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Dallas Hot Yoga, Pilates, Barre & Fitness

Dallas Hot Yoga, Pilates, Barre & Fitness

Ray Child Ray Child October 6, 2011

Advantages of Hot Yoga: 5 Ways Hot Yoga Helps Insomnia

Hot Yoga hot yoga, insomnia, Sunstone Yoga 4 Comments
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The advantages of hot yoga are many and varied… and one of hot yoga’s most surprising benefits is that it can alleviate insomnia. Insomnia can be caused by stress, anxiety and depression, a lack of physical activity, diet, or imbalances in body chemistry. Yoga, especially hot yoga, can address all of these concerns.

  • Stress: All forms of yoga can reduce stress. Restorative poses calm both the body and the mind. Most hot yoga poses, or asanas, require a great deal of attention and effort, so the mind goes into a meditative state, focusing solely on what the body is doing. The result at the end of the session is a calmer, more focused mental state that can improve your ability to relax and fall asleep.
  • Anxiety and depression: Prolonged physical exercise causes the body to release endorphins that interact with chemical receptors in the brain. This change in brain chemistry reduces perceptions of pain and contributes to a feeling of well-being. yoga combines the mental benefits of meditation with those related to moderate exercise. Alleviating anxiety and depression allows the mind to rest more easily, contributing to a better night’s sleep.
  • Lack of physical activity: Hot yoga is a physically demanding activity that combines the benefits of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. A body that exerts physical effort during the day requires more sleep at night. Hot yoga practitioners report deeper, more restorative sleep at night and higher energy levels during the day.
  • Diet: Hot yoga can indirectly make you more aware of your everyday diet for two reasons. First, you may find yourself more likely to eat lighter, healthier fare when you know you have a hot yoga class ahead—hot yoga on a full stomach can be profoundly uncomfortable! Secondly, hot yoga practice on a routine basis improves body awareness and overall attention in all everyday activities. A hot yoga practice can thus help you pay attention to your diet, reducing or eliminating insomnia triggers like caffeine and alcohol.
  • Imbalances in body chemistry: As we discussed above, concentrated physical exercise, such as hot yoga, can release endorphins, affecting brain chemistry. Yoga can affect other physical systems as well. The compression of hot yoga postures like wind relieving and forehead-to-knee poses massages internal organs and the digestive system, improving the body’s basic functions.

The root causes of insomnia are all related to dis-ease in the body and in the mind. A calm, focused mind in a healthy, comfortable body is far more likely to fall easily into restorative sleep. Practicing hot yoga on a routine basis combines the internal benefits of meditation with the physical benefits of exercise, and can help you achieve that elusive good night’s sleep.

AtSunstone, we’re here to show you the advantages of hot yoga – to help you discover and reveal a balanced, healthy body and mind. For more information, check out our complete list of class offerings here or contact a studio near you.



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