I also just discovered hot yoga. I do hot yoga, not Bikram. That is a whole different thing. I've done yoga since high school, but never consistently and never, ever hot yoga. I hate the heat. I truly do. And working out in a 95 degree heated room? Uh, no way. But I tried it anyway. I was ready to leave the yoga DVDs and attend a real class. I tried some classes at the gym, but they had trainers teaching who really didn't know what they were doing. They tried, but the approached it from a non-yoga angle. It was just stretching for them. No connection between movement and breathing.
As a Christian, I approach yoga from two ways: health benefits and prayerful meditation. I pray to God during my practice thanking Him for what He has given me and the body He gave me. I've grown closer to him from yoga. I take what the teachers say and apply a Christian approach. It's all about what He has done, not what I have done.
The place where I do my hot yoga is amazing. It's dimly lit, so I can hide easily. They have all of the equipment I could need. At the end of the class, we get mini massages with a cold towel filled with lavender infused water.
Now that I've been doing it a couple of weeks, I am becoming more focused on what I put into my body. I'm also getting stronger, more flexible, and more compassionate. Yeah, the compassion was surprising, but not at all unwelcomed.
I highly recommend hot yoga, just be sure to bring lots of water and towels!
