Review: Hot yoga at Winchester’s New Energy Yoga

The studio, in Parchment Street, has recently opened Winchester’s first ‘hot yoga’ room, which means what it says on the tin – yoga but in a heated area.

Hot yoga is a growing trend, with businesses using different methods to create the sensation of the sun on your skin. At New Energy Yoga, they use infrared panels on the walls but as a new class, the team is still taking recommendations for how hot customers like it.

I have only tried yoga a couple of times and mainly from the comfort of my own home using YouTube so I am far from an experienced ‘yogi’.

READ MORE: Winchester's New Energy Yoga opens first hot yoga room

I was a little apprehensive, knowing my flexibility limitations and short attention span which don’t quite mix with the peaceful stretching and breathing of yoga.

So I strategically found a spot at the back of the room but I soon realised that I'd made my life harder with a restricted view of what the lovely instructor Charlie Smith was doing.

The room itself was dark with glowing lights and atmospheric music creating a relaxing space. And the smell – I don’t know why or how but it smelt so good.

This particular class was called ‘Hot Yoga Flow’ and focused on the hips and heart. Despite my lack of yoga know-how, the space felt very unjudged and obviously warm too.

Don’t get me wrong, once the class began it was hard work, my abs were shaking, my legs were trembling and I lost balance more times than I care to share.

Poses, as the class title suggests, flowed into one another with many a downward dog, upward dog and cobra positions linking together lesser-known angles and stretches.

Admittedly, my favourite moments were when we got to rest our face on our arms on the floor - it felt like sunbathing on a sunny beach but without getting burnt or finding sand in your socks for weeks after.

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The higher temperature brings an extra layer to an already very healthy and soothing activity. Where the muscles are already warm, it's easier to stretch further without risk of injury. Heart rate is also higher, increasing blood flow. Other suggested benefits include pain reduction and a decrease in stress and anxiety.

I am no expert on the science but the New Energy team has put months of work into researching the positives.

I believe that going regularly would greatly benefit my health and fitness. Although I’m not sure I have the patience, I’d recommend that people give hot yoga a try at least once in their life for it was a new and liberating experience.

An £11 offer is available for people booking their first class. For more go to newenergy.yoga/.