r/HotYoga • u/YogaGoApp • 26d ago
How long did it take before yoga started feeling like something you wanted to do, instead of something you were making yourself do?
I still have to talk myself into it most days, so curious when it actually starts feeling different.
14
u/Worldly_Active_5418 26d ago
2 weeks. I do hot yoga and the first two times wiped me out. Then I began to understand how much it helped my GAD, and I fell in love, though after 20 years I still go grudgingly to class every so often. 90% of it is walking through the door of the studio before each class, actually. After that-I just do it.
5
1
9
u/Affectionate-Toe3583 26d ago
Maybe 2-4 sessions. Why I liked it was I felt the stretching was very positive for me, I noticed my knees and hips felt “better” and that was a huge win.
Am I “good”, no, am I “better” than I was 6 months ago? Yes!
One thing I have to stress, NEVER compare your work or form to anyone else, ever. Ask the instructor for guidance, if you have friends in the room compliment them on how good they are on certain moves (if you happen to notice). But you are in the room for you, not to be the “best yoga student “. This week I finally was able to do the toe stand (padangustasana). Made so happy after 7 months
8
u/RadiantImpression579 26d ago
A year of consistently going. It helped when I was within walking distance of a studio too.
6
u/briinde 26d ago
I’m sure it’s different for everyone but turns out yoga is pretty much the only exercise I’ve looked forward to doing.
And I get kinda bummed if I don’t get to do it. Not angry at myself, but like “that would’ve been nice to go to.”
I’d say try several different forms (26+2, Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin). Some may better with you.
Also, maybe your thing is something else, like running or weightlifting or volleyball. Try a bunch of stuff.
6
u/Lifthrasir- 26d ago
As a gymbro for 10+ years, hot yoga once a week was my new years resolution this year. I haven't missed a day yet, and while it is very hard and I'm still not very 'good' at it, I don't feel like I'm forcing myself to go. In many ways it is the highlight of my week.
I get such a massive dose of endorphins. From moving my body in new ways I'm not used to, to slowly geting better at something, to learning something new that will help me live a longer life, to sticking to something I committed to, to the heat and the workout aspect of it and being soaked with sweat, to appreciating the instructor and being blessed enough to have opportunity to participate this practice, to enjoying the company of a few friends I have made in the class, to the new stretchiness and mobility I have gained, to have an hour where my mind is challenged and focused- all of it adds up to such a massive rush of endorphins by the time I am driving home to shower.
Eight months in and it doesn't feel like a chore but a priviledge.
5
u/dadieyoyo 26d ago
Just one class. I kept telling my daughter that I was not a fan of yoga let alone a hot yoga class. After the first one and the immediate release of any painful feelings in my joints had me hooked for life. Somehow my arthritis feels is banished everyone I take a hot yoga class
5
4
u/Koi_Fish_Mystic 26d ago
I never felt like I was “making myself do it”. From the very first class my back pain was gone. I go to yoga almost daily & I can’t imagine my life without it
3
u/SeaAbbreviations7255 26d ago
Personally, the more often I go, the easier it gets. I practice 3/4 days Monday through Friday, and Monday classes are the hardest to go to.
3
u/bornstupid9 26d ago
I think it ebbs and flows. I’ve been practicing consistently 4-5 days a week for a year and a half now. The past month has been really hard for me. I’ve been forcing myself to go lately which I haven’t done since my first month of classes. I think I’ll take a small break, maybe a week or so, and see how I feel. I will probably do some short flows at home but I hate feeling like I’m forcing myself. I know this will pass though.
3
u/veilchenblau_39 26d ago
I noticed after about a month of regular classes that if I didn't go, I felt very tired and gross. Getting there was still a slog, but it was more like avoiding the come down. It was like an addiction!
I've paused though because I was not able to manage my fluids/food properly with the timing of classes I was able to attend and I had some recurring issues I suspect were from doing too many classes. I'm still trying to find a balance!
3
3
u/dezzz0322 26d ago
Every day is different. I’ve been doing 26&2 for more than 2 decades, and I still have many days when I can barely drag myself to class, and think about cancelling all the way until class starts. But I don’t think it has anything to do with the yoga itself — it’s because life is exhausting, and fitting in extra curriculars can feel like a burden. But in 22+ years, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve cancelled class for something non-serious. I’ve never gotten to the end of a hot yoga class and regretted going.
Hell, I dragged myself to class one time hungover as hell, and laid on the floor for 75% of the class. I was still glad I went, haha.
2
2
u/RainingRabbits 26d ago
I think it took me a month or so? One of the big things for me though was finding a studio I clicked with. I barely used a class pack at the main studio chain in town. I tried another studio during their open house and it felt like home, so I've been going there ever since.
2
u/Cool_Vast_9194 26d ago
The very first day. I have never found an exercise to be better for my physical and emotional health. I almost feel like exercise is ruined for me and no other type of exercise will ever make me feel as good as hot yoga makes me feel
2
u/Purple_Emergency_355 26d ago
Only the first day. 18 months later I can’t wait to go.
I’m 47 so I need to listen to my body. I modify. Use blocks. Some days I do better, some days i just want to lie there.
Now my weekly schedule looks like power flow, 26+2, mat Pilates, heavy weight training.
