So, How Hot is it?

How hot is it, really? That seems to be the next-most-asked question I'm getting these days.

There are 2 main camps in the world of "hot yoga:" the "burn me up please, I want it to be so hot that I singe my nose hairs" camp, and the "oh lord, that's that hot yoga stuff, it's like a sauna in there, my doctor won't let me do that, my mama won't let me do that, there's no way I'm ever going to do that, please don't make me do that!" camp. Luckily, Laughing Sun Yoga (and Jimmy Barkan) don't fall into either one of those camps. AT ALL.

Granted, I'm pretty much a heat-freak myself. I love a good hot room. But it is my passion and philosophy that the YOGA should not be about surviving the heat! Your yoga practice should not depend upon how well you can tolerate ridiculously uncomfortable (and easily controllable) circumstances. Instead, the room should feel pleasantly hot when you walk in. Hot enough that you feel rather delicious in your yoga clothing or t-shirt and shorts. Hot enough that your mind says, "hmmmm... sunshine!" But not so hot that you balk at the door. Just hot enough that once you begin the practice, you are coated with a light and pleasant layer of sweat that stays and never goes away until you leave the room at the end of class. Once you are sweating nicely, you are so comfortable in the heat that you don't even notice that you're in a hot room - you're sweaty, warm, comfortable, breathing, and the even heat is allowing for a wonderful deep stretch in all of your muscles and connective tissues.

To me, the perfect hot yoga room is about 5 degrees hotter than "warm," and about 5 degrees cooler than "wow- that's hot!" To me, the perfect room is about 102 degrees, with about 40% humidity. The higher the humidity, the cooler the temperature, and the lower the humidity, the warmer the temperature. The more strenuous the class, the lower the temperature. The larger the class, therefore the more bodies and body heat, the lower the temperature. And the more experienced, and therefore acclimated, the participants, the higher the temperature can be while still feeling comfortable. Slighter, smaller people with lower body fat percentages tend to want the room hotter, and larger, heavier people tend to want the room cooler. Men tend to perceive the room hotter, and sweat more, than women. I have one lovely student - a tiny thin woman - who wears a sweater in class, while the man next to her is dripping in sweat wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Same room, different experiences of the heat.

So, using our "state of the art" heating system here at Laughing Sun Yoga (in other words, space heaters plugged in strategically around the room), we can control the heat precisely to guarantee the best experience for you. There are hotter and cooler areas of the room, heaters can be turned on and off, and you can be given instruction that will either heat you up or cool you down. The purpose of the heat is not to roast you like a turkey, it's to create a warm, nurturing and loving environment that allows you to go more deeply into your practice while you learn to access your own internal heat and internal fire (tapas).