DIY Hot Yoga Studio at Home

           While many people swear by hot yoga’s healing properties, a recent report calls them into question. This report observed that the poses increase vascular health, but not the change in temperature. It also concluded that adding heat to your yoga practice can change your body composition.

            But I have been doing yoga for over five years, and I truly believe that hot yoga makes me more relaxed. Something about a warm room melts my stress away and it gives me a sense of calm. Maybe after trying it you may feel the same way, so I would not 100 percent dismiss the practice just based on this one study.

           You may have read online about hot yoga and gotten a little intimidated. Fear not! I am going to show you several ways that you can make your at-home yoga studio (or yoga corner, or just your bedroom with a yoga mat) into a hot yoga studio without breaking the bank.

           Hot yoga rooms are very humid. Humidifiers can cost upwards of $100 if you want a larger and nicer one. Fortunately there are many cheap and easy ways you can increase the humidity in your room.

• Does your room have heater vents on the floor, or radiators? Crank up the heat and place some water in ceramic bowls on top of the heaters and the water will create steam and be released into the air.

These are three smaller bowls I balanced on the radiator in my room.

• Go out and purchase either plant seeds or smaller plants such as succulents or aloe Vera plants. These are fairly cheap and also help aid in releasing moisture into the air. Don’t forget to water your plants frequently.
• Another tip for humidifying your room is to have a clothing rack where you allow your laundry to air dry in the room. Make sure to keep windows and doors shut so you don’t lose any of that humidity.  

           Having a very hot room is key to your hot yoga practice. There are several ways to warm up your room. Purchase a small space heater and turn it up to high. This way you don’t have to pay to heat your entire house, just one room.

• Also look into purchasing some candles. Any dollar store will sell candles and buy as many as you think you need. Candles add heat to the room and add light that isn’t too bright.

 

Three candles I got for only a dollar each!

•  Put your celling fan on reverse. Doing this pushes the hot air closer to the ground and heats up your room. This way your room will be hot, but not too stiff and dry.
• Hang a tapestry or long curtains over your windows to keep out the draft. It really makes a difference for me since the windows in my house are so thin!

Even though they are super thin, tapestry’s work really well in keeping the warm air trapped in your room.

            If you do all of these tips, you most likely will be too hot to wear multiple layers. If you can keep on long sleeves and pants try, but it’s not mandatory.

            Hopefully you will be able to see the small benefits that hot yoga can have on your life. If you are interested in getting involved in a yoga practice you can easily do from your home, this may be for you.

            Just because one study shows that it does not have any substantial health benefits does not mean that you should not try it. Learning new ways to incorporate yoga into your daily life can benefit your physical, emotional, and social wellness.

Have you tried hot yoga in your home? Let me know in the comments how it worked out!