Pic: Marguerite Boyle
While running to work as a training for my next Half Marathon, I thought stretching and strengthening needs to be a part as well. The last few month went so quickly. I realised that my focus was not that much on training and now I feel it. Lower back is stiff and sitting at a desk the whole day doesn’t help.
My gym membership expired and that’s a great chance to look around what else is out there. Maybe I find new ways of training?
What I always wanted to try is a hot yoga class. This is quite common in London but I never tried it. Potentially because I was in a gym and did other yoga classes.
So I set myself a new challenge.
“Hot Yoga Challenge”
This introductory offer sounded fun! 21 days unlimited hot yoga for 39 GBP.
Close to where I live is one of Fierce Grace studio. It’s easy to get to Brixton after work and I can do a class on the weekend. Perfect! I’m aiming to go a minimum of 3x a week.
And off we go:
What to bring? My training bag included:
- training leggings, a tight sports top (I always wear functional clothing, breathable material as any cotton based items will soak the sweat and that feels very uncomfortable)
- 2 towels, one for on my mat and one to shower
- water bottle
The good thing is, I could also rent a mat, towels and get water in the studio.
My first class at Fierce Grace was called DEEP CORE (DC).
Working on core and flexibility was exactly what I was interested in. The level was suitable for beginers and for advanced, so that sounded like a good class to start with.
I rented a mat and came into the huge room downstairs. Wow, there were already lots of yogis lying relaxed on the floor.
I found a space in the middle at the front and sat down.
Looking around as the newbie, I felt the power of the silence and the heat on every inch of my body.
It felt hot but good. I took a last sip from my water bottle and the class started.
Yoga postures are not new to me. I tried lots of different yoga styles and been to a yoga retreat before, but how will I cope with the heat?
The best thing was to take it ease and slow. I was listening to my body the whole time. Breathing in was a bit strange at the beginning. The air was hot, my body felt hot and after the first forward fold I saw my sweat dripping down onto the towel beneath me. “This is different.”, I thought.
The class was not the usual sun salutation over and over again, no, there were postures chosen like the “Warriors”, different twists, hip openers and more. In-between there was also a short laying on the back relaxation, which was really nice. However turning around and getting up was challenging. I felt a bit dizzy. When I was back on all 4, I hesitated and looked around what was next. Everyone was already in the next pose. My body said , “SLOW”! Drink water! My moves were in slow motion now as I felt the impact of the heat. I managed to keep on following the whole class but always when I felt a bit more challenged by the heat, I slowed it down even more. My body was so hot and my sweat was dripping down my neck, over my face while in “down the facing dog”. I grabbed my towel and wiped my face.
Last few minutes on the back were so relaxing that one or the other felt asleep. Again, I knew turning around and standing up will be a challenge, so I took it easy. I waited. Standing on my feet bend forward, I felt dizzy. I waited. Slowly I tried to roll up. Stopped and went down again into a squat. I waited. Forward fold I tried to roll up slowly but stopped again. Respect the heat, I thought and waited one more time. I felt impatient and wanted to stand up, but need to listen and wait until my body can. Really slowly and bone by bone I rolled up my spine and walked slowly to the side. Standing up was the biggest challenge for me today. I’m glad I managed the first class so well.
As a beginner to hot yoga and not knowing how the body will react, PLEASE take it easy and slow.
The heat was a bit hot in the beginning and I needed to get used to it but I enjoyed the impact on my flexibility. It was a new experience and you know how it is with first times in life, they can be a bit of a mixed bag. I enjoyed it a lot and I love a bit of a challenge, therefore I will be back again and see how I feel after a week.
How many classes can I fit in?
More about my hot yoga experience will be up in a weeks time.
Thanks,
Sabine
Bit more about the studio have a look at the link below :
PS: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.