HOME HOT YOGA
  • ONLINE CLASSES
  • About
    • Bikram Yoga
    • Pregnancy Yoga
    • Private Lessons
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • SHOP
  • D.I.Y. HOT ROOM
  • MEMBERS AREA

4 Reasons You Should Do Yoga When Social Distancing

4/20/2020

0 Comments

 
Your exercise routine has most likely been turned on its head in the last few weeks. Gyms and yoga studios around the world have shut their doors indefinitely, and even many parks and trails are closed.

​So, is it time to collapse on the couch with a bag of Cheesy Poofs and mope about not having an ab-roller?

Nah. It's time to do yoga.

Starting a yoga routine at this time will not only help you stay in shape-- it will also help you cope better with stress and keep your anxiety levels under control. The best part is, there's no equipment required for yoga! You can do it at home. All you need is a spine and your breath. (Some expert instruction is highly recommended though!)

In a recent American Psychiatric Association poll, 36% of Americans said the current pandemic has already had a serious impact on their mental health. The rate of coronavirus infection is still much lower than 36% of us, and we're taking that pretty seriously now. We need to take our mental health seriously, too. It is not going to get better on its own, and social distancing itself poses a threat to your mental health. 
​

Look. Keeping your physical body healthy is important for sure. But taking care of your emotional stability and mental clarity is often put on the back burner during times of crisis-- which is actually when we need to keep our wits about us, the most!

Here are 4 major reasons you need yoga now more than ever:

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE YOGA CLASSES 

When you practice yoga, you:

  1. Alleviate anxiety. Studies have shown that practicing yoga can reduce anxiety and lower your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Check out this blog post for the story of one student who has stopped taking anxiety meds since starting her yoga practice! 
  2. Decrease depression. There is a large body of research finding yoga to be an effective intervention for the treatment of depression. Bikram Yoga specifically has been found beneficial in improving depression and several other mental health symptoms.
  3. Sleep better. Studies have found practices like yoga and meditation have positive effects on melatonin and helps alleviate common causes of sleep problems like stress and anxiety. This is super relevant right now because many of us need better Zs! According to a PiplSay poll, 31% of Americans say they’re sleeping less due to coronavirus-related anxiety. And you know it's hard to be your best self when you're tired.
  4. Reduce inflammation. You've probably heard a lot about the popular physical benefits of yoga: flexibility, strength and balance. Of course, there are other activities you can do to keep your muscles strong, your joints healthy, and even be able to stand on one foot. Hatha yoga (practice of physical yoga postures) is unique in that it improves the function of every single system of your body, from the bones to the skin. One of the main ways hatha yoga helps all your organs function better is by helping to reduce inflammation, which researchers are finding more and more to be the root of all kinds of trouble. Know what increases inflammation? Chronic stress and anxiety. Lack of sleep and lack of movement. Poor nutrition.

There is no time like today to start creating benefits like these for your mind and body. And thanks to technology, accessing yoga instruction from the comfort of your home is easy. There are many options out there, many levels and many styles.

Home Hot Yoga's online classes are open to everyone, no experience necessary. Heat is not even necessary (though it helps!)

Are you ready to start a yoga practice? Join any of our online classes here. 

0 Comments

Why you need a routine, and how to get one -- Guest post by Lael Petersen

4/6/2020

0 Comments

 
This coronavirus epidemic has destroyed our sense of normalcy.  It’s turned our worlds upside down, leaving us feeling scattered and out of sorts. Everything that was familiar and routine is gone. 

We’re finding ourselves having to make adjustments to our lives, to make room for this new (hopefully temporary, but real) normal.  It can sound counterintuitive, but developing a daily routine can help us to feel a sense of control and help us to make room for our more-important-than-ever self-care.

Routines create predictability and reduce our stress level.

Photo by Kaz--19203
But what if reclaiming your previous self-care routine isn’t possible given these new circumstances? 

Or what if you never had much of a daily rhythm before, but feel desperate for the stability of one now?

Where do you start? 

You start small. That’s where. 

Use the behavior change strategy of Kaizen or 1% improvement over time. ​

“Kaizen” is a Japanese term that refers to small, continuous improvement. 

It’s about making 1% improvements every day.

