- Calms the Mind & Reduces Stress Levels – Stress has been labeled as the number one cause of death, and in our busy society many of us spend a great deal of our waking hours in a state of stress, placing our nervous system into survival mode, which requires all of our faculties to support survival leaving no energy for rest, healing and rejuvenation. When we remain in high stress states for long periods of time, we tax our nervous and immune systems, which will eventually evolve into illness and dis-ease. Practices such as yoga and meditation are proven methods to lower stress levels and move us back into a self-healing state. We begin each yoga class with an initial relaxation and centering which helps to settle the nervous system and become more connected with present moment, and when we are fully present, we eliminate stressing over past experiences that we can no longer change, and dissolve any worry about the future. Being fully immersed in this present moment awareness and fully connected to your body and your breath immediately lowers stress levels, and allows for an overall sense of calm. You may notice that after a few short weeks of regular practice that even off of your mat the mind is not as busy, you become less reactive, and stress levels naturally begin to lower, which then allows for healing and the return to a steady and balanced state.
- Increases Strength & Flexibility – The practice of asana is a whole body practice with the postures designed to increase flexibility and create space in the body while also strengthening and toning muscles to give us stability and support. Increased flexibility allows for more freedom of movement and a greater range of motion through the joints making even the simplest tasks like putting your socks on in the morning more easeful, while strengthening muscles generates power and vitality leaving us feeling energized and capable. Each class we offer at Bliss will encourage you to discover your own inner ability with a unique weaving of different postures that will help strengthen and create space, granting access to your own potential.
- Increases Body Awareness & Connection with Self – As we go through life and become consumed by our jobs, school, families, and to do list’s, we often lose connection with our Self and can move through life unconscious to our behaviors, habits, patterns, and tendencies, whether they are physical, mental or emotional. The practice of yoga guides us back to a deeper connection with our physical form so we can begin to retrain the body to hold itself in its optimal alignment, and regain integrity and health for all the systems of the body, bones, muscles, joints, organs, etc. You may find after just a few weeks of regular practice that you begin to adjust your posture standing in line at the store, or have to raise the angle of your rear view mirror to match your now taller seat while driving, and these changes are just one benefit that you will receive. Yoga also allows for a dissolving of the external distractions, where we are permitted to put away the many costumes and masks we wear to fill all the roles we play in life, so we can land back into the deepest and most true part of who we are and reconnect with the essence of our own Self. The more we practice the more conscious and aware we become of our tendencies and patterns, begin to recognize those that no longer serve us in the present, and then make the choice to let go and move forward in a higher state of being.
- Detoxification – When we practice yoga in a heated environment with added humidity, we increase the amount that we sweat, which is how our body cools itself down. This increased sweating will help to draw surface toxins out through the body’s largest organ, the skin. We also incorporate releasing exhales through the mouth from time to time in class, which helps immensely with this detoxification process, as about 70% of toxins that we knowingly or unknowingly ingest and absorb are released through our breath. Leave each Bliss “Glow” yoga class feeling cleansed and restored!
- Increases Caloric Burn – Practicing any kind of yoga will burn calories, but heated yoga classes increase this effect by about 35% as where a regular temperature yoga class can burn about 350 calories and hour, a heated yoga class can burn up to 475 calories an hour. Heated yoga classes have also shown to help lower glucose levels in the blood, and can decrease the amounts of unhealthy cholesterols in the body, and increase aerobic capacity, which strengthens the cardiovascular system, increases blood flow through out the body, and assists in the burn! Try any of our “Glow” classes to get a good sweat on and incinerate those extra calories!
- Increases Comfort in Deeper Postures – When we practice in a heated environment there is an external warming of the musculature of the body, which allows for more pliability and receptivity to some of the deeper poses taught in class. When the muscles are willing to soften and surrender at a greater level, we often receive more comfort when going deeper which allows for relaxation, and when the body is relaxed the muscles have an opportunity to integrate the openings at a higher level.
Additional health benefits of hot yoga:
- Can promote weight loss
- Improves posture
- Improves circulation
- Improves balance and coordination
- Helps improve digestion
- Increases metabolism
- Increases energy levels
- Improves confidence
- Fosters spiritual growth