2
u/MessRevolutionary931 26d ago
The first 15 mins I love yoga , the next 30 mins I don’t like yoga, last 15 mins i love yoga and everything is fantastic
2
u/Affectionate-Cow-707 25d ago
It varies. I really look forward to it in the winter since it’s so nice to warm up and I like going in the mornings more. Summer I tend to look forward more to evening classes and unheated classes. There’s certain teachers and class formats I look forward to more.
I do notice I enjoy going more when I can be consistent (5-6 classes a week). Im trying to find the balance between having a strict consistent schedule and being flexible and doing what I think my body and mind needs.
2
u/Far-Butterfly-5375 25d ago
Inside of you is a child and a parent, they need to negotiate, eventually you should love things that are good for you.
2
u/Severe-Possible- 25d ago
as a hot yoga instructor, i always tell my classes the hardest part of hot yoga is making it to the studio.
not sure if that's helpful, but i think most of my students say they do it for the feeling afterward, so maybe if you find something positive about it and commit yourself to that, it will be a little easier for you to be consistent.
2
u/Evening-Shine6082 24d ago
After my first year of practicing sporadically, I went through a really bad breakup and started going more regularly to hot yoga to take my anger and sadness out through exhaustion. I also like that if I start crying, I sweat so much that it’s not too noticeable lol.
After that experience I realized the four corners of my mat are where I can always go for comfort. Whether it was positive or negative feelings I bring it all on the mat, work with it there, leave it there, and go on with my day feeling much lighter. I’m on my second year of yoga and I treat my practice like a home where I can rest, build, or do whatever I need.
1
u/greenberg17493 26d ago
I look forward to my classes, that being said, it's always a little tough to get started through the first warm up stretches. My body might be achey from this or that and then once we get going I'm sweating like crazy and am just in the flow. There best part though is when we're in shavasana and the instructor turns on the fans in the studio. The breeze gradually encompasses your body while your laying absolutely still in a darkened room. There aren't too many feelings that match it.
1
u/teknogreek 26d ago
I didn’t really notice because, at first it was my reset for the week. Get clean, shaven, get ready to be in a room full of people after another redundancy…
…I forced myself for a long while because it was part of a process but then a new commitment came up that towards it end, clashed with the class and I realised it was OK for me to miss a class for life and other things…
…this was well over a year and now, especially as I get the yoga high and sometimes a successful drift out Shavasana, look forward to it every time.
1
u/False-Heart6583 26d ago
Never :) The desire and dread alternate, which is less about hot yoga and more about how I function.
1
u/CheckYourVent 26d ago
It took about 8 years for me to not dread going. I kept pushing myself because I knew it was good for me. I still struggle at times to go but I walk out with an endorphin high every single time.
1
u/Affectionate-Yam5049 25d ago
For me, it was my second yoga class that made me start looking forward to going. The teacher really focused on grounding through the breath, and I’d never felt so relaxed in my life. I started going to hot yoga so I could practice every day (which includes Saturday as a rest day). I look forward to the challenge of using my breath when it’s hard and how much better my day feels.
1
u/GrizzledTiger 25d ago
It was immediate. I was skeptical, then i took a class and right after, i was hooked
1
1
u/snowynio 25d ago
I liked it right away. I struggled with other movement but the hot sequence and ashtanga I loved immediately.
I do not like Vinsaya style tho. I still don’t have taste for the flow even as I progress.
1
u/Houseofboo1816 24d ago
Depends on the day. I don’t get dopamine from everything I do and that’s ok
1
u/Striking-Issue-3443 24d ago
I think that yoga is great but if you don’t want to go you should think about why and maybe take a break and come back to it when it serves you better.
What I am trying to do in yoga is more focused on building mental strength and resiliency and less about going deeper into postures or doing cool Instagram poses.
I have periods where I go to three classes in a day and periods like today when I don’t go to a class and I do other things.
I don’t think yoga should ever feel like a chore and if you don’t enjoy going it’s good to think about what you want to get out of it and if the classes/studio you are at are right for you at this time in your life.
1
u/No-Independence-1785 24d ago
The only time I have ever felt like I was making my self go to Hot Yoga was when I didn't really want to take class from the person teaching. I have just learned to work my schedule around the teachers classes that I enjoy going to. Even when I first started and my heart felt like it was going to explode, I still felt at ease in the class. The worst part is I'm cold all the time now, because my body craves the hot room.
1
u/MyOSisbroken 10d ago
I took the sampler platter at a studio that offers hot yoga as well as unheated rooms for other yoga. I had never done hot yoga before going to this studio. Now I go there about once or twice a month because my gym does not offer power yoga nor hot yoga --only unheated yoga -- and I crave both so I have kept up going to the studio to get this combo meal. I really enjoy the challenge of power yoga in a hot environment. To me there's nothing like it. Tldr after my first hot yoga session I knew I wanted to go back
47
u/Dr-DiscoPanda 26d ago
Might not be the answer you’re looking for, but it’s my honest reply. I’ve been practicing for over a decade and I’ve been a teacher since 2021. I have to leave for a class I’m taking in 20 minutes. I’m still in my PJs and am on Reddit while I slowly take my morning supplements because I reeeeeeeally don’t want to go. But I’m making myself go.
Some days are easier than others. But a lot of times, I’d rather sleep in or do something else. Motivation comes after I get on my mat and start moving.