​So, let’s say you’re someone who staying up past midnight every night lately. You want to go to bed earlier so you have energy for the next day. Instead of forcing yourself to go to bed at 10pm tonight, you go to bed five minutes earlier. Five minutes is your 1%. If you go to bed five minutes earlier everyday, it will take you at least 24 days to be in bed by 10pm. This is kaizen.

At first, it feels like there is no improvement. (You might think: 11:55pm is barely earlier than midnight! I’m desperate for some change now!) It takes some time for each day of 1% change to accumulate. Once these small improvements do build up though, you’ll begin to see and feel the effects of your gradual shift.

With gradual change and continuous improvements, our nervous systems slowly adjust to our new ways of being - allowing our new habits to stick.

Which is really what we need. Better habits now to reduce our stress and better habits that last beyond this crisis, so we remain healthy in body and mind. 

Cate Stillman writes this in her book Body Thrive: “The problem with kaizen, for most of us, is that it seems too easy. When you get inspired to change or upgrade a habit, you want big returns. You bite off more than you can chew, which guarantees you’ll fail. The kaizen approach makes the bite small enough that you hardly notice as it nudges you in the direction you want to go.”

This is what I teach in the Vibrant Life Program. 

A daily self-care routine that brings balance to the body and mind, that promotes vitality and longevity - so you can cope better right now and stay healthy in the future. 

And we do it one step at a time. 1% at a time. For lasting change that doesn’t add more stress to the nervous system. Because that’s the last thing we need right now. 

Won’t you join us? Learn 10 essential habits to thrive. Starting April 20. 
Picture
Lael Peterson is a life coach and Certified Yoga Health Coach with over 20 years experience helping people thrive. She specializes in teaching people the habits and mindset they need to accomplish their goals.  Her own life experiences with anxiety, addiction, and cancer combined with her professional expertise make her coaching relatable, practical and powerful. Lael is a member at Home Hot Yoga and believes that a regular hatha yoga practice is an essential component in a vibrant life! The Vibrant Life Program is a mini (coed) version of her popular 6 month program for women, Vibrant Body + Wise Mind. 

0 Comments

Casey Avoids Back Surgery and Gains Mental Clarity

10/17/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
In 2009, I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis, spondylosis and degenerative disc disease. I was told I would need to have a spinal fusion surgery or, eventually, lose all feeling in my legs. At the time, I was running marathons, extremely active and couldn’t fathom the thought of having surgery on my spine.
 
Understanding that running wasn’t going to be a long-term activity due to my diagnosis, and that I wasn’t ready to succumb to surgery, I began to explore more low-impact activities. It wasn’t until I tried Bikram yoga that I felt the physical challenge I was seeking in an activity that would not progress my diagnosis. In addition to the satisfying physical challenge, I found Bikram brought me significant mental clarity and focus.
 
As I began to increase the frequency of my practice, I found myself diving deeper to help manage emotional and mental health. At the time I started practicing I was struggling with various aspects of life and Bikram yoga gave me an outlet to support my emotional and spiritual well-being. I still don’t quite know what it is, but to this day when life feels draining I latch on to my yoga practice and begin to feel filled up again.
 

On the physical side, I haven’t yet had to resort to spinal surgery and still have all the feeling in my legs. In fact, each summer I go on a week-long 500-mile bicycle ride. Due to other commitments, I typically don't find the time to train. Despite this, for the past two years, I have been able to participate in these rides without significant struggle. Fellow riders are always shocked when I say I haven’t ridden my bike for more than 50 miles since the last year. I give credit to my consistent yoga practice for giving me the power, strength and mental agility to successfully participate and enjoy myself on these rides.
 

Today, despite numerous scheduling challenges, I make my practice a priority. I am proud of allowing myself to make the time and I (usually) don’t feel guilty about it. I now know, no matter how difficult it seems in the moment, each time I step out of the hot room I will feel more positive and be healthier than when I walked in.
0 Comments

    Author

    Studio leader, yoga-doer and life-lover, Kay D.

