a religion or a form of worship. The word yoga means union: of the mind with the body, of yourself with nature. It is about setting aside the ego, finding compassion, and searching for the deep inner "you" that exists outside of the person who strives to earn money, accumulate stuff, and try to find happiness in the material world. It is the ability to detach from the emotionality of life and live it from a balanced and centered point of view. It urges us to explore and challenge our mind, our body and the very nature of our being. Yoga is, perhaps, the only discipline through which an individual can truly experience inner harmony. It leaves one feeling confident, energetic and motivated and creates a perfect balance in all the systems of the body.

So yoga not only makes us healthier and fitter, it also makes us happier and better human beings.

So Why Practice in a Heated Environment?

• Your body burns fat more effectively. Warm muscles burn more fat than cold muscles. Fatty acids are redistributed into these warm muscles and burned off as energy.

• Your muscles, connective tissue, joints and ligaments become more elastic and pliable which allows for greater flexibility and facilitates greater range of movement with less chance of injury and improved resolution of injury.

• Metabolism accelerates speeding up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids.

• Capillaries dilate in the heat. That circulates more blood in the body which more effectively oxygenates the tissues, muscles, glands and organs and helps in the removal of waste products such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid.

• 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.

• The heat promotes an increased amount of sweating when you combine it with proper breathing (building internal heat). Sweating promotes detoxification (toxins coming from food, environment, stress, etc.) through the skin - which is the body's largest elimination organ. You’ll also notice a dramatic improvement in the complexion of the skin as the sweat flushes out impurities from the skin.

• Your cardiovascular system is enhanced as it gets a thorough workout.

• Higher temperatures also improve the function of the nervous system so messages are carried more efficiently and rapidly to and from your brain and spinal cord.

•  This challenging environment strengthens willpower, self control, concentration and determination.

So see for yourself the amazing transformation you will experience with a regular yoga practice, especially in a heated room. Optimally, if you can practice at least 3-4 times per week, you will achieve tremendous progress and benefits relatively quickly. Like anything else, consistency and patience brings greater progress and results.

"Careful practice of yoga will allow you to cultivate your inner flame so that it becomes steady and illuminates truth."

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