Sunday, February 17, 2013

All about HOT YOGA :)

So a lot of you have asked me a ton of questions about hot yoga...I'm such a big fan so I wanted to answer all of your questions both on my blog and in this video:


So the main questions.

Is Bikram the same thing as hot yoga?
Bikram is a type of hot yoga- it's a series of 26 postures, no music, 105 degree heat and high humidity over 90 minutes. The classes are the same everywhere and there are rules to be aware of: scheduled water breaks, leaving early is discouraged (even if you're feeling sick) some people may describe Bikram as being militant- but I think it ultimately comes down to preference. Many people ONLY do Bikram and do it their entire life!

PROS of Hot Yoga:

  • Your skin will look amaaaazzzing
  • Lean, long muscle. But you can get this from regular yoga and pilates
  • I (personally) think hot yoga is good for type A personalities that may have a harder time concentrating in vinyasa type of classes
  • Therapeutic...and all that good stuff
CONS of Hot Yoga:
  • Its expensive, expect to pay $100/month but more in the $130-150 range in a larger city
  • You may have scheduling conflicts 

Can Bikram/ Hot yoga help me lose weight?
I have heard stories of people losing 30, 40 or even 50+ pounds with hot yoga. However in my experience, most people I know will never get shredded/super lean off of just yoga. The people I know who have had amazing bodies off of just yoga were people who were already naturally fairly slender and just needed to tone up or lose a few vanity pounds. However I do think yoga makes you more mindful of what you eat- which will of course help you shed weight. However the caloric burn cant compare to a brutal gym session/running. Ive heard people say hot yoga can burn 800+ calories a class...I really think 300-400 is much more accurate. The elevated heat makes your heart pump + burn more calories but 800 is definitely an exaggeration. 

What to wear to a hot yoga class: 
Girls: For bottoms I'd recommend shorts or crops, on the top I like to wear a sports tank top but lots of girls wear only sports bras and thats fine too :)! (If you're brave! ahaha).

Guys: usually shirtless with board shorts or short shorts

Things to know before class:
  1. Be well hydrated (drink a TON of water) and no big meals 2 hours before
  2. Arrive to your first class 10-15 mins early, never go in late
  3. Don't set your mat directly in front of other's mat, manners :)! Make sure to stagger so everyone can see themselves in the mirror

5 comments:

on display said...

hi jackie! ive been following your twitter, i dont have an account so i have to comment here. you mentioned that you want to move to ny. its funny because i live 30 min away from nyc and i desperately want to move to socal. i visited california twice in 2012 and fell in love with socal. i didnt even think about moving after my norcal trip (march, 2012). then i visited socal (LA, OC) in the end of Decemeber, then it was over. ive been obsessing with socal (just cali in geneneral) every single day. im graduating pharmacy school in two months. and i plan on working on the east coast for a year to save up some money and move with the bf to socal in the summer of 2012. the only thing im a bit scared of is the earthquakes. :((( heard/read that the big one is coming. anyway, this is a long msg. also i want to say you have been a huge inspiration to me. ive been watching your videos for years and i eat healthy and work out myself.

on display said...

also i want to say that the northeast is very cold in the winter months. we are talking about its too cold to enjoy the outdoors from october through february. and really you dont get much sun here during the winter months. what im trying to say is that the weather really sucks compared to the desirable socal weather. hopefully next year ill pack my bags and enjoy the sun in beautiful socal.

Unknown said...

Hi Jackie!
I watched your healthy meal examples video and I was just wondering if your meals are different on days that you don't workout. I am trying to lose weight but its hard for me I used to not eat a lot in middle school and my body is just used to that. So any advice on how or what to eat? Thanks. :)

Unknown said...

Hi Jackie!
I watched your healthy meal examples vid and was wondering if your meals are different on days when you don't work out. Thanks! :)

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