Red Hot Fitness

It was hot. Was sweating. Difficult. And it was awesome.
In the never-ending pursuit of the perfect exercise, I decided I would give the fitness craze du jour-"hot yoga" spin.

After many hours of tedious research, restless studio which would be the perfect place to try this trend is really hot, I settled on Red Hot Yoga is located just off of Piedmont Avenue in Miami Circle.

I was fortunate to take classes with the owner of Bethany Vaughn. Vaughn has a new studio - it's been there since August - with her husband Wes. They were instructed yoga at other studios in the city for nine years and decided it was time for them to open their own place.


Red Hot Yoga differs from most other yoga studio because you can practice on wooden floors. Most other studio’s have carpet. And speaking from experience, hardwood floors definitely help increase the heat. It was hot in the studio. At one point, Vaughn turned DOWN the temperature to 102 degrees.

As someone who is not done in the art of yoga, I found a method of doing hot yoga poses easy to do. Heat acts as a natural accelerant to loosen the muscles, making it easier to bend and move around without discomfort as much as regular yoga.

"It's definitely warm up to you," said Vaughn. "It helps you to detox quickly. The heat will help it move along more quickly. You can move deeper into the pose, the network easier to set up, it brings more healing to the body."

These are benefits that you feel immediately. While you are in class, you sweat all the time. It's called hot yoga for a reason. But the heat really does open up your muscles and allow you to stretch deeper than usual.

Extending the range of experience in the classroom as I am with a limited amount of experience for other teachers in the classroom Vaughn stopped by to practice with him. One of the best things about the class is how Vaughn allows anyone to practice on their own level. Nothing is blocked by someone less skilled, less skilled and those who are not pushed into a position that is too advanced for them.

Vaughn allows participants to modify poses as needed and if at some point the heat is too much, students are encouraged to lie on their mats. Vaughn was great to work with. Several times, he shows how to adjust the pose that I am having trouble with, without making me feel like everyone in the class looked at me.

"You must learn to say what you are doing without disturbing," he said, explaining the differences pose. "We specialize in what we do. We must be able to run everything through pose any level of experience."

The benefits of hot yoga is not limited, he said. It helps with your blood circulation. This brings more oxygen to your muscles so you heal faster and with less pain.

Vaughn explains that one of the main benefits of the practice of yoga is that it is cumulative. Unlike weight training or running, which often takes days off in between workouts to allow muscles to recover, you can practice yoga every day.

"Yoga is one of the things you can do to your body every day," he said. "It's better to make your workout more closely than their distance apart. It builds on itself, so you do not want a lot of time to elapse between the days you train."

There are few places in Atlanta you can go to check for hot yoga. Red Hot Yoga offers classes Monday through Sunday all day.

Other major studios are Be Hot Yoga Atlanta on Ponce De Leon Avenue, which also offers classes Monday through Sunday. Most studios will accept beginners and encourage you to show up early to ask questions. Anyone attending the class will need a yoga mat, towel for the mat (and one for your face), and a bottle of water. You do not want to forget your water!

Hot yoga is a hot fitness trend worth checking out. You will sweat. You will be stretched. And you will feel great when you're done!