I've been practicing various types of yoga for over the past 12 years. I've done everything from Bikram Yoga, which is a series of 26 yoga asanas (or postures) done in a room that is heated to 105 degrees, to Kundalini yoga, which places an emphasis on breathing and has moves such as Breath of Fire that has you panting like a dog.
In my mind, nothing compares to hot vinyasa.Vinyasa is a type of yoga where the poses are synchronized to the breath. Vinyasa may be better known as Power Yoga.
Practicing yoga has a lot of benefits. It's been shown to lower blood pressure, help you shed weight and helps relieve stress. For me, the combination of power yoga ,or vinyasa, and a heated room is the perfect mix. I feel like I am getting an intense workout, as well as a cleansing detox and the mindfulness of yoga.
When I heard that Powerflow Yoga had opened a location in Livingston at 155 South Livingston Avenue, I was eager to check it out. The Chatham location had been open for the past couple of years. The Livingston location opened in February.
If you're new to hot yoga, there are a few guidelines that are useful to follow. Most of these are on Powerflow's website. First, you must drink a lot of water before class. Not just a few hours before class, but the day before class. Drinking water is healthy for you in general so this should be standard procedure. You also need to be prepared to sweat. It's hot yoga and the temperature of the room is usually somewhere around 97 degrees. Between the heat and the intensity of the classes, you will be dripping with sweat. The studio does have a shower and changing rooms for those who do not want to get into their car in wet clothes.
I recently attended a 9:30 a.m. open vinyasa class on a Friday morning. The space was large and comfortably fit all 14 students. The teacher, Dana Richmond, was young and energetic as she led us through a challenging series of poses. We did the usual suspects, including plank, crow and boat pose. Richmond encouraged us to "let it go" and "to keep smiling."
During savasana, the final relaxation pose in yoga where you lay on your mat and rejoice what you have just accomplished, I could not help but smile. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and cannot wait to go back.
Powerflow Yoga in Livingston offers various types of classes 7 days a week. Rates vary from $22 for a drop-in class to $170 for a monthly unlimited. It's good to note that they offer first timers a one week unlimited for $25. For more information, go to the website http://www.powerflownj.com/classes.php
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