Yoga is for everyone.
That’s basically what the yogis at Hot Yoga Plus in the new Highland Court shopping center on Jackson Avenue want everyone to think.
After sitting down and talking to one of them for a little bit — and some extensive research on words I had never heard before — I believe them.
Hot Yoga Plus offers a variety of different classes, with temperatures varying from 80 to 100 degrees. The yogi I talked with, Sarah Burns, commutes from Memphis to teach her classes.
Burns was dragged to her first yoga class, not without pretentions, by a friend and figured at best, she would get a good cardio workout. Before she had ever been to a class she thought yoga was for hippies, or as a runner, people who were just too slow. But she left the class drenched in sweat, exhausted.
For Burns, yoga is more than exercise. She found that the more she went, the more her focus shifted from outward to inward.
“All the stuff you learn on the mat about deep breathing and being calm and letting go of results, all of that can transfer off the mat too,” Burns said. “Maybe you fell down in class or didn’t get a pose one day, you learn to let those things go. You can do that in relationships, in friendships, and how you see yourself; it lets you get internal.”
Yoga is not only for spiritual wellbeing, but also for physical health. Both men and women who already exercise or play other sports can add yoga as a supplement to aid with the aches and pains of an athletic lifestyle. Yoga cannot only counteract the abuse that our bodies take, but also improve our bodies.
“(Yoga is) going to help the shoulders, the hips, your low back,” Burns said. “Everything you use, whether you run, lift weights, bike, or play tennis, it can help strengthen those areas, loosen them, and make you stronger to go at it harder.”
Burns stresses that at Hot Yoga Plus, the yoga is not about anyone’s ego or the teacher, it’s about each individual person.
“I can come in and be quiet and at the end of an hour all the stuff I was worrying about before, there’s an hour where it isn’t on my mind,” Burns said. “People want to know how to be quiet. It really allows you to be present in each breath and not have to worry about everything else that might be going on.”
Whether a first timer or a veteran, people at all levels can feel comfortable in each class and can tailor their schedule and class option to fit their needs.
Right now, students can get two months of unlimited yoga for $199 with their student ID between June 1 and August 1. A package like this allows people to try out different teachers and different styles of class to see what fits them best.
Through June 15, members who bring in a friend for a class can get an extra class for free or 10 percent off retail in the store.
For more information, follow the studio online, on Facebook or call 662) 380-5009.
Mitchell Dowden is a HottyToddy.com staff reporter and can be reached at madowden@go.olemiss.edu.
