A trend that took off in the USA in the 1970s is making its mark on the North East.
What was originally presented to the western world as a miracle cure for celebrities and American presidents by Bikram Choudhury, Hot Yoga has since evolved here, with the help of Victoria Liles to become a supportive, motivational space that stretches the warmest of welcomes to those of you in the North East.
Hot Yoga Newcastle is owned and run by Victoria Liles and has been since December 2019. Victoria is a one-woman-show and is incredibly passionate about her teaching. She has been doing yoga herself for the last decade and developed an interest for it while travelling in her 20s. She first experienced hot yoga on her third date, with her now husband, when they were living in the Bahamas. They tried it with an electric heater at home and it soon became a habit. Later, when living in Belize, she decided she wanted to expand her love for hot yoga and took part in a teaching course in Manila, to then teach in Belize. After travelling for many years Victoria and her husband felt they wanted to settle and she moved back to where she grew up, the North East. Not long after this, Hot Yoga Newcastle was born, a company offering classes for anyone and everyone that wants to practice Birkram’s style of yoga.
Victoria offers professional teaching to guide you through each class; while the infrared heat panels create the perfect environment for you to enhance your practice. The heat involved ranges between 36-38-degrees Celsius; however, the humidity is such that it does not take your breath away. Each class begins with a breathing exercise which establishes a sense of focus and concentration. Once the breathing exercise is complete, Victoria talks the class through 26 postures, and another breathing exercise, to conclude each 90-minute session. Hot Yoga Newcastle offer four different types of class, all following the same 26 postures of Birkram’s yoga, however, the heat and speed can differ if you want something more challenging. The classes follow the same structure every time making progress and benefits more obvious to the participant.
I took part in Victoria’s Hot Twenty Six class and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I stretched muscles I did not know I had, and sweated as if on a beach in Dubai, but I loved it. The heat was not as offputting as I assumed it would be, and once the first breathing exercise was complete, I was more aware of my sweat than the heat. Although Hot Yoga is a sweaty business, it was a mentally refreshing experience and is something I would definitely try again.
Although yoga has a stigma for being a less strenuous form of exercise, hot yoga has lots of health benefits making it stand out. The heat involved increases the metabolic rate, heart rate and therefore burns fat more easily. The stress of the heat causes the organs in your body to strengthen while lowering your heart rate and blood pressure in general. Like anything, to make real progress, constant work is needed. Yet, with two to three classes per week for six to eight weeks, a physical and mental difference can be noted as you develop your practice.
Victoria is currently in the process of moving to a more permanent studio space in Heaton and is hoping that Hot Yoga Newcastle will be there by the end of the year. She is excited to grow the business further with workshops and classes, with the possibility of focusing on nutrition and overall wellbeing. She feels we need a lifestyle change, as “health is beyond important, especially in the new world in which we find ourselves”. With big plans for the future, during a pandemic, changes have to be made. Rather than having 8-10 people per class, there is now only three, and only one class a day. These alterations mean Hot Yoga Newcastle can ensure safety always comes first. To conclude my conversation with Victoria, I asked her what her top tips on trying hot yoga were. She simply smiled at me and said, “Enjoy it, it is your 90 minutes, just do whatever you are comfortable with, but make sure you enjoy it”. Upon experiencing all that Victoria and Hot Yoga Newcastle have to offer, I would thoroughly recommend the experience. Namaste!