I began doing hot yoga about 5 years ago when one of my friends had lured me into the depths of a sweat-induced hour of ultimate mental and physical stamina. The first class I did was a traditional hot yoga class with 26 postures. Nothing shouted unpleasant to me more than being in a 37ºC room with a few other sweaty people.
I snapped out of this prejudice and learnt that hot yoga would quickly become an addiction for me. Hopping from the traditional 26 posture classes to the ever-moving cyclical vinyasa to the uber intense yoga sculpt – I grew to love it.
Here are my 3 favourite places to practise hot yoga in London. Nothing screams balance to me like sweating out your wine from Friday night’s festivities at your Saturday morning session.
Hotpod Yoga in Hackney, Brixton, Belgravia, Dulwich, Wimbledon & Notting Hill:
Hotpod Yoga is like entering the Stranger Things version of hot yoga. It’s dark, full of fluorescent lighting and the music is deep. It is like a cleanse on a deeper level. You are immediately zenned out when you enter ‘the pod’ ( even this phrase sounds like a sci-fi abode) as essential oils puff away, whilst melodic tunes play in the background. No mirrors and zero lighting means you can’t get too distracted by your own good looks, or how awfully skew your dancer’s pose is even though you swore your hips were like ‘totally aligned’.
Bonus tips: there are a few pods all over London which means you can practise in many neighbourhoods and they give epic discounts to new mamas.
Fierce Grace in City, West, North, Finchley & Primrose Hill:
Fierce Grace is all in the name. I knew I would love it when I spotted their insta-famous signage outside their city branch. It reads: “Hot Boys, Hot Girls, Hot Yoga”. Catchy copy means modern people and I love a new-age approach to yoga. Based on the principals of certain common sequences, Fierce Grace puts a spin on your typical 90-minute hot class. Each teacher brings their own spin to their signature classes which makes everyone feel unique.
Bonus tips: Primal is good for a supercharged practice that feels like both a workout and a stretch. They also offer a Stiff Old and Broken class ( I genuinely lol’d when I read this name) for those who need a little bit of tweaking and rehab.
House of Hot Yoga in Angel:
A little gem hidden between Kings Cross and Angel, House of Hot Yoga offers an unconventional practice. Their traditional classes are essential for slow practices that get you stuck into the nitty-gritty of your body. I hadn’t realised how important it is to slow down in some heated classes and focus on the alignment and really ‘feel’ into your body. Their hot Jivamukti class veers away from the traditional cyclical sun-salutation style flow that can become rather repetitive. Theirs involves a little more of a mind-body connection and definitely isn’t focussed on mindless movement. They offer an unbeatable intro deal and are a studio that left me pleasantly surprised.
