Below are some common questions people have about Bikram Yoga.
What are the benefits?
There is a growing body of scientific evidence to support the benefits of yoga as a preventive and therapeutic medicine. Sufferers of conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, insomnia, high/low blood pressure, obesity, depression and other problems report significant improvements rapidly. Specifically, hot yoga will help you:
- Learn to breathe fully and correctly.
- Build strength, flexibility, balance, and tremendous endurance.
- Prevent chronic illness and injury.
- Develop a deep sense of well being, vibrant health, and a peaceful mind.
- Lose weight and tone-up.
- Improve your posture.
- Maintain a youthful appearance, as the oxygenation and cleansing improves skin tone.
- Work every system of the body: cardiovascular, nervous, lymphatic, endocrine, immune, digestive, reproductive, muscular, and skeletal.
- Reduce stress & improve sleep.
- Improve your heart and lung capacity.
- Eliminate back pain.
- Develop greater flexibility of your spine in its full range of motion, allowing the central nervous system to function optimally, resulting in high levels of energy and well-being.
- Integrate the left and right hemispheres of your brain, which helps to improve memory, learning, coordination and balance.
- Build mental strength by holding your mind in a focused meditative state.
What if I have never done yoga before?
It does not matter if you have never done yoga before. Hot yoga is for everyone as you just take the class at your own pace. It does not matter if you are inflexible or unfit or if you feel you need to lose weight. hot yoga will help you with all of these. It is particularly good for back and joint problems.
What if I’m not flexible?
Hot yoga is not intended to be performed just by rubber-jointed yoga adepts. Hot Yoga Athlone welcomes ordinary people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. The need for flexibility is the most common misconception that prevents people from attending yoga class. Yoga is not about how flexible you are. It is about stretching your body and spine in all directions. If you try the right way and go to your personal “edge” you will receive 100% of the benefits.
Is there anyone who cannot do Hot Yoga?
Hot yoga is suitable for all ages and levels of ability above 12 years old (the ability to sweat is essential to prevent overheating). Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. It may be more challenging to some and certain modifications may be required in a small number of cases. Always check with your doctor if you have any concerns and inform the instructor prior to class. It is not recommended to practice hot yoga:
- If you are fasting.
- If you are on, an extreme diet or are consuming only minimal calories through diet shakes.
- If you have a fever.
- If you are already doing an intense detoxification.
- If you are pregnant and have less than 6 months of regular practice of hot yoga. It is not advised to do yoga in the heated studio, especially in the first trimester when the mother’s core temperature should not be elevated.
- If you have had recent chemotherapy.
- If you suffer from epilepsy, you will need to speak to your consultant, and have written consent from them, to confirm that it is safe for you to practice in 38°C heat.
