I'm a little late for the hot yoga craze, but after many months of hemming and hawing, I finally decided to sign up for classes with Essential Yoga. There are TONS of hot yoga classes in the Valley now. Several years ago I took a total of two Bikram yoga classes. From what I remember, they were incredibly hard to get through, our water breaks were regulated, it was hot as Hades, and we were highly discouraged from leaving the room. I knew I didn't want to go back to Bikram but I wasn't sure where to go in the Valley until a friend told me about Essential Yoga.
The first plus for me is that Essential Hot Yoga is close to my house. And there are four locations: Nampa, Meridian, Glenwood, and Broadway. I can go to whatever location works for me on a given day. Secondly, there are tons of class options. If I don't make a morning class I can easily adjust my schedule to make an afternoon or evening class. One thing I noticed is that they don't have late classes, so you pretty much have to commit to waking up early or taking a class by 5:30ish. Sorry, night owls!
My very first class at Essential was in Nampa. I was nervous but the teacher that day (shout out to Linda S!) was SO friendly and understanding. The big difference between Essential and the other classes I took years ago is that it is sooooo easy-going. You can drink water whenever you want to. You can leave the room if you need to. You are strongly encouraged to focus on your own body, your own work, your own progress, and not to compare yourself with others around you. You can literally spend the entire class in savasana if you want. In every class we get (more or less) the same script, and this is part of it. Do you. Embrace the progress you are making. Don't compare yourself to that skinny, freakishly flexible person working next to you.
Also in that first class I met some very friendly, outgoing people in the dressing room. They were encouraging, affable, and cool. I don't remember meeting anyone like that at the other studio I went to, where everyone seemed so competitive and self-absorbed.
I signed up for the two week introductory package and tried to go every day. Somewhere around day 4 I had to take a day off to go to the chiropractor. Rather than feeling like I failed, I took a different perspective. I have since discovered that going every day might not work for me, but with every class I learn a little more and am able to do more. It's the first time I've ever felt that yoga - hot or otherwise - might be something I can commit to for awhile, and not just a fad.
I haven't had a bad teacher yet. Each instructor is different, but on the whole I feel like I've encountered some very caring and understanding guides. One big con of the studios for me is that it's sometimes hard to hear because of the acoustics in the room(s). I wish that could be improved, but if you are going for the first time, just make sure you look in the mirror and follow the people near you. One teacher also gave us some valuable advice: If you have any issues or need any help, talk to your teacher beforehand. I have done this - explaining that a part of my body was hurting and asking for modified poses - and my husband has done this (most recently he asked a teacher to watch the position of his feet), and each time we were very happy with the direction and extra attention paid by the teachers in class.
One plus I see about Essential is that yes, it is hot in class. But for some reason it seems more tolerable than the other studio I've been to. Temps are usually between 100-105 degrees with humidity at 40-50%. In the short amount of time I've gone, I've only felt like it was unbearable once, and I think that had to do more with my hydration levels than anything else. If you're new to hot yoga, understand that you basically have to change the way you hydrate yourself. I make sure I stay hydrated all day, so that my body is not in shock when I go to class.
One of the things I've also wondered about is whether it would be a good thing to have more medical information about the students in class. I didn't have to fill out a form that said I had medical issues, and if anything happened to me in class, I wonder how that would be handled. I've read many articles about the benefits and pitfalls of hot yoga, and I know that it's not for everyone. I think this would be good information for students to have when signing up for classes.
Tip: After day 3, you will start to know the flow of class a little more. You may want to move back from the front if that's the case. The teachers don't necessarily do every pose in class, but if you situate yourself towards the back of the room (which means you won't necessarily be near a mirror or be able to see yourself as well), you may be able to see and hear the teachers a bit better, as they tend to hang out in the rear quite a bit more. Sometimes they will demonstrate poses near you, which is a huge plus. read more
