Heatwaves and Yoga?
how to practice yoga in the hot summer months
This week NYC is experiencing record heat, and as a hot yoga teacher, I am feeling it.
On Friday my partner and I enjoyed an afternoon at World Spa , a global-themed bathhouse with saunas, pools, steam rooms, a restaurant and “spa experiences”. PS - It’s my new favorite bathhouse in NYC because its actually CLEAN (However.. you still cant escape the Tik-Tok spa goers, who film all over the bathhouse, which is my ultimate NYC bathhouse pet-peeve). After hours of sweating out my entire liquid profile, I hung out on my rooftop, where I continued to sweat, had a few beers, and then retired to sleep. It may not come as a surprise that when it was time to teach 2 back to back hot yoga classes the next morning I was feeling woozy.
HYDRATE -
All of this is to say, Hydration is key if you are planning to continue practicing in the heat. I have survived several hot summers as a yoga instructor, and every year I see students and teachers (including me this past weekend!) forget how much the heat affects us. This weekend reminded me that the heat can be dangerous.
I am still finding my favorite hydration methods; Liquid IV and sports drinks work intermittently. There is only one surefire way to feel completely COOL in a hot yoga class, and it is to drink a lot of water the night before a class. Take care of yourselves yogis, and don’t push past comfort. This is Ahimsa in practice.
UNHEATED CLASSES -
If you are a hot yoga fiend like me (in it for the flexibility, calorie burn, increased heart rate, or detoxification, etc..) heatwaves are a great time to try unheated studios. They will still be hot, trust me.
Some of my favorite studios that offer unheated classes in the city, are: The Shala, Souk, Yogamaya, Yogis & Yoginis, Baby Cobra , St Marks Yoga, Three Jewels, Bhakti Center
(There is a post about the best HOT yoga in the city incoming..)
THE HEART FIRE -
In her book tending the heart fire, Shiva Rae talks about the summer heat and how yogis can care for themselves during this time of depletion. She notes the 5 anchors for the summer season, which I have summarized here: 1) Balance excess fire that overstimulates the pitta dosha by staying relaxed, calm, and cool and by tending the fiery emotions like impatience and irritation, 2) Shift your rhythm from manifestation to celebration. Take time to slow down. Avoid overexerting, 3) Breathe fresh air, 4) Focus on cooling the skin, 5) Eat and drink in ways that balance the pitta dosha by enjoying in-season fruits and vegetables and sipping warm water to maintain and regulate body temperature.
Shiva later encourages restorative walking, and asanas that remove excess heat from the body like backbends and forward bends..
Stay cool friends!
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