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It’s been ferociously hot currently. If a strenuous yoga class is a component of your routine, it’s essential to grasp the effect that the sweltering summer heat has in your system and the way it could possibly affect your practice.

Your body has a built-in thermoregulation system to maintain your core internal temperature around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. “If the warmth increases inside your body, the body tries to eliminate as much heat as it could possibly,” explains Dr. Matthew W. Martinez, a sports cardiologist at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, N.J. Vasodilation—the widening of your blood vessels—releases heat through radiation and sweating cools your skin because the moisture evaporates.

But exercising when your body is already taxed from extreme and prolonged heat can throw that process out of whack—even when you’re practicing yoga indoors. “Under heat stress, endurance capability and performance are going to be impaired as the warmth gain exceeds the warmth loss,” says Dr. Martinez.

Also, have in mind any seasonal allergy medications you is likely to be taking. “Antihistamines and decongestants decrease our ability to sweat,” explains Randell Wexler, M.D., a professor of family medicine at Ohio State University.

There are, nevertheless, several ways you will help your body regulate the additional heat.

6 ways to (safely) practice yoga during a sweltering summer

Select your attire correctly

Fact: You’re going to sweat during a vinyasa yoga class. You must do what you may to assist that sweat evaporate as quickly as possible so it could possibly cool you. (That’s why we sweat!) The next advice will help your body thermoregulate:

• Wear loose-fitting clothes to permit for optimum air circulation
• Opt for garments manufactured from moisture-wicking material to bring the sweat away out of your body
• Show some skin (inside your comfort level, in fact) to reinforce the evaporation of sweat out of your skin
• Try a cooling towel around your neck

Hydrate—including before you hit the mat

All that sweating, while helpful, can result in dehydration, which happens while you lose more water than you are taking in. Along with placing you at an increased risk for warmth exhaustion and warmth stroke, dehydration causes your muscles, that are greater than 70 percent water, to perform less efficiently than usual.

But don’t wait until midway through class to chug some water. “You must hydrate pre-exercise,” says Dr. Martinez. “It’s hard to make up the difference when you get behind.”

The American Council on Exercise recommends 17 to twenty ounces of water two hours before you’re employed out, and seven to 10 ounces every 10 to twenty minutes when you’re exercising. You furthermore may wish to proceed to replenish your fluids after your practice.

Exactly how much may be tricky. Also, you’ll need to absorb more water than really useful when you were already operating at a deficit before you began sweating, which might easily occur during an especially sweltering summer. In case you lose track of ounces or think you may need more, there’s a straightforward solution. “You’ll be able to tell for yourself when you’re dehydrated or not,” says Dr. Wexler. The colour of your urine indicates whether it is advisable increase your water intake. The darker the hue, the more water it is advisable drink.

Dial down the intensity

The practice of yoga is a “skillful engagement with the world around you,” says yoga teacher Kelly Turner. “Meaning recognizing that now will not be the time for an excellent heating, difficult flow.”

When temperatures are extreme and your body temperature increases (hyperthermia), your body uses its energy stores more quickly. This implies your muscles will develop into fatigued more quickly. This is likely to be time to dial down on the intensity of your practice or shortening the duration of time you practice. Turner recommends listening to your body and exploring more cooling sorts of yoga, resembling restorative and Yin. At YogaSix, where Turner is vice chairman of coaching and experience, class options range from “hot and powerful to slow and mindful.” Most studios offer an array of sorts of yoga you may explore.

Practice in a cool(ish) environment

In case you’re inside, open a door or activate a fan to assist with air circulation to assist your sweat evaporate and funky you down. Think twice about practicing outside, especially in humid conditions. In case you insist, find someplace shady, but don’t make it too distant. Persist with sites where, “when you get yourself in trouble, you’ve got the power to get yourself out of trouble — places where you may obtain a bottle of water or discover a water fountain,” says Dr. Martinez.

Find your mindfulness fix elsewhere

Remember, yoga doesn’t occur only inside the 4 corners of your mat. “This could possibly be an incredible time to explore one in every of the opposite incredible limbs of yoga, resembling meditation,” says Turner. “I really like specializing in a moving meditation while swimming laps in a pool on hot days. Listening to my breath, staying connected to the water and the movement of my body—it definitely helps me stay present and grounded.” Or try a walking meditation early within the morning or late within the evening when temperatures dip.

Reframe taking a break from yoga

It could actually be frustrating when dangerously hot weather curtails your practice. Research on the mental-health advantages of yoga has shown it could possibly help depression, reduce anxiety, stress, and insomnia, and improve the standard of your sleep. Chances are you’ll already know this from personal experience. Chances are you’ll also feel a bit lost when your practice isn’t accessible to you.

“Remind yourself that the break is temporary and you may return to it when you’re able,” says Dr. Beth Pausic, a licensed psychologist and the director of behavioral health at Hims & Hers.  “Even when it isn’t something we decide to do, a break may be restorative and help renew our minds and bodies.”

About our contributor
Holly Burns is a author within the San Francisco Bay area whose work has appeared in The Recent York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian.