Why I Love Hot Yoga

In the last six months I have been obsessed with hot yoga, going to class almost every day of the week. There have been a number of reasons why this habit of mine has grown into a full-blown addiction. I love fitness, and hot yoga is a great way to get a workout in. I sweat my ass off while my heart rate goes through the roof from doing all sorts of calisthenic movements that work muscles I didn't even know existed.

In addition to the exercise benefits of hot yoga, it has also helped me improve my flexibility and range of motion. My ankles, knees, and hips all feel much stronger and I can extend into positions that I previously had difficulty with. The back bends that I do in every class have also helped me with the alignment of my spine and allowed me to have better posture. This has led to a noticeable improvement in my quality of life -- as I've made these physiological improvements, psychological/emotional improvements have seemingly followed.

Along with exercise and mobility, the sauna-like benefits of being in an extremely hot room for an hour have had an impact on my health. There seems to be a certain detoxifying effect that comes with a lot of sweating, and I drink a lot more water on a regular basis now, too.

All of this, combined with the meditative effects of yoga -- the state of presence that's achieved from focusing all of your efforts on the mind-body connection in order to properly execute certain positions -- has led me to believe that hot yoga is just about the most efficient wellness activity that you can spend an hour enjoying.

I could go to the gym and get a workout in, or I could work on my stretching and mobility, or I could hit the sauna to sweat it out, or I could sit in silent meditation.

But why would I do all of those things separately when I can get them all at once with hot yoga?