This past Friday, Brian and I both tried something that was completely new to the both of us…

Hot Yoga!

I was planning on attending a class at CITYOGA for another project that I am working on (details on that at a later date!), and when I saw that they had a Hot Yoga class at 6am, I thought I would give it a try.  Hot Yoga has been on my “list” of things to experiment with for a while now, and I am so happy that I was able to finally give it a shot!

Because we were attending a hot class, some of our friends who had a little more experience warned us of the intense sweating and recommended bringing our own towels and mats. The studio did have towels to rent for $1 and mats to rent for $2, but it was pretty simple to just bring our own!

Because it was 6am, Brian and I were literally the only people in the studio aside from the instructors.  We also made sure to arrive about 20 minutes early so that we could peak around the studio and see what it was all about.

There were several yoga books, mats, clothing, and other things that one may need for regular yoga practice for sale at the studio.

One of the details that really caught my attention were all of the pictures on the wall above the cubbies.  The pictures appeared to be instructors and students practicing yoga.  I loved looking at all of them!

Once the room was fully-heated and a couple of other students arrived, we decided it was time to shed our layers, place our bags and shoes in the cubbies and set up our stations in the warm room.

The lights were dim, the room was very toasty, and it felt very relaxing to be in so much heat!

Brian and I laid our mats out next to each other and prepared ourselves for the one of heated yoga that we were about to complete.

Honestly, we both thought that the hour FLEW by!  We were both fairly sweaty by the end, but there were no pools of sweat surrounding our mats.  I really enjoyed the heat because I felt like I was able to get deeper into the poses and really feel my muscles working and stretching.  The class was completely refreshing, and a great reminder that I truly  need to make more time for stretching and yoga in my regular workout schedule.

The instructor was very hands-on, but I LOVE that!  She made sure to ask before correcting and was great at verbalizing the poses that we were completing and how we were supposed to feel.

I loved the atmosphere of CITYOGA, the instructors were extremely knowledgeable and welcoming, and I cannot wait to go back.

After yoga, we headed next door to a cute little local coffee shop, Monon Coffee Company.

I was completely impressed when I saw that they had almond milk on the menu as a milk option, and I ended up ordering something called the Mona Lisa, which was espresso, choice of milk, honey, and cinnamon.  Boy, was that a treat!!

There were also a ton of delicious looking homemade baked goods for sale by the register, but Brian and I resisted the temptation.

The coffee was delicious, the yoga was refreshing, and I honestly wish I had more time in my schedule to make Hot Yoga a regular part of my fitness routine.

Thanks, CITYOGA for a GREAT experience!

Question of the Day:

• If you have ever tried Hot Yoga, what was your experience like?  I know that Hot Yoga is NOT for everyone, and I would love to hear some other first-experience perspectives!