At The Sangha Trinidad, our primary class offering is Hot Yoga, more specifically The SANGHA HOT YOGA SERIES.
Our students have reported that Hot Yoga has helped them to:
• De-stress
• Lose weight
• Improve their immune systems
• Increase their cardiovascular abilities
• Feel more energized
While it is known that the benefits of yoga are great, the benefits of Hot Yoga border on limitless…they go beyond the studio. Our students have told us that Hot Yoga has:
• Healed them emotionally and physically from the challenge of chemotherapy
• Improved their relationships with family members
• Increased their ability to focus
• Helped them heal from various injuries including brain, back, knees and hips to name a few
• Improved their golf game… and soooo much else!
New students are constantly showing us the positive changes yoga has on their lives. We don’t even know the full potential of this sweaty stuff!
HEALTH BENEFITS:
Stress
Do you ever notice how much you can de-stress just by taking one big breath in and letting a sigh come out. Just imagine 60mins, 75mins or even 90mins of deep, conscious breathing.
Back/knee pain
The heat in a Hot Yoga class relaxes the joints – much like a full body heating pad or hot water bottle. Also The Sangha Series focuses on opening the hips where knee and back pain often originate.
Headaches
Many postures in the Sangha Series relieve tension and tightness in the neck and shoulder area. As this area relaxes, blood flow increases and headaches often decrease or go away entirely.
Insomnia
Several postures focus on increasing blood flow through the pineal gland where melatonin, the hormone released to induce deep sleep, is released.
Depression
In addition to melatonin, the pineal gland also controls the release of serotonin, the “mood” hormone. As certain postures flush the pineal gland with oxygenated blood its function improves and emotional highs and low begin to even out.
Scoliosis
The work on stretching and strengthening the spine has a dramatic effect on those working with a spinal curvature. Pain is eased and the strength in the internal muscle structure of the back starts to allow for great ease in movement and better posture.
Poor digestion
With regular practice many students find that they don’t crave junk food as much. This inclination towards a healthier diet, coupled with calming the nervous system, helps with long-term digestive issues.
Arthritis
The ‘hot’ element of the hot yoga class is what has the most dramatic affect on arthritis sufferers.
Poor posture
With regular Hot Yoga classes the spine gets stronger and students notice that it is actually more comfortable to sit and stand straight.
Constipation
Relaxing the central nervous system by focusing on breath increases a process called peristalsis. Peristalsis moves processed food through the digestive system and out of the body. Certain postures increase blood flow to the colon, further aiding the digestive process.
BENEFITS FOR SPECIFIC SPORTS:
More and more athletes are starting to include yoga into their fitness programs. The benefits of Hot Yoga started to become popular when the Miami Dolphins began practicing Hot Yoga as part of their training regime. Here are some examples of how The Sangha Hot Yoga Series has been helping athletes in their chosen sport:
Olympic Training
Roger Daniel, a Shooter on Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic Team, and named First Citizens Sports Foundation Sportsman of the Year, was quoted as crediting “yoga and meditation with helping him to achieve a higher level of discipline and focus.” It was further noted that the 40+ year old Shooter was introduced to the practice over four years ago and he says that it has enabled him to develop the physical strength and mental concentration needed to sit for long periods of time aiming at a target. (Guardian Media, Friday March 4, 2011).
Desk Jockey/Office Work-A-Holic
Who said sitting at a desk nearly all day isn’t an endurance sport? We have countless individuals who excel in their respective professional fields, but suffer on a physical level with headaches, lower back pain, poor digestion, depression and more. Opening the spine up on a regular basis can help even the most dedicated desk jockey.
Football/Soccer Players
Football is one of Trinidad’s favourite pastimes. But unfortunately, this sport puts high stress on the knees, ankles and even the back, especially if not warmed up properly. There is a lot of running and so the hamstrings and hip flexors get over used. As these muscles get over used, they get tighter. Once they get tighter, the running stride gets shorter. Players tends to force their stride, instead of realizing that they are actually unable to increase without lengthening these muscles. Proper warming up and stretching can reduce the amount of injuries to a football player and in turn, extend a player’s career.
Surfing
Surfing takes a toll on the shoulders, hips and lower back. Because the majority of the time a surfer lies on the abdomen with their head in an upright position, this eventually causes strain in the neck and the shoulder girdle. And if a surfer is not aware of how to use their core properly to maintain their balance on the surfboard, they eventually start using their hip flexors which in turn tightens the hips and can lead to knee and ankle injuries. We have reports that since practising the Sangha Hot Yoga Series, core strength has greatly improved as well as less to no lower back, knee and ankle injuries.
Running/Triathlons
Another big activity in Trinidad and Tobago is the concept of boot camps, marathons and triathlons. Both running and cycling take a toll on the hips, which can over time tighten the musculature and limit movement. We have several of these athletes that have included Hot Ygoa into their fitness regime and have reported increased running stride, better mental focus for endurance, and fewer aches and pains after runs/events.
Cyclists
Many cyclists come to the studio with chronic knee pain. With time, however, hips, calves and hamstrings start to open up, knee pain diminishes and can eventually disappear entirely. Cyclists also report an improvement in low back and shoulder pain.
