BY JENNIFER & JOHN BURKHART

A new year, a new beginning! Have you vowed this year to make healthier choices? To take more time for self-care and stress reduction? We could all use these things and more! The tricky part is finding a way to create time for yourself (have you seen how much babysitting rates are these days?) and deciding what you truly find relaxing. In an effort to discover what helps us unwind, we checked out a local wellness studio to discover what “warm” yoga is all about.

She Said:

So apparently there are various types of heated yoga out there. News to me! I thought it was less-sweaty 95-degree “hot” yoga, or a balmy 88-degree sesh. We weren’t quite ready to find out what cobra pose felt like on the surface of the sun, so John and I thought that the flowy, “warm” yoga sounded just right. We chose well! This was the perfect yoga session for a wintry Friday evening. The warm room felt so cozy with the heaters ablaze, along with the soft lighting and the relaxing music. I loved the ambiance and wish I could recreate it at home. I’m just not sure the soft lighting, singing bowls, crystals, and macrame wall art meshes with our strewn-toy “decor” and screaming kids. But hey, that’s why this studio exists: a chance to step out of the chaos and into a calming atmosphere. The teacher had a soothing voice and was great at explaining the moves and poses, which were easy and slow (aka: perfect for this yoga newbie right here). Most of the poses were done lying down or seated, which was great for my outta-shape bod. In fact, had we done any more poses lying down, I might have dozed off! I’m a tired mama, and apparently quite stiff as well — thank goodness for lots of slow stretching! This type of yoga felt great, and it was so nice to “turn off” my overloaded brain for a bit. It was
an amazing way to decompress from a busy week. just room-temp or the sweltering Bikram. For those who like to ease into it, you can choose a

He Said:

We thought a little end-of-the-week stretching and r was just what the doctor ordered. This particular yoga class was a “warm” one, so the room was heated to 88 degrees, which is like a hot summer day here in the Pacific Northwest (the dead of winter for you Arizonans). The space was nicely appointed, with pine wood floors and ceilings, soft string lights, mandalas painted on the walls, and nice tranquil music playing in the background. In every corner, there was a glowing orange space heater cranking out some serious heat, which made me immediately concerned that I didn’t put on enough deodorant (I did). We threw our mats down and started getting warm and loose. This class was beginners yoga, so we didn’t have to twist up like a pretzel or stand on our heads or anything (they do that in yoga right?) — just some light stretches focusing mainly on our hips and low back. Honestly the only thing challenging during the class was trying not to cut one loose during the happy baby stretch. We finished the class with savasana, which is basically just lying on your back and breathing. I left feeling loose in body and calm in mind. This was the perfect way to break away from a busy work week and get right into weekend mode.