Not too shabby for being shut down by the govnah, eh?

It actually gives me the chills:

Homies, you have stepped (way) out of your comfort zone this year and done things (hot yoga in the bathroom??) in the name of your own health and sanity that you'd possibly never imagined you'd do.

That is what we discover when we practice yoga: the essence of who we are:

Look how powerful you are, and how resilient! Look how you have found and made the time and space to care for yourself. Especially when it has been hard, when it has not been pretty.

A lot has changed this year, but not everything. For example, our mission at Home Hot Yoga is still:

To get the most people feeling the best by providing a joyful, inclusive environment for yoga. 

Our “environment” has moved online of course, which means we’re able to reach people all over the world with our transformational yoga system and help them feel better, wherever.

Speaking of which:

We have a very exciting project in the works, so be on the lookout for some Major  Announcements coming soon!

Do you have any happy “stats” of your own? What has your yoga practice helped you handle, accomplish or become this year? Comment below and let us know!

See you in the Zoom room.

With many hot yoga studios still closed, and the rest of them operating at limited capacity, far too many homebound yogis are missing out on the healing benefits of heat!

We get it.

In fact, once we gave back our keys to the studio Orlo and I became 2 of those people! "Trapped" in our 600 SF home with two young kids, a daily yoga practice became a LOT more challenging to squeeze in, and it was basically impossible to heat up a room without roasting the entire house and making said kids quite cranky.

I knew there had to be a way.

As yoga studio owners turned online studio owners, we are huge believers in the power of Bikram Yoga, with or without heat.

​But we also know that when you can close off your space to outside distractions and break a real darn sweat: it's even BETTER!

So when I got an email from Mick at Home Hot Yoga Studio (serendipitous name, right??) I jumped at the chance to try this portable and simple solution to creating a HOT yoga practice, at home.

I'm happy to report I tried mine in our living room, and I have not sweat so hard in months!!

Read on below for my experience and tips -- PLUS how to get your very own Home Hot Yoga Studio!

Here's how:

1. Click here to email & purchase - use coupon code KAY (Get the Tall Size if you're over 5 feet)
2. Email me your receipt and I'll send you the link to grab your Free Month!

Possibly the biggest game-changer for your Pranayama Breathing is learning to synchronize the movements of your arms and head!

It ain't easy, but when you figure it out you will build strength and length in your neck, relieve tension in your shoulders, and best of all: feel more relaxed, taller and more powerful within just the first few minutes of your practice!

Check out this video we made you with tips and demonstration - then try it in your next class!

Check out these posts for more on breathing:

• Pranayama Deep Breathing - Benefits, Tips and Throat Constriction
• Why is nasal breathing a thing?

Earlier this month, we said our final farewell to the upstairs of 7025 N. Lombard Street.

We built out this studio in 2015 with a negative amount of dollars in our pockets, our first kid on the way and fistfuls of crazy dreams. 

In March of 2020 we had a thriving business guiding people to become healthy, happy and empowered! 

It employed awesome people, attracted visiting yoga teachers from around the world, raised funds for important causes, held space for countless friendships to bloom, and helped people save their own lives by practicing Bikram Yoga.

It fed and clothed our family of 4, and surrounded us in real-deal, got-your-back style community. 

The rest is (literally) history.

2 months into our second mandated closure in one year, we have left our keys and closed the door. 

But I want you to know: 

This is not the sad story of another small business killed by Oregon's misguided Covid-era regulations (although they sure didn't help)

It's the story of 2 parents who made a choice. 

We chose to release our physical location and stop fighting a losing battle - while we still had the means to support our children AND keep connecting our community to Bikram Yoga (and with each other) through our online classes and resources. 

As we practice in yoga, we made peace with what was not under our control, and we chose to focus on what is.

Of course this was not the way we imagined our exit. But what ever goes as planned? 

And why am I writing all this?? 

I want to draw attention to the reason at the heart of why we opened Home Hot Yoga in the first place:

It's that we each only have this one life.

A lot in it is out of our control. But SO MUCH is up to us! 

We believe that no matter the circumstance, no matter what is lost or what disappoints or even hurts us, none of us ever have to be victims. Being a victim is a choice. 

Taking the wheel of your destiny-car is also a choice. Bikram Yoga helps us practice taking the wheel for 10-20 seconds at a time, 90 minutes at a time!

When things really get good though, is when we start putting that practice into action- off of the yoga mat. 

So here we are, walking the walk and taking the wheel. 

For us that means selling most of our belongings including our home and getting on a plane to Mexico (today!!) for starters.

All our things fit in a few suitcases now. We'll be spending more time with our kids. We'll be living lighter, spending less and working on exciting new ways to serve humanity. (Stay tuned!!)

Best of all, thanks to the magical technology of our age this move doesn't have to mean goodbye! We still get to practice this life-changing yoga together in our online "studio." (You may see more palm trees in the background of our videos from now on!)

Keep in touch, Homies.

Walk that walk. Take the wheel.

