1 year ago
Listen, January is cold. Kill two birds with one stone: warm up and get some exercise in too at Hotpod Yoga.
Hotpod Yoga will soon be celebrating their 10th birthday, and boy have they come a way since their inception in 2013. Max and Nick, school friends, birthed the idea for hot yoga classes and since then the studio has been franchised over 40 times across the country. They describe themselves as ‘an otherworldly cocoon of glowing lights, heady aromas and developing soundscapes, taking you a million miles from the everyday.’ And if that isn’t music to our January ears, we don’t know what is.
In big, dimly lit inflatable pods you’ll experience a heated class where you’ll stretch, bend and breathe your way through an hour. It is the perfect reset as we emerge, frazzled, from December and venture into 2023.
Though rooted in Vinyasa, they offer all kinds of classes; the signature Hotpod flow, a Foundation flow and a slower, Nurturing flow. The instructor will guide you through, as you’d expect in a class, but attendees are encouraged to take the class at their own pace. You can get as experimental (or not) as you feel comfortable. This makes the classes really accessible. From regulars to complete beginners, all people are welcomed into every class.
And that’s exactly what we felt when we went too. We tried out their Brixton location and our instructor, Holly, was incredibly encouraging and we felt immediately comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can be in tree pose in 37 degree heat… The class itself was certainly challenging, but all movements were easily adaptable to every level in the class. The temperature also meant that our heart rate was higher than it would usually be in a yoga class, and there was no question that we were quickly getting a sweat on. It felt intensely satisfying, when we came out we knew we’d had both a body and mind workout. A proper ‘full body’ class if you ask us.
Want to give it a go? Course you do. They’ve got a great intro offer (£20 for 2 weeks of unlimited yoga) so you can really step in and find your Hotpod feeling. We know we did.
