Should you do Hot Yoga in the Summer in New York City?
Bikram-inspired Hot Yoga can be intense sometimes, practiced in a room with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. But the hottest months of summer are upon us and all you can think about is sitting inside with the A/C blasting. It’s common for many yogi’s to want to take the summer off, especially in New York City where its often over 90 degrees during the season. First off, Hot Yoga is absolutely safe to practice during the summer. The yoga practice itself will be the same as well as the studio temperature. Humidity levels may be a little different but it’s nothing that will do any harm. Experts say there are a lot of physical and mental benefits to practicing during the summer.
1. Keep your body healthy
Because you may find yourself partying, drinking and eating more BBQ and ice cream during the summer, it’s easy to feel sluggish and in a haze. That’s why it’s a great time to detoxify to re-energize your body. You may find yourself sweating more going from the hot outdoors to a heated room, and that’s a good thing!
2. Stay more hydrated
Practicing hot yoga keeps you hydrated. Because you’ll hydrate before class and during it will help you more during the summer months when you naturally release more water from your body just by being outside. By staying hydrated from your hot yoga practice, you’ll get the benefits for the rest of the day.
3. Desensitize to the heat
Doing yoga in the Summer helps our bodies become more adapted to sweating and high temperature extremes. You might even notice that you don’t sweat outside as much and that you don’t turn on the AC as much. You become less sensitive to the hot and humid weather.
4. Improve your Hot Yoga Practice
After 8 months of solid consistent yoga practice, during the colder months, it would be counter productive to take 3 or 4 months off. Doing hot yoga in the summer can help you improve your yoga postures and maintain consistency. Don’t let a summer break ruin the progress made from the rest of the year. Summer can be the most grueling conditions to do hot yoga, physically and mentally. If you can do it in the Summer, it should be a piece of cake in the Winter!
Skipping Hot Yoga in the Summer may lead you to miss out on some of the best the practice has to offer. As long as you are following guidelines by hydrating with fluids that have electrolytes, you will be more than fine to practice during summer months. Commit to coming in for Bikram Hot Yoga at Hot Yoga Chelsea NYC a few times per week, even when the sun is blazing and feel the benefits yourself. Our Spring Sale ends on June 20th! Grab a 20-Class Pack for only $369 – that’s only $18 per class.