If you haven’t tried Bikram or Moksha Yoga yet, you really need to get out and just try a few lessons. I say a few, because if you try to judge it on the first session, you may hate it. The first session will leave you sweaty, creaky, and reaching for a bottle of Advil, but the subsequent sessions will more than make up for the pain.

For the record, I am so out of shape I make Jabba the Hut look like a UFC champion. I am so exercise-averse that I think BMI is an acronym for something to do with Warcraft. But I love, love, love hot yoga.

Bikram, Moksha, or “hot” yoga, is yoga practice that is performed in a room that is heated to over 100 degrees. Kind of like doing yoga in a Jacuzzi, if the Jacuzzi was air. The idea is to warm up your muscles so that they are getting more of a stretch. And yes, before you ask, there is a huge difference between hot and cold yoga. Cold yoga is less challenging, and offers less reward at the end of the practice in terms of the “elated” feeling that you get. Hot yoga is more invigorating, and for this reason alone I don’t recommend late evening classes. Do it past 7:00pm and you won’t be going to bed until midnight or later.

Most hot yoga studios offer a special on your first week or month so that you can decide if you like it or not. I, personally, am hooked and am just shopping around for the studio that I like the best at this point.

Note that there are subtle differences between Bikram, Moksha, and “hot” yoga, usually having to do with licenses of instructors and that sort of thing. I’ve been to studios that have done all three and can’t say I have noticed a huge difference in the well-being I feel afterwards, so they are really all awesome. Here are some resources to get you started:

Moksha Yoga
Find a Moksha practitioner near you.

Hot Yoga in Toronto
Power Yoga! Woo hoo!

Bikram Yoga in Montreal
Just don’t have the smoked meat beforehand.

Tags: bikram yoga, hot yoga, moksha yoga

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