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Some Like It Hot, Some Do Not

At Cascade Yoga Studio there are a few classes that fall under the umbrella of Ashtanga yoga. Short form, Vinyasa, and Primary Series are all classes which have their foundation in the Ashtanga yoga system which was derived from the teachings of K. Pattabhi Jois, from Mysore, India. Because this system of yoga was practiced in India, where it is typically hot, Americans have tried to simulate this environment by turning up the heat in studios across the country. Most Ashtanga practitioners will adjust the heat between 85-90 degrees. There is another school of yoga called "Hot Yoga" which was founded by the Indian Yogi, Bikram Choudhury. Bikram classes will turn up the heat to 100-105 degrees.

The purpose of heat in yoga is to create an internal heat which is purifying for both the body and the mind. Beryl Bender Birch, in her book, Power Yoga has an axiom for this type of yoga: "Even iron will bend if you heat it up". Birch goes into detail about how this yogic ingredient of heat works on the body.

"The heat does more than allow us to realign our frame without breaking. As the connective tissue becomes heated by our practice, it becomes less " solid" and more "liquid." We become pliable for reshaping. In this pliable state, we apply the form of the practice that begins the remolding process. Tight, dead spaces that may have been shut down and in shock for years begin to open up and allow increased circulation. Thus, old clumps of gnarly scar tissue, debris, and other by-products of the healing process get moved out, not to mention environmental toxins that accumulate in the body. When gold is mined it comes in the form of ore. It looks kind of dirty and not much like gold. In order to persuade the gold to come loose from its setting in the ore, we must heat it. In the same way, to develop the "gold" in ourselves, we must apply heat and cleanse ourselves of the unwanted "ore."

There are basically five elements to keep the heat turned on, ujjayi breath, concentration, static muscular contraction, vinyasa, and bandhas. Eventually these five components come together like a confluence of rivers, flowing effortlessly, forming one focused stream of energy.

Although this is an interesting rationale for using heat in a yoga practice, there are many schools of yoga that do not apply this element. It doesn't make one style better than the other, it is only a different way to achieve similar end results.

The classes at Cascade Yoga Studio that are not under the umbrella of Ashtanga yoga, (every other class) will have the thermostat set at a comfortable temperature but not hot (75-78 degrees). There are a number of physical conditions where heat is contraindicated. Students with chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and women with menopause might find the heat intolerable. In order to address these students who find they have the upper body and core strength to start learning inversions (headstands, shoulder stands, etc.), but cannot practice in a hot room, we
have designed a special class called Beyond the Basics. This class will be offered Wednesday 7:15-8:30pm, Friday 9:30-10:45am.

Some extra tips on heat
1. Drink a lot of water, especially first thing in the morning when the stomach is empty. A good way to determine whether you are drinking enough water is to look at your urine. If the urine is clear and odor-free you are probably drinking enough.

2. If you experience too much heat, you can honor your body by making a few modifications in your practice. During headstands you can make the pose more cooling by bringing your soles together, Baddha konasana. If you every feel overheated, release the bandhas or ujjayi breathing, or practice forward folds like child's pose or seated forward fold until the feeling passes.

3. Persistence is the key to this practice. Getting used to practicing in the heat may take some time to be tolerable but the benefits will be many.

4. Feel free to E-mail us with any questions that you may have regarding heat, info @ cascadeyogastudio.com