After my chiro told me how tight my entire left side I had one thought. I should probably go to yoga.
I’ve been really reluctant to go to yoga lately and I’m not sure why. At one point I really quite enjoyed it. Then a few years ago I took a flow class through the gym at work and I didn’t love it. I think it maybe set a sour tone for yoga in my mind? My friends Kelly and Pam have been trying to convince me to go to yoga for months. They kept telling me how good it would be for me. I came up with the perfect argument that I understood that yoga was good for me, I just wasn’t one of those people that “got it.”
With a sore ankle, a weekend of no running and the realization that I am very inflexible I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to rediscover my inner yogi. I had gone to hot yoga classes at Bodhi Tree before. I really liked the studio but it was pretty far from home and was such a popular place that classes filled up quickly. I googled hot yoga in Calgary and found something a little closer to me, Hot Yoga on Crowfoot. They offered an introductory week of unlimited yoga for $25, with plenty of classes offered throughout the day and evening. I found a class to go to on Friday night and made my way there.
I went to the Traditional Hot class to begin with which is where you move through the traditional twenty six postures in a specific order. For all classes the room is kept at 42C and 50% humidity. I wound up setting my mat up next to a fellow who is obviously practices yoga regularly. He was able to get very deep in the poses which was quite awe inspiring. He also served as a good cue for me in case I wasn’t sure what the instructor wanted us to do. I found the practice was really invigorating and I really liked the girl who taught the class. During the final savasana she dropped a cool towel scented with lemongrass into our hands so we could wipe the sweat from our brow or drape it over our faces. That was heavenly!
I tried a different class on Sunday, Baptiste Power Vinyasa. This class had music! Some mellow stuff like Tracy Chapman, but some more upbeat stuff like Michael Jackson and Usher. That was pretty fun! This particular class was more of a flow class where we moved through sun salutations to warm up. We were connecting every movement to breath. I found this class a little more difficult as I was getting lightheaded during the last part of the standing poses. We finished the class off with some pretty challenging core work to boot!
I left class one hot, sweaty, exhausted mess! It was like I had just stepped out of the shower…except I hadn’t!
I’m going to try and fit in at least one more class before my week expires, but then I think I’ll try to make a habit of it and go once a week. And if I’m going to go regularly I figured some gear that would help me move freely in the hot and humid room may be in order? I popped in to lululemon to ask for advice on what gear would work well. I was sold on the Practice Freely Tank and the Run: Pace Shorts.
I liked that both pieces are made of really lightweight fabric. I typically find lulu shorts are cut a little too tightly for my *ahem* thighs, but these are cut a little more generously. I’m looking forward to trying them out in a hot class soon!
But here’s a question for you ladies regarding shorts. These have a built in liner made of a substantial black fabric. If your shorts have a built in liner do you skip wearing undies underneath? I figure at hot yoga one less layer is probably better? Then again I’m the girl that had a hard time grasping that you weren’t supposed to wear underpants under bike shorts to begin with! And I took time in T2 of both my Ironman races to put on underpants under my running skirt! So would you wear panties or go without?
How do you like hot yoga compared to “regular” yoga? I’ve never tried hot yoga – I’m not sure I could do it.
You’re not supposed to wear undies under bike shorts? I did not know that!
I probably would, I don’t know that I’d feel comfortable without.
Did you find it hard to get back in to hot yoga? I’ve been to The Hot Yoga Lounge a few times, and the first day back, I find myself dropping out and lying on the mat for a break quite often in just a 65 minute class!
I love hot yoga, but I have to find a time when I don’t have anywhere to be afterwards, because I’m the colour of a tomato for at least 3 hours later, cold shower or no.
Lately I have been going to Bikram 4x a week and I truly believe it is the *only* thing keeping me running nowadays. It resets my body in ways that no amount of massage, chiro work, rolling, or stretching at home can do. I really like the Run Back on Track Lulu tank for Bikram. I think it is the same sort of set-up as the Practice Freely, but I find the luxtreme and mesh to be slightly more wick-ifying than luon. I’ve been using the Oiselle stride shorts as my Bikram pants lately. I used to go in running shorts, but realized people could see right up them when you do the standing bow type-poses.
Definitely go sans panties!!
Huge fan of regular yoga, not so much the hot yoga. That much heat isn’t good for me at all.
I have only done bikram once and it wasn’t my favorite…but then I live in Miami so ya know I’m hot and sweaty about half of my life. I am trying to stick to dedicated yoga too because I know it helps with injuries
I love hot power yoga at a national “chain” studio called CorePower, not sure if they have them in Canada but if they do you should try it. It’s the only yoga I enjoy. They have a variety of classes, including traditional hot yoga but the hot power vinyasa is my favorite!
I can’t believe you took time during the IM to put on underwear =) hehe. I NEVER wear underwear when I workout. Most shorts have built ins and when I do yoga or run in capris I don’t wear them with those either =).
I think most people consider the liner underwear, but then again others still wear regular undies with running shorts. For yoga I’d probably double up – contorting myself around probably better to be safe lol.
I never comment on posts but this one caught my eye. I am a fellow Calgarian and I also belong to Hot Yoga on Crowfoot. I was like you and never ever thought I’d go to yoga ever since it wasn’t a “real sport” (I’m a competitive swimmer). Last winter I finally had to take some time out of the pool due to a repetitive use shoulder injury, which is a killer for us swimmers. A friend convinced me to go to hot yoga and while I was hesistant initially I can now say more than a year later it was one of the best things! I go to yoga 4 or 5 times a week (the TH or Union class) to use as crosstraining/enforced stretching for swimming and it has been fantastic. Like RoadBunner said above, without yoga, I am not sure I would even be back in the pool or able to race. Fingers crossed it helps you with your training!And it’s a good assist in the pool as well 🙂