News / Articles

The Crier Landing Page >>

Daditorial
HOT YOGA . . . FOR KIDS?

By: Cody Harris   |  April 7, 2023

My wife has always been the yogini in our family. I would sometimes tag along and do my best to approximate the yoga poses, but yoga wasn’t really my jam. That all changed this past winter. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s been cold, wet, and soggy for months on end. The rain is a godsend, but let’s be honest–it’s been chilly and dreary, and we ran out of indoor entertainment ideas for the kids around Thanksgiving. As I fought off the chill, my wife would come bounding in from a hot yoga class, looking invigorated, relaxed, and warm. She told me I had to at least give it a try, and on one particularly cold and windy day, I agreed.

 

We headed to Now Power Yoga in Corte Madera. I quickly learned that this is a yoga class with a devout following. Everyone knows each other and people are seriously committed. And for good reason: it’s an amazing, fun, and challenging workout. It’s part yoga, part strength training, part rave. This ain’t your swami’s yoga class. The music is pumping, people are cheering, and occasionally a disco ball makes an appearance.

 

After I got over my initial shock and disorientation, I fell in love with the class. The vibe was happy, the music was fun, and the heat felt terrific. My wife and I started making it a “date morning,” where we’d do yoga together and maybe grab a coffee. But somewhere along the line it occurred to us that our two older boys–ages 11 and 9–would love the class too, if we could convince them to go.

 

It turned out it wasn’t that hard of a sell. Maybe it was because we said we’d go for a treat afterwards. Maybe it’s because they were bored of being at home. Or maybe they were just cold. But for whatever reason, they agreed, and we were all off to hot yoga.

 

We gave them some ground rules. Do your best, but don’t feel compelled to keep up with the adults. Drink lots and lots of water. If you’re tired, take child’s pose (how apt!) or just lie down. If you feel overheated, go outside and cool off. But you can’t go in and out, you can’t be too silly, and you can’t annoy or interfere with anyone else’s workout.

 

To our utter amazement, it worked. The boys were able to keep up just fine, and came out ready for more. It’s since become part of our family routine. At least once or twice a month we do family hot yoga together. The boys are seeing real improvement with strength and flexibility, and even if they complain about going, they always feel great afterwards.

 

A few tips for those considering hot yoga, family style:

• Make sure your kid is up for this. It’s not for everyone. And although we’ve seen kids as young as 7 or 8 in a hot yoga class, my personal opinion is that 9 or 10 is probably the cutoff.
•  I’d stick with infrared heat rather than other methods. Places like Red Dragon are great, but they feel much hotter than an infrared studio.
• Pick a class that’s cool with kids. Not all of them are. Now Power Yoga is unique in that it doesn’t take itself too seriously and offers a lot of variations. People are often doing their own thing in there, so a couple of kids attempting Warrior Two doesn’t really stand out. But a more serious or structured yoga class would probably require a more serious and structured child–if it allows kids at all.
• Obviously, check with the studio and instructor before you show up with your brood. And if you have any questions or concerns, you should probably check in with your doctor, too.

Lastly, if you’re thinking, “hot yoga isn’t for me,” or “I can’t do it,” I feel you. But I went from utter skepticism to total addiction in about two months. And it’s such a blast to share physical activity—of whatever sort you choose—with your kids. Bonding through physical exertion, mental toughness, and sweat is a sort of bonding we don’t do all that often.

 

And even if you or your kids wind up hating it, at least you’ll have spent an hour or so out of the cold! 

---