Stepping out of the frigid weather and into a heated studio, Paola Almeda lays out her yoga mat. She’s ready to sweat, stretch and unwind. As the yoga class starts, meditative music plays as participants get into tempos — sets of repeated movements.
But this isn’t a regular yoga class, it has the added benefit of the heat and sweating. It’s hot yoga, and the benefits have recently become popular with students.
“I don’t really do the regular class just because I really like to sweat,” Paola, a senior, said. “I feel like for me that’s an important part of it because it’s like the detox that I enjoy.”
Paola started going with her older sister a few weeks ago and has continued on her own, even introducing friends to it.
“It does help me in times of stress or when I feel kind of disconnected from myself,” Paola said. “Especially at the end they always do a part where you’re just lying down and meditating and centering yourself.”
The extra heat in hot yoga makes the workout more difficult but also increases sweat and calorie burn. Paola originally found discomfort from the body contortion, but grew physical strength. She now finds the benefits go beyond physical.
Paola and her friend senior Emma Heo take classes together at Midtown Athletic Club.
Emma discovered heated workouts about a year ago through her gym membership. She alternates between heated Pilates and yoga. These provide a different routine from her weight training and cardio workouts. They’re harder than the regular classes, but Emma finds she can feel the workouts’ lasting effects.
“I like these heated workouts,” Emma said. “They always make me feel a lot better after. Even with how hard they are, I feel very tranquil after, especially with the yoga classes when there’s a bit of meditation in them.”
While yoga focuses on calmness and breathwork, Pilates classes can be more energetic. Emma said the contrasting styles complement each other.
“I would say for the Pilates, there was this one class where the instructor played only ‘Wicked’ music, which was really fun,” Emma said. “The Pilates are a lot more hype, a lot more energetic, which I really like. And I like that in addition to the more calm yoga classes, where you’re focusing on your breath, that has calm music in the background.”
After finishing the hot workouts, Emma and Paola roll up their mats, feeling more connected with themselves and refreshed after sweating out their stress. They are ready for their day, energized and renewed.
