Woolfolk: 8 Benefits I Enjoyed with a Month-Long Yoga Challenge

I spent a good part of last month in a heated room in downward dog—an inverted V yoga position with just my hands and toes touching the floors. It’s a resting position, but my hands were often trembling with exhaustion and sweat always poured off my forehead and soaked a towel covering my mat within minutes.

But I was never alone at . The second-story Carlsbad yoga studio is often packed with yogis who will volunteer to scrunch closer-than-comfort so that a late comer can get a spot.

Last month, 36 North County residents took part in the PLAY’s March Madness 31-Day Challenge. The men and women promised to complete 31 classes in 31 days and kept track of classes with star stickers on a board.

Most classes are heated to at least 99 degrees, but the studio does offer a handful of room temperature classes a week.

Twenty-two participants successfully completed the challenge, owner Jessica McGimsey told Patch.

“The transformations in people are truly amazing. We've heard things like this is the first time they've been able to touch their toes, losing noticeable weight, but the best ones are the mental peace that people have found,” she stated. “One gal told us that her husband is so thankful for this because she is so calm and happy all the time now. Another mentioned how her regular stress and anxiety is gone.”

Blog: Read about one participant’s experience

I had done heated yoga before, but not regularly and improved tremendously with my daily practice and enjoyed various benefits:

• I lost a pant size—In an hour of heated yoga, I burned nearly 1,500 calories, according to Map my Run’s exercise calculator, but I suspect some of the other benefits in this list also contributed.
• I drink more water and consumed fewer sugary drinks—I loved water as a kid, but grew to love sweet drinks. During the month, I promised myself I’d only have an occasional soda or fancy coffee drink. I kicked the habit, but my taste buds also grew accustomed to more natural tastes like water. I drink about a gallon a day now and crave coconut water.
• I make sure to schedule time for myself—As I had previously reported, one of the first benefits was that I was able to schedule an hour a day for myself without making excuses.
• I got better at meditating—For years, I have enjoyed meditating, but I had never done it while exerting myself. I used my practice as an opportunity to clear my mind in a particularly hectic month. I breathed in and out of my nose; I focused my mind on my breathing and counted to 10. If an intrusive though popped in my head, I “breathed it out” and spent my day with a clear head. This and other benefits helped me manage stress more effectively.
• I learned to live in the moment—“Living in the moment” is a huge cliché, but it really does mean something. I realized that, for me, a moment is the time between breaths. Having been so focused on my breathing, I learned that every breath gives me the opportunity to change how I think and to change how I do things.
• I learned to live with intent—Instructors tell you at the beginning of class to “set an intention,” which for me meant to repeat a phrase to myself while I focused on my breath. My most common intention was “this is where I am.” I’d tell myself that whenever I’d glance at the clock, but I can really say it anytime and anywhere. It reminds me that my current situation is fleeting—for better or worse and that I can choose to influence the next moment.
• I sleep like a log—My mind gets busy at night and I love to read the day’s news and watch videos and television before bed. It takes a lot of intent to turn off the computer or TV, but once I make the conscious effort to drop most of my electronics (except for my tablet) at 10 p.m., I know I’m laying a foundation for a good night’s sleep. If I have a hard time falling asleep, I just focus on my breathing and count to ten a few times and am often able to fall asleep with just that.
• I’m more confident—The thought of doing yoga in a room with extremely athletic people is intimidating and it was for the first few classes when I saw yogis and yoginis looking picture-perfect in some of the most dynamic poses. But after a few classes, I noticed that even the most experienced people are challenged or exhausted at one point. And, after a heated class, everybody goes home a sweaty mess.

The benefits to this challenge were tremendous and I'm continuing heated yoga as a regular practice. In fact, directly after the challenge, I took a week off and my body was telling me to get back on the mat. 

If you're interested in starting yoga, make sure to shop around and ask studios which is the best class to start at and dive in.

Related: Yoga studios in Encinitas

At PLAY, I suggest the 7:45 p.m. Wednesday Play-Grounds class for beginners. It’s a good place to ask questions. Once you finish that one, jump into one of the lower-lever heated classes to see if that practice is for you.

The studio currently has an introductory deal where you can attend 10 consecutive days of classes for $10.

This is the second time PLAY has held a challenge. The studio is considering another challenge later this year, according to McGimsey.  

 is located at 2588 El Camino Real in Carlsbad and the studio can be reached at 877-311-7744.