Get bent in shape with hot yoga

By JAMIE NEWMAN

As my yoga instructor put it when our hot yoga class came to an end, “People who say yoga is easy haven’t done it yet.”

I have practiced yoga for four years now, and I can tell you tha from my experiences, yoga truly is not easy. Most of the questions I receive about yoga are along the lines of whether it is only stretching and used strictly for relaxation purposes, but there are numerous benefits to practicing yoga.

When one dedicates time to practice, they are doing much more for their body and health than just “stretching.” People often notice that they are sleeping better, they feel more relaxed and they feel happier. One can gain clarity in many aspects of their life, including clarity of themselves and of others.

Many also notice a positive difference in their physical looks, which is an added bonus.

For those critics who claim yoga is not for them because it is too “boring” or “easy,” perhaps they should try hot yoga.

In a hot yoga class, students still practice traditional yoga; it just happens to be in a hot room. Hot rooms are typically around 100 degrees. The room is also extremely humid because of body heat.

Some hot classes offered can last an hour and a half. These classes are rigorous, yet rewarding.

The heat in the room helps one’s muscles relax, which means one’s body will flow deeper into the poses. Therefore, the body benefits even more from the poses, both physically and mentally.

Clarity and relaxation are two states of being that are hard to access, especially for a college student. A beautiful thing about yoga is its dogma of practicing to leave one’s problems off the mat. Through regular practice, one gets to know oneself better. People can learn to let go of self-judgment, which for some can be the hardest part of continuing a fitness routine.

Attend a yoga session and feel the benefits enrich the body. Or, to use the new motto of the Stafford House of Yoga, “Get Bent.”