Practice being in your outside-of-yoga life as badass and in-charge as you feel when you nail that Standing Bow Pulling pose without falling over. (Or better yet, when you do fall over but you stand up and try again anyway without mentally berating yourself at all!)

See you soon in class. 

XOXO,
Kay

Maybe you’ve been here:

Huffing and puffing through the first few poses in one of your first hot yoga classes, your face turning bright beet-red. The more you try to breathe, sucking air in through your mouth- the harder it seems to get.

From somewhere in the distance, you hear the instructor’s calm, encouraging voice:
“Close your mouth, breathe through your nose.”

You try it.

It works!

Nose breathing is the way

Many people have been taught or just naturally start breathing through their mouths while exercising, especially when it gets intense. But emerging research suggests nasal breathing (like we do for about 80 out of the 90 minutes in a Bikram Yoga class) is actually where it’s at.

That’s no big surprise for yoga practitioners, who have been harnessing the power of breath for centuries! (But we always love when science backs up what we do!)
 
Breathing by the nose helps athletes perform better

For example, this recent study looked at runners who used nasal breathing and found their maximum rate of oxygen consumption was unchanged compared to mouth breathing.

At the same time, their respiratory rates (breaths per minute) and ratios of oxygen intake to carbon dioxide output decreased, which means they didn’t have to work as hard to get the same amount of oxygen! 

Researchers believe the lower breath rate caused by breathing through your nose (a much smaller opening for air than your gaping maw) allows more time for oxygen to get to the bloodstream.

That means you get more oxygen to your cells from each breath, which allows you to breathe less.

Wait a sec? Is breathing LESS a good thing?

Don’t worry: no one is telling you not to breathe. It’s about being efficient.

By breathing through your nose "you actually can perform your big physical tasks – running, cycling, things like that, you can perform them using less oxygen because you're not having to breathe as much to perform them,” says researcher George Dallam. “Which turns this not just into a health thing, but also into a performance thing too.”
 
Nose breathing helps with daily wellbeing too
 
I recently read a fascinating book called Breath, by James Nestor. In it Nestor “explores the million-year-long history of how the human species has lost the ability to breathe properly and why we’re suffering from a laundry list of maladies—snoring, sleep apnea, asthma, autoimmune disease, allergies—because of it.”

One thing Nestor did as part of this book was an experiment where he plugged his nose completely for 10 days, forcing himself to breathe only through his mouth. Spoiler alert: the results were disastrous!

Other spoiler alert: everything got better when he began breathing through his nose again.

Among other things, it turns out people who breathe primarily through their noses have:

• Better posture
• Straighter teeth and better facial bone structure
• Less sleep apnea and snoring
• Less stress and anxiety
• Lower rates of heart disease and diabetes
• Less asthma
• Less ADHD

 
Nasal breathing calms ya down
 
Breathing slowly through the nose is associated with the parasympathetic aspect of your nervous system, known as the “rest, digest and reproduce” state. (You probably know that one from yoga class!)

Breathing fast, through the mouth, or too much (hyperventilation) activates the sympathetic nervous system, putting you into a state of “fight, flight or freeze.” (You know that one from if you’ve ever been stressed out.)

That’s because nasal breathing activates the lower part of the lungs, which is associated with the parasympathetic nerves.

Oh hey, we made a video about that!

“You’re dealing with what is called a vagal response,” Dallam says. “You’re actually activating your vagal nerve to do the action of the lung itself when you breathe that way. That’s why a relaxation breath is a deeper breath. If you breathe deeply and activate the diaphragm well, and activate the lower portion of the lung, then you create some immediate relaxation.”
​
It ain't always easy, but it's worth it

As James Nestor and James Newbury found, breathing by the nose during physical exertion isn't necessarily easy.

The key, whether in a Bikram Yoga class or training for a triathlon, is to only challenge yourself as much as you can while maintaining nasal breathing. This means you may need to back off on intensity at first and be patient with the process.

(Helloooo, psychological benefits!)

When you breathe calmly through your nose, you take charge of your own nervous system

The more you practice, the better you'll get at nasal breathing and the more your health will improve as a result. 

Don't take my word for it though! Try it in class today ;)

Liz asked me about the birth story of Home Hot Yoga, why I love St. Johns, what it's like to be a shut-down business during a global pandemic- and how the heck I expect people to do hot yoga in their bathrooms!

Check it out:

1. Practicing exactly like you used to
 
The reality is, until your first class back in the studio (unless your "quarantine project" was building a sauna in your garage) you have not done Bikram Yoga in 105 degrees in at least 7 months. And you've probably never done it in a mask!

If you come in going "balls to the wall" you may find yourself in final savasana around party time. Instead, EASE back into your practice by... lowering your expectations.

One way to try is doing the 1st set of each pose very gently (seriously, 10% of what you think you can do) and hold it still and breathe. If you feel strong, try doing a little bit more in the 2nd set. 

Instead of trying to do a "deep" posture or even the whole posture, try doing 1 step at a time with your most perfect technique. Your body has been through a LOT lately (even just sitting long hours at a desk can be traumatic!) It's not kind- or fair- to ask it to perform like it did back when you were attending yoga several times a week.

