Tips & FAQ's
A Few Tips:
-Try to arrive 5-10 min before class starts to get settled in.
-Sign in before every class at the front desk.
-Make sure you have a yoga mat, large towel or yogitoe, and water...you can rent these.
-Plan on staying for the entire class, even if you need to sit in child's pose. Leaving the room during class is both a shock to your body and distracting to other students.
-Drink plenty of water before and after class, not just during.
-Please no cell phones, pagers, or any other beeping devices in the yoga room.
-Please respect your fellow yogis by refraining from talking during class or final relaxation.
-Try not to place yourself directly in front of someone's mat, be sure the person behind you can see the front mirror.
Frequently Asked Questions:
-Why add heat to yoga? Heat acts as a catalyst to raise your heartrate, stimulate glands and organs, and loosen muscles. In the heat, your body is able to open and react more quickly to stretching. Also, heat allows muscles to release toxins that naturally build up, like lactic acid. When excercising in heat, the heart pumps more blood throughout your body, this is great for cleansing and carrying away cellular waste, also burning fat more easily. For more information, click on 7 More Reasons for the Heat.
How often should I practice? You should try to practice as regularly as possible. Again, everyone is different, you should try to find a yoga schedule that is realistic and doable. A solid practice is three times per week. One or two classes does not mean you will not benefit from practicing, however, you may not see progress regularly as your body readjusts each time you practice. Once a day is great, however consider resting for at least a day, this allows your body to recuperate and you may find your practice improves by taking a day off.
I am not flexible, will I be able to do class? Yoga is designed to open your body and create flexibility, strength, and balance. Yoga is not only about being flexible. Yoga is appropriate for every body. No matter what your fitness level is, in yoga you will find strengths and weaknesses, because yoga creates balance between flexibility and strength. So yes, no matter how stiff you are, you will be able to do class.
I am not sure if I'm doing a posture correctly. If you are concerned about a posture, not sure if you are doing it correctly, and no one has told you otherwise, feel free to ask the instructor before or after class to take a look at your pose. Or, if you arrive early, just ask the instructor to pay attention to a particular posture when you get to it so they can correct or adjust you.
Is the series the same every time? Since opening the studio, we have found that most students enjoy having the same sequence of posture as this allows for a closer study of your practice. Our Tropics 1 class follows the same sequence with the exceptional additions to certain postures. The 60 min class does one set of most poses, as the 90 min class follows the same sequence but does two sets of postures, with a couple of extra poses. The Tropics 2 class, offered Tues & Thurs at 5:45pm is a variable class. New postures are introduced every time and it is a different sequence all together from the Tropics 1 class. If you are interested in furthering your practice or just trying something different, come try the Tropics 2 class.
Who shouldn't do hot yoga? If you have had any major heart problem such as a stroke or heart attack, heated yoga is not advised as your heart rate will significantly increase and may be too much for your body to handle. If you are unsure, consult your physician and ask if it is safe for you to exercise in a room heated at 106*F. Also, pregnant women who have not tried hot yoga before becoming pregnant should not start now. If you have a regular practice and become pregnant, hot yoga is fine throughout the pregnancy, just consult one of the instructors for modified postures before practicing, and stay close to the doors as it may be more difficult to breathe and you should limit how hot your body gets.
What should I expect as a beginner? If you are new to yoga all together, it is very normal to feel dizzy and sore during and after your practice. Yoga works many muscles that are not commonly used in other forms of excercise and daily routine, primarily in the back. Hot yoga allows your body to release toxins from your muscles and organs, for the first week of practice this can cause soreness. Try not to over exert yourself in your first couple of weeks, just be patient, take your time, and do what you can. It is perfectly acceptable to sit out of postures if you need to, just drop down to child's pose and relax. It takes a week or two of practice to acclimate your body to the heat and to the new movements.
What to bring, what to wear? Bring a yoga mat, large towel, and water. We also rent mats and towels for $1 each, and we sell water for $1 and Vitamin water for $2. Wear something that you can move in easily and feel comfortable sweating in. Women generally wear a tank top or sports bra with shorts or pants, men generally wear swim trunks or shorts. Baggy clothing weighs you down and makes it hard to move, too much clothing makes you feel hot.
Is this Bikram's Yoga? No, Yoga Tropics is not Bikram's. Most of out instructors have a background in Bikram's, but the Tropics series' are based on the lineage of Bishnu Ghosh, who was the teacher of Bikram. Many postures preformed in class are the same as postures preformed in Bikram's, but the series is different in style as we incorporate vinyasa flow, we use Ujjai breathing in class, and we create a more aerobic exercise in the standing series, as opposed to an anaerobic series like in Bikram's, where you pause between every posture. Tropics classes pull from several styles including Ashtanga and Vinyasa flow.
