If you don’t already know, hot yoga, which is also commonly known as Bikram yoga, is a thing in Malaysia and a lot of us love it. Even if you’ve done yoga before, the idea of hot yoga may be slightly intimidating, especially since we live in the tropics. The thought of getting sticky and sweaty while stretching your limbs may be a bit daunting but once you get into it, you’ll find yourself addicted and wanting more.
So, before you head off for your first hot yoga class, here are some of the things you should know:
What you should bring: Most yoga centres have their own mats, so save yourself the trouble of bringing your own. Just bring a big bottle of water because you’re going to need it, yoga towel (you know, the kind that has grip on one side), and a small face towel to dab the buckets of sweat that will be coming out of your sweat glands during class.
What to expect: It’s going to get pretty hot, so you should mentally prepare yourself for that. There will be times when you might want to just say “F*ck it!” and leave the room, but don’t. If you feel a bit light-headed or overwhelmed, just get yourself into child’s pose or simply sit on your mat to take a breather. Nobody will judge!
What you should be wearing: Some people, love to work out in long sleeve tops and it’s safe to say that for hot yoga, you should skip anything that’s long. Less is better. Stay away from anything baggy and/or made out of cotton because it actually traps the sweat. Instead, wear your usual sweat-wicking yoga clothes. We highly recommend the Align Pant from Lululemon!
What you should do after class: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I mean seriously, you’ve lost a lot of water from all the sweating so be sure to replenish your body with water so you don’t go into dehydration mode.
Hot yoga, like any other type of yoga, can be a little intense. Especially when you mix challenging poses with heat but once you get the hang of it and actually stick to it, you’ll notice an overall change to your mind and body!
