Last week I tried my first infrared hot yoga class and I loved it so much that I booked two more classes for this week. I’ve done hot yoga before, but this was completely different than that experience. This class was at Sweatheory, which specializes in infrared spas, yoga, and vitamin injections. I don’t think I am down to try a vitamin injection quite yet, but the yoga was for sure amazing. In a regular hot yoga class, it is just very hot. The heat usually rises to the top of the room and if you need a break from the heat, you can just put your head down and find some relief. Infrared gives you no relief.

The best way I can describe it is what I imagine it would be like to be microwaved. But like microwaved in a good way. It is hot and there is no end to the heat so you just kind of adapt. The lights are low and there is a giant salt wall in the room that flows from blue to red to green throughout class. The studio space itself is like a sauna. It has cedar plank floors and walls and a door that keeps all the super-hot heat inside. The class I took was a Deep Heated Stretch which could be why I loved it all so much. It wasn’t hard yoga. It was a looooot of stretching and holding poses and while I do love a good workout, I don’t think I could have handled an intense yoga class in that heat. I was so thankful that the most difficult pose to hold was downward dog.

Even with the movement and poses of the class being so light, I still burned close to 200 calories (according to my watch) during the class. I am going to thank the heat and all the sweating for that calorie burn. Because I sweat so much. More than I even knew I could sweat. By the end of class sweat was dripping into my ears and eyes, my clothes were utterly soaked, and every single part of my body was sweating.  Even with all the sweating, I loved the class. I loved it so much that I have decided to make it part of my weekly routine. I also decided to buy a yoga mat towel… you know, for all the sweat.

You can shop some of my current yoga essentials below. And PLEASE let me know if you try an infrared class! I would love to know your thoughts!

Always Classy & Confused,

MGM