Hot Yoga: My Journey

In the autumn of 2017, I went to Brighton to visit my uncle. I was anxious and depressed - and not good at hiding it. He took one look at me and said "Right! You’re coming to Yoga." This was my introduction to Hot Yoga, and I fell in love with it. Since then, I’ve been going as often as I can to classes at YogaVenue. It has become a significant part of my life. It holds me together - grounding me when my mind refuses to. As a result, my practice pops into conversation from time to time. Inevitably, someone will say to me:

"You know there’s like, no evidence Hot Yoga’s any better for you, right? You don’t burn any more calories in Hot Yoga than you do in regular Yoga."

There are lots of reasons why this statement bothers me, but let’s focus on the two main ones.

1) I know how to google, thanks, there’s no need to educate me on my hobbies
2) I have an eating disorder. Yes, I’m in recovery. Yes, I have a much healthier relationship with food now. But I can’t ever change that ‘have’ to ‘had.’ There is no past tense with eating disorders. And yes, the person talking about Yoga and calories may not know that I’ve had an on/off relationship with anorexia for over a decade. They may not know that I need to actively avoid ‘numbers’ like calories and weight. I don’t expect them to know that. What angers me is how this statement reflects our society’s perverse relationship with diet and exercise.

There are reasons to be active beyond weight loss. We need to stop framing exercise and movement as punishment for eating food.

 Hot 26 is vital to managing my anxiety. The dependable 26 postures pull my frantically whirling mind into the present moment. This isn’t a ‘workout’ for me. It is a mindfulness practice. I don’t practise Yoga to burn calories. I do it because I’ve found that it supports both my physical and mental health.

It may seem counterintuitive, but the awareness brought to my body by Hot 26 has been hugely supportive to my recovery from anorexia. The practice encourages me to focus on my body in a different way, to concentrate on tiny and not so tiny muscles I didn't even know I had to move deeper into the postures. I have entered into a new relationship with my body - no longer critical, but grateful. I am thankful for its strength and its softness. I listen to what it will allow me to do - which changes from one day to the next. I honour its needs - which include food and nourishment.

When you look into the mirror in Hot 26, you are looking to deepen your practice, not to pick apart and criticise your reflection.

It is not the practice alone that has aided my recovery. YogaVenue creates an environment in which you feel safe to stumble and fall, safe to just be. Everybody is welcome at YogaVenue, illustrated by the beautiful diversity of the classes. Yoga is for everybody - meaning every BODY - regardless of race, gender, age or body shape.

This is a special studio and I am as grateful for it as I am for my body’s ability to grow and change, to bend and support me.

By Emily Ross