Definitition: "a dynamic Vinyasa class taught in a heated room".
If your lunch break lacks a bit of zing and the cold winter months are making you frown, you can escape for one hour and get nice and warm at yoga class.
Unlike Bikram where the classroom is heated at 40 degrees Celsius, Hot Power Hour yoga at Indaba Yoga in London Marylebone is womb-like: a toasty body temperature (31-35 degrees celsius) that is inviting but still challenging.
Indaba Yoga is a welcoming and friendly yoga centre bathed in earthy colours and boasting an international team of yoga teachers.
If you are a morning person you can choose to attend the class before work at 7.30am but personally I am a slow starter and the lunch time at 12.30pm is perfect to combat the "graveyard shift" later on at 3pm when all you want to do is to reach for the biscuit tin.
Vinyasa can be taught by different yoga instructors and I like the "lucky dip" nature of this class. Each Hot Power Hour is unique and has various levels of difficulty and speed of execution.
The concept is to work rapidly and precisely through a sequence of yoga postures. The instructor is at hand to correct your technique if needed but you are required to have some level of familiarity with yoga to be able to enjoy the class and reap the full mind/body benefits.
Personally, what I find extremely therapeutic about hot yoga is the ability of the body to stretch without strain. A good warm-up is still essential so each class starts with sun salutations to limber up and build extra heat.
Over the weeks you learn about what your body is capable of and what are your limitations; of course there is room for improvement and the more you practice the better it gets.
Whatever you do, either right or wrong, you will never be judged: the yoga teacher is there to help you improve your posture, balance and technique while the other yoga students are too busy practising the various positions to really notice what you are doing. As they say, yoga is about your individual journey and even in a class situation you are given the time and space to explore who you are and what you can achieve.
So next time you want to reach for a mug of hot chocolate and a biscuit, grab your yoga mat and join your nearest Hot Power Hour class.
For more posts from Paola visit Body in Balance TV