Hot Yoga - 10 Years in the making

A friend, Kiki, once told me about hot yoga, some 10 years ago. A style of yoga performed in a hot studio.

I remember trying to look up a studio near me but couldn’t really find one. It was very new. Then, in 2010 a studio announced its grand opening in Aurora. I followed the email posts, eager for the day the doors opened. But then, as life goes, I got busy. I kept putting it off until it became a distant thought that I once had. Fast forward a couple of years and Keswick got their very own Hot Yoga studio, Georgina Hot Yoga. Now it became even harder to “not see” what was right in front of me, or more accurately, right beside my favourite Chinese take-out. But believe me, I put my blinders on and for 5 years managed to still not venture through the studio doors.

But then it happened one day. It was a Thursday in February, Josh and I were on our own for dinner. We decided on Chinese take-out (I know, not awesome but since the other two in our household aren’t fans of Chinese food, we took the opportunity to indulge). I pulled up to the plaza and got out of my truck, but before I started walking towards the restaurant, I glanced over at the yoga studio. On complete impulse, I walked in. Best decision I’ve made in a really long time. Although, I am making some pretty good ones lately.

I met Laura. Now, if you’ve been to Georgina Hot Yoga, you know Laura, she’s the owner of the studio. But more to the point, after meeting her you walk away with the feeling that you just made a friend. I cannot stress this enough. Well, I walked out with a 30 day unlimited pass (for new people only). What I didn’t know at that moment was that I was about to become a part of this small, yet big-hearted community. I had my first class the following Tuesday. See below for a picture I took at the end of the class, as you can see, the studio has these inspirational messages on the drop ceiling.

13 to 14 classes later, my month is complete. It was an amazing experience. From the fellow yogis to the instructors, this studio is welcoming, nurturing and best of all it just feels really good to go there and practice. I likened it to the feeling of walking in, holding your breath, and by the time you walk out, you have exhaled. Truly a phenomenal experience, you don’t realize how much you hold in all day, until you let it all go. I thank the instructors, with a special call-out to those that I had the greatest connection, Anne, Lise, Portia and Andrea. You may not have realized it, but you were a guide on my journey, thank you. Then there is Laura. She is amazing, from the way she ensures that you are comfortable to her ability to know when you are ready to be challenged (I felt my abs for three days whenever I laughed, and I laugh a lot).