Approaching your practice in this patient and measured way will help you build strength and stamina- and reconnect your consciousness to your body in a way you haven't done in a while!

Backing off on intensity always provides an incredible opportunity to learn so much about the pose, the yoga- and most importantly, about yourself.
 
2. Not drinking water, because face diaper
 
Maybe it's just us, but the team have noticed ourselves drinking WAY less at the studio now that we've got masks on (and kombucha is no longer on tap!)

Especially if you wear a mask throughout the day, create a habit of chugging at least a 16-24 oz glass of water first thing in the morning when you wake up. You'll be ahead of the hydration game before you cover up your piehole.

P.S. We now have SOMA Kombucha in bottles! Grab one after class and take it with you. Did you know the Concord Grape Rii is caffeine free? Refreshing and hydrational (yes that is now a word)
 
3. Not involving your peeps
 
One of the biggest mistake we make as individualistic American cowboys (or cowgirls or cowpersons) is believing we have to go it alone.

If being trapped home alone for months has taught us anything, it's how much we gain from being with others. Returning to your yoga practice is no different. Studies have even shown that people tend to exercise more regularly when they have an exercise partner!

Making plans for a "yoga date" can be the best motivation (and hey, we've made it super easy to socially distance in the hot room.)

Send a yoga buddy THIS LINK to get their 1st month for $50!
 
Did these tips help you rock your return? Let us know!

What heat does:

Heat relaxes tense muscles and (by improving circulation) helps heal damaged tissue, ease soreness and relieve joint pain caused by arthritis or just being a stiff dude. Heat therapy can be "dry heat" like using a heating pad or sitting in a sauna, or "moist heat" like soaking in a hot spring or applying steamed towels. At 105 degrees and 40% humidity (your clothes basically become steamed towels!) our hot room environment here at Home is kind of... both.

Heat has even been found to be an effective treatment for depression!

This area of research is relatively new, but already this study has even looked specifically at using heated yoga to treat depression and anxiety and (surprise surprise!) it works. Bonus: no crummy side effects like other anti-depressants.

There's lots of evidence exposure to warm temperatures can elevate your mood. Scientists have observed that brain areas which process pleasant stimulation activate when the skin is warmed. Activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex for example is low in depression, but it’s increased by warm stimulation. 

While being in the heat helps us feel happier, doing yoga poses in the heat also provides an added challenge to the mind, and through that challenge hot yogis cultivate the oh-so-practical mental qualities of Faith, Self Discipline, Concentration, Determination and Patience!
​
Athletes use heat training for improved endurance.

A rapid increase in the volume of blood's plasma when it's hot seems to boost performance in athletes! It does so by helping move excess heat out to the skin and cool you off, among other things. The jury's still out on whether heat training helps improve endurance in regular temperatures, but... concentration and determination definitely do.

Heat may also keep you saf(er) 

Check out this blog post here for what science has found about the effects of heat and humidity on COVID-19 transmission rates. (Hint: it's good news for Bikram yogis!) 

Bottom line:

A blacksmith doesn't try to take a piece of iron and change its shape by just pounding away at it cold. You have to heat it up first! In the same way, we're trying to change (improve!) both both body and mind when we practice yoga. Keeping toasty helps you do it!

Ready to try? Book your next heat therapy- I mean, hot yoga- sesh here.

When you first return Home, you will probably need to take more breaks than you are accustomed to. It's true that a mask will be in the way of air headed into your nose, but also don't forget that you haven't been in a hot room for 7 months!

Everyone is going to be out of "hot yoga shape" at Homecoming, masks or no masks. We all get to re-acclimate together.

If you think about it, that's kind of awesome.

Never in the history of the studio have we ever had a class where everyone was still getting used to the heat!

What a gift that we all get to support and inspire each other in this way. 

Look, if you have any concern (and especially if you have any respiratory issues) you should definitely ask your doctor if wearing a mask in hot yoga is for you.

Having said that, there may even be some benefit to exercising while wearing a mask!

For years, athletes have used "elevation training masks" which decrease levels of oxygen to simulate working out at high elevations. The idea is training the lungs to perform with less oxygen, will make performing with normal oxygen levels that much easier.

It's important to note that wearing a regular (non-ETM) mask does not actually decrease oxygen levels (though it may feel like it sometimes) 

Bottom line: athletes have been training in masks for years. The word "training" is the key: it's a practice. Like yoga.

Doing your yoga in a mask is going to take practice.

So are you prepared?

If you're prepared to try- mindfully and patiently, practicing in a mask will be way less lame. 

By the way, just like trying ONE class in a mask is not really enough.

Because, imagine if you only tried Standing Bow Pulling pose ONCE, and then decided you couldn't do it?? You've got to give this (and yourself!) an honest chance. Just like when you first began practicing in the heat: 2 or 3 classes in your first week will help you adjust the quickest.

Who knows, your respiratory system may actually get stronger from the experience! Your ability to tune in to your body's signals and manage intensity accordingly definitely will.

And that's a bonus worth training for!

Check out this post for more thoughts and tips on wearing masks in class.