Hot Yoga...Hotly Debated
There are more than one hundred degrees of separation between hot yoga and other hatha yoga: specifically, 105 degrees of heat in the hot yoga room.
And that makes hot yoga a hot topic of debate.
Hot yoga enthusiasts swear by it. As a hot yoga teacher for the past 10 years, I have seen students of all ages (oldest student I ever taught was 74; youngest was 10) change the feel of their bodies and their energy, with a consistent hot yoga practice. Others say that any exertion in high heat can be detrimental.
Ultimately, it's your choice. As your hot yoga teacher, I won't push you beyond your comfort zone. Yes, go to your edge; but I won't shove you over. I am your guide into the world of hot yoga...but how far you go exploring is up to you, each class.
More than any other yoga I have practiced these past 35 years, hot yoga has helped me get in touch with my physical, emotional and astral bodies (didn't know you had three bodies? I'll talk more about that in class). In the hot yoga room, I have developed an ability to support my body and my life. Hot stuff.
Will you feel something in a hot yoga class? It's almost guaranteed. Will you enjoy it? Will it benefit you? Will you stick with it? Like everything else, you decide. Some experience an immediate high after their first hot yoga class; for others, a breathrough takes time. There's instant karma, and the kind that needs to cook.
To me, the hot yoga room is simply the best place to cook up a new life.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Reader Comments (5)
Rhonda
You have put together a great6 space and ‘warm feeling’ all around. In the cold months to come I will surly come again.
Best
Lisa
Thanks, Rhonda, I really did enjoy the class, I was very surprized just how far I could stretch, I know that was only because I was warmed up! I hate to be "hot" but in the yoga class if felt very good, very cleansing, this feeling truley last till alomost the end of the week, when another class would be just perfect. At 47, outa shape, overwieght, and not to flexible, I was quite impressed with what one session of hot yoga did for me internally and externally. I would recommend it to anyone.
Thanks Very Much, Susan
Hot Yoga is fabulous! I signed up for a hot yoga session with Rhonda never having done yoga before. Rhonda made me feel completely comfortable, and I loved the class. Not only was it a great workout, but it did wonders for my emotional health as well. I definitely recommend Riverflow Yoga!
Rhonda provides a great service for the community. It was a thrill to take part in her hot yoga class! If you crave warmth and would like a workout too, I recommend Riverflow Yoga!
I have been practicing yoga for 11 years and hot yoga for 6, with many different teachers, and I can say with absolute confidence that Rhonda is the best teacher I've ever had!
Part of her strength is in her interdisciplinary approach; she draws from her experience with many different forms of yoga and spiritual practices, taking from different traditions the pieces that resonate with her, making her own style personal. Like a tree, her unique practice has the roots of yogic traditions but continues to grow outward in the directions of her life experience and wisdom.
Another part of her strength comes from a willingness to be always present with her students, responding to their needs with compassion and years of experience. She isn't just reading from a script, she is there with you - sweating, breathing, guiding you every second.
Something unique to her hot yoga teaching is that she approaches the practice from a place of surrender rather than struggle. Not surrender as giving up, but surrender as meditation and opening up your body and mind to happiness - which is her highest value and gift to offer her students. Many teachers will say "push push push" in order to get students into a pose, but Rhonda instead encourages you to smile and build your practice on self-love.
Bucks County Pennsylvania is lucky to have such a gifted teacher and a beautiful studio, I can't wait to start teacher training!