Make February Your Fresh Start

Posted on

Posted in Hot YogaTagged , , , , ,

 

January is finally over, so here we are in February with spring on its way! We hope you have enjoyed getting back into hot yoga after a short Christmas hiatus, but if you haven’t unrolled your mat for ages or your yoga journey has gone a bit off track, here are five great ways to start fresh in February and feel amazing in 2022.

 

1. Gain (or regain) a solid foundation  

If you’re new to hot yoga or want to get back to basics, head on down to our Beginner’s Workshop on Saturday 19th February. Settle into the heat and let your teacher guide you through postures from our Hot 60 sequence, breathing techniques, alignment and mindfulness. The workshop is slower paced than a regular class, a small group and allows plenty of time for all your questions. Hot yoga is inclusive, nurturing and rewarding – book your place and (re)discover it!

 

2. Check in to the Posture Clinic

Feeling a bit rusty, hesitant or defeated by poses that you can’t quite nail? Amanda Free’s Posture Clinic is back by popular demand on Saturday 5th February and bookable now. During this 2-hour (non-heated) session you’ll iron out the kinks in various postures and learn about modifications for injuries, issues or niggles. Suitable for all levels, it’s a great way to get your confidence and posture on point for 2022.

 

3. Pick up the pace and your pulse

Hot yoga intensifies on a sliding scale, from very gentle Warm Candlelit classes to calorie busting, energetic classes with music and heat. So, if you’re craving a workout that makes you sweat and raises your heart-rate, add Sculpt, Fusion or Hot Rocket into your week and feel exhilarated without the high-impact risk of other sports/workouts. A typical fast-paced hot yoga class can burn up to 600 calories, make you sweat buckets (bringing oxygen and nutrient rich blood to skin cells) and improve your metabolic rate. Of course, it also boosts mental health – read on for more!

 

4. Nurture body and mind

Have you already forgotten that pledge you made to invest more in self-care in 2022? Well, yoga makes you brainier and happier – fact! Harvard Medical School reports that, besides endorphin release, yoga can elevate levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a brain chemical associated with better mood and decreased anxiety. Their studies also suggest yoga can counteract age-related declines in memory and improve learning skills and concentration. While opening up your body you can also strengthen your mind, whatever class you choose.

 

“ With its emphasis on breathing practices and meditation it’s hardly surprising that yoga brings mental benefits, such as reduced anxiety and depression. What may be more surprising is that it actually makes your brain work better.

When you do yoga, your brain cells develop new connections, and changes occur in brain struc­ture as well as function, resulting in improved cog­nitive skills, such as learning and memory. “  Harvard Medical School

 

5. Keep things fresh – try something new

Fall in love with hot yoga all over again by trying a different class. Our latest addition to the timetable is Hot Ladder Flow, a fluid Vinyasa-style class that stacks traditional postures, building the ‘ladder’ by one pose each round that you flow, increasing the challenge and intensity. If there are HYC classes you haven’t yet been to, why not make a self-promise to fit one in? Hot Ladder Flow launches on Monday 7th February at 11am adding to our extensive selection of classes already available. Book in for ladder flow or another class today!

 

HOW TO MAKE A HEALTH HABIT LAST 

It can take an average of 66 repetitions of an activity or action to form a habit, so it’s not surprising that good intentions or resolutions often wane. The important thing is to not give up. Charles Duhigg (author of “The Power of Habit”) suggests we need a cue, a behaviour and a reward to successfully form a habit. For example:

> A cue: a prompt that will remind you to plan classes in advance, such as keeping the timetable to hand, setting alerts to book via the app or allocating set yoga days

> A behaviour: fostering behaviour that will encourage you to be accountable, perhaps by meeting a friend, knowing where your kit and yoga mat are and committing to your booking

> A reward: this is a personal choice and should ideally not counteract your yoga efforts. Try to think of what will motivate you, such as the feeling of accomplishment, improved fitness, better mental health, or a nutritious meal or drink such as the new Mejuicer ginger based health juice shots we have at the club!

 

We hope these tips and tactics help you feel motivated to kickstart or reignite your hot yoga journey and enjoy a year (and more) of wellbeing, health and happiness. The Hot Yoga Club timetable can be viewed here – why not print it out or save to your phone home screen as a handy cue?