So you love hot yoga classes but your local yoga studio has been closed or you aren’t quite ready to get back into the swing of things just yet?
Maybe you just really enjoy the privacy you can achieve when it comes to doing your yoga practice at home, or the drive to and from the studio is taking a toll on your already hectic schedule.
Regardless of the reason, you can recreate your favorite Bikram yoga experience at home. If you are wondering ‘How do I make hot yoga space at home?’, with these tips you can turn your regular at-home yoga practice into hot yoga in no time!
The Perfect Set Up for Hot Yoga At Home
Hot Yoga, as the name implies, involves moving through your yoga poses in a steamy, heated space - usually somewhere from 90 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (33-40 Celsius), and in-studio hot yoga classes can range anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes.
So how do you get your at-home practice to mirror that of your favorite class?
Intentionally Create Your Space
As with any yoga practice, you want your space to help you achieve a state of calmness and relaxation. You’ll want enough space to move through your poses but it doesn’t need to be the largest room in your home.
In fact, a smaller room will be easier to heat up when the time comes. All you need is the space for your mat plus a few extra feet all around, so move any necessary furniture out of the way beforehand so it doesn’t interrupt your flow when you’re right in the middle of your practice.
Also try to remove any distracting objects from your designated space - like paperwork, kids toys, laundry, etc. Think about adding some candles or an essential oil diffuser to truly get the atmosphere of the room as close to your studio as possible.
Heat It Up!
The next thing you’ll want to consider is how you’re going to heat up your space. This is obviously going to depend a lot on the outside temps where you live. You might be able to simply cruise right outside and recreate the experience on your patio!
For those of us living in colder climates, you can purchase a small space heater to easily warm up your room to the desired temperature. You might also consider layering your clothing in order to quickly warm up as you move through your poses.
Take some time while you’re waiting for the room to heat up to do a bit of quiet meditation , journaling or even some pre-yoga routine stretching. This will help get you in the mood for your practice. Please practice safety with your space heater as well!
*Remember to unplug it when not in use, don’t leave it unattended, and keep it away from curtains and other flammable items.
Add Some Steam
Many at-home practitioners choose to supplement the space heater with a humidifier, in order to get that steamy, Bikram hot yoga environment just right.
Most studios have a combination of both heat and humidity to really loosen up your muscles and get the atmosphere right in their hot yoga classes, and with a humidifier, you can easily do the same.
Plan Your Practice
While your room is getting ready, you can take this time to build your sequence of poses. Think about adding a warm up sequence that not only targets all of your major muscle groups but allows your body to adjust to the feeling of the heat.
Then add in your main poses that will make up the bulk of your practice and finish off with something to help cool you down your muscles, that is not your temperature.
Stay Hydrated
Don’t forget to have your water bottle on-hand so you can stay hydrated even as you sweat out those toxins. In fact, you should be conscious of your water intake both before and after your hot yoga practice in order to stay adequately hydrated in the long term.
Yoga is one of the best fitness practices that can be taken from the studio directly into your own home, hot yoga included! Try the above tips to get the most out of your at-home hot yoga practice to get the heat flowing!