It’s almost that time of year again—the holidays.
While we all enjoy the food, the gifts, the family visits and the pumpkin lattes, the holidays can add a lot of stress to our lives. With all of the shopping, driving, planning and preparing, it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. While these types of stress are minor, they have a profound effect on our mental/physical health. They impede our ability to enjoy our daily lives and make the most of the holiday season.
One way to deal with this stress is to practice hot yoga at your neighborhood yoga studio, Hot Lotus Yoga. A hot yoga class is essentially a reset button for the body. It helps to decompress, de-stress, detoxify, and, of course, it burns a ton of calories from those lattes.
Here are just a few ways yoga will reset the body and mind:
Yoga helps the body to work more efficiently. When we become stressed, the body reacts as if in a fight or flight situation. The breath becomes shallow, and the muscles tense up in preparation to fight or run. This physical response is helpful in a life or death situation, but if there is no immediate threat, that energy is, instead, stored in the body. In yoga, we learn to breathe deeply, and to move in ways which release residual tension and stress. It also aids the immune system to fight off the cold virus currently going around.
Heat helps to burn away toxins and fat. When the body sweats a lot, it releases a ton of toxins and burns fat. It’s normal for new students to lose weight within their first few weeks. The sweat also is great for the skin because it clears out the pores. Many of the twisting poses also aid in digestion and organ detoxification, letting the body process foods more efficiently and absorb the necessary nutrients.
Yoga improves mental focus. Some yoga postures are difficult and uncomfortable. But if we can train ourselves to focus and breathe through uncomfortable poses on the mat, imagine how this can help us off the mat. Instead of shouting at the cars in traffic, we can re-wire our brains to breathe deeply instead.
So, the next time you find yourself yelling at another car in traffic or obsessing over your long shopping list, you may want to consider trying a heated yoga class. To see the quickest benefits, try two or three classes per week. As with any exercise, consult a physician before starting. Come hydrated to class and ready to feel your stresses melt away.
Join us at Hot Lotus Yoga. Our introductory offer is twoweeks unlimited yoga for $20. Classes are held seven days
per week. Check out our class schedule at www.hotlotusyogastudio.com. We look forward to meeting you.