Agoura Hot Yoga Foundational Four Pillars

 Bikram yoga is a series of two breathing exercises and 24 yoga postures designed to heal the spine, detox the body and strengthen the muscles around the skeletal system to improve rotation and quality of movement. Some postures create a tourniquet effect and once released allows fresh oxygenated blood to flow through the area of the body where blood flow was stopped. This experience is crucial to healing. For example, Fixed Firm posture creates blood flow from the knees and once released the blood floods through the knees clearing out scar tissue and healing the knees. Each class will always be the same breathing exercises and postures. This allows growth to happen in the practice. As the student continues to practice the breathing exercises the lungs will expand allowing healing and relaxation of the body and mind. Repeating the same yoga poses allows the body to heal and strengthen internally. 

Hot HIIT Pilates is a class that was designed with Pilates principles and incorporates high intensity interval training. This class is a core focused class with a lot of abdominal exercises such as planks. Occasionally hand weights are involved but not necessary for the class and the weights are provided by the studio. Each IHP class is one hour long. The IHP class has been known to trigger the body to burn calories 24 hours after class.

Happy Hour Bikram is a one hour bikram yoga class with mostly one set of each posture as well as a flow of the separate leg standing series postures and  spine strengthening postures. A 90 minute bikram yoga class consists of the same 2 breathing exercises and 24 yoga postures for each class. The teacher is using a dialogue to move the students through the class and instructing exactly what to do. The 90 minute class does not change. The Silent bikram class is just like the 90 minute class but without any instruction. Instead the teacher is leading the class through practicing with the students.

The average calories in a hot yoga class or HHP class burned varies depending on how efficient the student is working but the calorie count can be anywhere from 400 to 1000 calories.

Men should wear a comfortable pair of workout shorts and women should wear a comfortable sports top and either shorts or pants suitable for the heat. 

The towel mat reassures all the students and staff members that each mat is sanitized before each use and is able to be cleaned thoroughly. The towel mat also eliminates having to bring a towel and a mat. The towel mats are designed for the hot yoga room. They consist of a slip resistant bottom as well as a towel flap to assist with rabbit posture. 

The room temperature is set at 111 degrees. It occasionally feels hotter depending on the amount of students in the class and how hard the students are working. 

The heat allows flexibility to increase. The heat also increases the amount of calories burned as well as toxins to be released within the muscle, tissue and organs. When doing yoga in the heat the healing process of the body is able to be achieved.

 That can happen to new students that haven’t acclimated to the heat yet. The best thing to do is to sit down and just breathe. Focus on breathing in and out and the dizziness should subside but if necessary you can leave the room until you can rejoin the class. 

In my 13 years being in a hot yoga studio I have never heard of or witnessed someone passing out because of the heat. 

Hydrate before, during and after a class. Use electrolytes in your water to replenish minerals and vitamins. Please do not come to class if you have any signs or symptoms of a cold. Visit our Protocol page for a more in depth version of our Procedures and Protocols