    Picture

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    Abdominals
    Addiction
    ADHD
    Aging Greatly
    Anatomy
    Anti-racism
    Anxiety
    Ardha Matsyendrasana
    Arthritis
    Athletes
    Awkward Pose
    Backbending
    Back Pain
    Balance
    Balancing Poses
    Beginners
    Benefits
    Bhujangasana
    Bikram
    Bikram Yoga
    Black Lives Matter
    Blood Pressure
    Blowing In Firm Pose
    Body Image
    Bow Pose
    Breathing
    Bursitis
    Business
    Camel Pose
    Cardiovascular
    Cause
    Challenge
    Chilblains
    Children
    Chronic Back Pain
    Circulation
    Cleaning
    Clothing
    Cobra Pose
    Community
    Concentration
    Coordination
    Covid 19
    Covid-19
    Dandayamana Dhanurasana
    Dandayamana Janushirasana
    Deep 6 Rotators
    Degenerative Disc Disease
    Depression
    Determination
    Digestion
    Doing Less
    Eagle Pose
    Early Morning Class
    Early Morning Yoga
    Ehlers Danlos
    Elbows
    Electrolytes
    Emotional Benefit
    Faith
    Fibromyalgia
    Fixed Firm Pose
    Flexibility
    Floor Series
    Focus
    Forward Fold
    Front Side Compression
    Frozen Shoulder
    Full Locust
    Garudasana
    Goals
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Guest Post
    Habits
    Half Moon Pose
    Half Spine Twist
    Half Tortoise
    Hamstrings
    Hands To Feet Pose
    Hatha Yoga
    Headache
    Head To Knee Pose
    Healing
    Healing Injury
    Health
    Heart
    Heart Rate
    Heat
    Herniated Disc
    Hhy To Go
    Hips
    Hives
    Home Practice
    How Yoga Works
    Humidity
    Hydration
    Hyperextension
    Hypermobility
    Immune System
    Inflammation
    Inspiration
    Interlocked Finger Grip
    IT Band
    Joint Pain
    Joints
    Kaizen
    Kapalbhati
    Karma Yogi
    Knee Pain
    Knees
    Lateral Flexion
    Lock The Knee
    Locust Pose
    Logistics
    Longevity
    Mask
    Meditation
    Membership
    Mental Health
    Mindset
    Mistakes
    Moderation
    Motivation
    Nervous System
    Normal Breathing
    Nutrition
    Online
    Osteoarthritis
    Overuse
    Pain Relief
    Parenting
    Patience
    Photos
    Poetry
    Posture
    Posture Of The Month
    Practice
    Pranayama
    Pregnancy
    Quit Smoking
    Rabbit Pose
    Racial Equity
    Rajashree's Pregnancy Yoga
    Raja Yoga
    Recipes
    Recovery
    Relationships
    Relaxation
    Research
    Respiratory System
    Routine
    Running
    Safety
    Schedule
    Sciatica
    Science
    Scoliosis
    Self Care
    Self Discipline
    Self-discipline
    Self Realization
    Situp
    Sit Up
    Skin Health
    Sleep
    Social Justice
    Speaking Up
    Spinal Stenosis
    Spine
    Spine Twisting
    Spondylolisthesis
    Spondylosis
    Stamina
    Standing Bow Pulling Pose
    Standing Head To Knee
    Standing Separate Leg Head To Knee
    Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose
    Stiffness
    Strength
    Stress Relief
    Stretching
    Student Of The Month
    Students
    Studio News
    Summer
    Surgery
    Sustainability
    Sweat
    Swelling
    Teacher Feacher
    Technique
    Teri Almquist
    Testimonials
    Tips
    Tourniquet Effect
    Transformation
    Tree Pose
    Triangle Pose
    Trikonasana
    Twisting
    Utkatasana
    Video
    Videos
    Visualization
    Weight Loss
    Wrists
    Yoga
    Yoga Story Of The Month
    Zoom

    RSS Feed

Log in for online yoga
We are an independently woman and veteran owned business. 100% of your investment stays with our company. No franchise fees or royalties are paid to any person or entity.
Picture
Picture
Terms / Privacy
  • ONLINE CLASSES
  • About
    • Bikram Yoga
    • Pregnancy Yoga
    • Private Lessons
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • SHOP
  • D.I.Y. HOT ROOM
  • MEMBERS AREA