Hot Yoga at YogaOne Houston

No matter where I go I usually have a yoga mat with me; even when I travel I try to make sure one of my carry-on items is my yoga mat. I have been practicing regularly since 2007 and whether I am at home in Houston or on the road, I am always on the lookout for a good yoga studio. One of my favorite studios here in Houston is YogaOne where I have discovered – and fallen in love with – hot yoga. In fact I have been so inspired by my hot yoga practice that I have started a new blog called My Yoga Year. I am going to spend 2011 renewing my yoga practice, trying new studios and styles of yoga, and sharing my adventures on the mat (and off) on my new blog.

So you might be wondering: What is hot yoga? At YogaOne the “hot” refers to the room: heated to over 100 °F at 50-60% humidity, the practice studio is warmed to help your muscles relax and become more flexible, to increase circulation, and to increase detoxification of the body through sweat. The “yoga” refers to the asanas – or poses – that are practiced in the heated studio: YogaOne hot hatha classes lead students through a specific series of hatha postures that are divided into three sequences. Each class lasts 90 minutes and includes several water breaks as well as a two-minute savasana - also called “corpse pose” – where the lights are dimmed and students are encouraged to rest, relax and regroup before finishing the remainder of class. If it sounds intimidating, I assure you it’s not; any time you feel you need to rest you can take corpse pose or child’s pose for as long as you need. After a few classes your body begins to adjust to the heat and the result is a more invigorating practice. Even my husband, who has long questioned why I like yoga so much, has become a fan of the hot hatha classes at YogaOne.

YogaOne doesn’t just offer hot hatha, they also offer Vinyasa flow, Forrest, and Jivamukti classes. Hot hatha classes are appropriate for all levels, although the weekly silent Hot class is recommended for students who have taken at least 3 regular hot classes. For beginner students who wish to explore Vinyasa flow YogaOne offers a Flow 101 class and for more advanced practitioners they offer a Flow 2 class. For more fitness fun try one of their Belly Dance or Bollywood Aerobics classes, or slow things down with a free Saturday morning meditation session. I tried the Forrest class a few weeks ago (“Forrest Yoga uses intense pose sequences, compassionately taught, to develop skills in awakening each of the senses.”) and found muscles I didn’t even know I had!

Beyond their weekly class schedule YogaOne also provides continuing education for yogis, they host immersion courses with some of the top instructors in the country, and they are a sponsor of the 2011 Texas Yoga Conference (February 25-27, 2011). I took an immersion course with Sadie Nardini at YogaOne last spring, which was the catalyst for my own yoga blog project and the jumping off point for exploring more yoga studios in Houston. Here are some of YogaOne’s upcoming events:

• January 8: Sunset Yoga Groove w/ DJ Sun: A flow class with a local DJ providing the music. $25 online registration, $30 at the door.
• January 14-16: Yoga Workshop with famous practitioner and philosopher Doug Swenson. $40 per class or $150 for the full weekend before January 1 ($50 per class and $165 after January 1).
• February 25-27: Texas Yoga Conference at the University of St. Thomas. YogaOne is sponsoring the conference along with CuraYoga, the Texas Yoga Association, and others. Early registration prices in effect until January 1, 2011.
• March 11-20: YogaOne Immersion Course with Roger and Albina Rippy, owners. $1800 before January 31, $2000 after January 31; $500 non-refundable deposit required. Registration deadline: February 28, 2011.

If you have always wanted to try yoga and you think 2011 is the year, sign up for YogaOne’s “New Year Resolution Fresh Start” program. $300 before January 10 and $325 after January 10, the 60-day program begins on January 15 and includes detox and cleansing, two monthly unlimited passes and three guided affirmation classes as well as meditation classes and free pranayama (breath) classes. Monthly unlimited passes are $150 on their own so this is an excellent and affordable way to begin a hot yoga practice at YogaOne Studios.

YogaOne Studios is located at 3030 Travis St. (map) and they recently opened the doors on their second studio called The Flow Factory, located at 3225 Milam St. (map). Hot and Forrest classes are held at the Travis Street location while Flow and Jivamukti classes are at the Flow Factory; check the online schedule for times, dates and locations for each class as well as rates and class passes. The single class drop-in rate is $15 but money-saving passes are available for purchase and make excellent gifts. New students can sign up for the $20 Power of 10 pass: an unlimited 10-day pass for only $5 more than a one-time drop in rate that is a great deal and the perfect way to try hot yoga for the first time!

Photo credit: SXC

Author’s note: Complimentary classes provided courtesy of YogaOne Studios. All opinions are the author’s own.