You rush inside, trying to avoid the cold winter winds as much as possible. You turn the door knob and open the door, only to have the warm, 95-degree heat hit your numb face. You have just entered the classroom of a grueling hot yoga session.

Hot yoga is basically like regular yoga with one major change, the class is held in about a 100 degree climate. The thinking behind hot yoga is that the heat helps cleanse the body and mind and makes muscles, tendons, and ligaments more flexible and therefore it is easier to perform the different exercises.

“I like [hot yoga] because it is very calming, and I like it more than regular yoga because it feels like more of a workout,” senior Kate Bermingham said.

Some benefits of hot yoga include improving the immune system, toning muscles and  increased weight lose. “My favorite part of hot yoga is where I literally sweat off five pounds a session. Score!” senior Kate Nguyen said.

Although this is not always true, if a beginner comes to a class some instructors will make them sit for a few sessions to allow them to build a tolerance to the heat before they join in and start attempting the different poses.

“I heard about [hot yoga] from my mom’s friend and it sounded interesting so I decided to try it out,” Bermingham said.

“The fact that you have to withstand 105 five degree weather and continue to exercise is definitely the hardest part of hot yoga,” Nguyen said.

Many gyms and yoga studios around AHS host this program and once you have joined a classroom all you’ll need is a water bottle, comfortable clothes and yoga mat.

“I think the most fun part of yoga is just the way the instructors teach, it is really funny sometimes,” Nguyen said.

Of course, nothing is perfect and there are some potential risks to hot yoga, although usually there is nothing to worry about sometimes the heat will allow muscles to stretch so much that they can become damaged. So, to prevent that from happening you should keep in mind that you should not push yourself too hard.

“I would totally recommend hot yoga because it is a great way to relive your stress and it is healthy for you too,” Nguyen said.

Hot yoga is not to be confused with Bikram yoga, although both are held in a heated atmosphere Bikram yoga includes breathing exercises and a specific routine with 26 poses that are meant to focus on the philosophy of Bikram Choudhury, the founder of this particular form. However, hot yoga instructors do not have to be trained in the Birkram method and may not be aware of the meaning behind yoga.

Classes generally last one hour and the pay per session price is typically about fifteen dollars. So remember to bring your water and get ready to sweat when you head to your next session of hot yoga.