WHEN you are preparing to try something new and out of your comfort zone, it’s easy to come up with excuses and barriers.
"I have never coped well with heat and humidity."
"I am not the most flexible person in the world and my balance is not great."
But last week, I pushed all of this out of my head and gave hot yoga a red hot go.
Bunbury woman Natalie Le Provst-Shepherd opened the doors to Hot Yoga Bunbury late last year and has already built up a solid fan base of health-conscious yogis.
Stepping from breezy Victoria Street into a room heated to about 35 degrees was a bit of an initial shock, but I soon relaxed and reasoned with myself that it was pretty much the same as your average Australian summer day at the beach.
Mrs Provst-Shepherd introduced herself and the concept of Bikram yoga – yoga practiced in a heated room – to the group of eager participants of all shapes and sizes.
She said hot yoga was a challenge not only physically, but mentally.
The practice suits a wide range of ages and fitness levels as there is no impact on the body.
In a world obsessed with liquid diets and juice fads, Mrs Provst-Shepherd said hot yoga was the best possible detox as the skin is the largest elimination organ.
“Working in a heated room elevates the heart rate, which makes the body work harder,” she explained.
After a few simple moves to loosen the body, Mrs Provst-Shepherd took us through the poses one by one.
If you’re one of those people (like me) that can become slightly uncoordinated when you are given a set of instructions – put your left hand here, right leg there – rest assured that you can’t mess up in hot yoga.
Mrs Provst-Shepherd’s soothing voice takes you through every single move one by one, explaining exactly how to get the most out of the pose, how to breathe and which muscles to focus on.
As the class continues, the moving bodies raise the temperature of the room but we are reminded to breathe slowly through our noses and bring our heart rates back down.
A vital message that Mrs Provst-Shepherd repeats throughout the class is that “there is no ego in yoga.”
Everyone is encouraged to go at their own pace and only do as much as they feel comfortable with – if at any point you feel overwhelmed by the heat, you are welcome to lay down on your mat and join back in with the class when you are ready.
It is this calm and encouraging attitude that made hot yoga one of the best new forms of exercise I have ever tried.
By the end of the session we are all dripping with sweat and stepping back out into the street is an immense relief.
But for the rest of the night I feel incredibly light, healthy and relaxed and I had one of the best sleeps on record.
I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in improving their health and well being to give hot yoga a go – life’s too short to be held back by excuses.