Benefits of Hot Yoga 

"The practice of yoga has been evolving for the past 3,000 years. The system of working with asana's, or postures, is known as Hatha Yoga and is only one of an 8 limb yogic path. Within this system there has arisen Ashtanga Yoga, Anusara Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Power Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and various other styles you may not have heard of. One of the newer styles called Bikram Yoga involves heating the studio to 102-105 degrees, and repeating the same 26 yoga postures twice for a total of 90 minutes. There are advantages and disadvantages of this system. The advantages are that the extreme heat causes the cardiovascular system to work a little bit harder increasing the heart rate and demanding more efficiency from the oxygen exchange process. Our lungs develop more muscular walls and can process the carbon dioxide more quickly. The poses require isometric muscular contraction, which allows for greater muscular endurance. Greater muscular endurance boosts metabolism, and keeps our bones strong and healthy. It also promotes fat loss and builds lean muscle tissue. The drawbacks are that this practice is highly rigid. There is no freedom to explore any of the other 3,000 + yoga postures, and many people get injured in this class because their bodies are not able to withstand the demands of the selected postures. The classes are often so large that the teacher cannot give students individual assistance, and when they attempt the pose the wrong way or push too far they end up hurting themselves.  Out of this style of yoga emerged Hot Yoga. In this practice, the room is still heated, and postures are held longer, but the poses selected vary from studio to studio and teacher to teacher. At Myoga, the class sizes are small so there is lots of individual attention. All of the same benefits apply, and the class accomodates everyone. As with all yoga classes, the stress relief is perhaps the greatest benefit of all. In our society today the "fight or flight" reflex is too often stimulated with multiple tasks taken on at the same time in an effort to do more, and accomplish more as the demands of daily living and work seem to constantly increase. The pressure on our endocrine system to regulate these hormones can cause illness and disease. With regular yoga practice, we learn how to calm the central nervous system which eases these conditions and allows us to enjoy a slower pace and live in the moment." Mary Shaw, Myoga Director and Founder