I went to my first Bikram yoga class in London in 2008 after a friend convinced me to try “sweaty yoga”. I can’t really recall that first class, but what I do know is I’ve never looked back. I attended teacher training in 2010 which was a challenging and bizarre yet fun experience, but most importantly it was life changing. It was the catalyst for a journey of self-understanding, growth, and reflection and provided me with a tremendous opportunity to meet interesting people from all walks of life. I have since completed training in various styles of yoga including Vini yoga, yin yoga, and vinyasa flow. However, I always come back to hot yoga. My favourite aspect of hot yoga, in all its forms, is the variety of people it brings. All bodies, shapes, sizes, ages, abilities are there baring their body, without care or judgement. In the hot room it doesn’t matter. We are all just doing our best to move our bodies and breathe in the heat, and if we’re lucky find a bit of mental clarity, peace, or learn something about ourselves. As a teacher I have the privilege of admiring the determination, strength, and patience in people and I love seeing everyone have those moments of revelation when they come. I believe there is power in knowledge and knowing ourselves is the most valuable tool. The learning continues and changes throughout life and practicing yoga facilitates this ongoing self-awareness. Over years of practice, I’ve managed to understand we can have the discipline of our practice without taking it too seriously. Yoga is about balance. There are enough serious aspects of life, so finding space free of responsibility or pressure to perform, and just letting it happen on any given day is always my goal. Some days it’s great, other days it’s not so great, but I always feel better afterwards and in 14 years I have never regretted coming to class. I look forward to seeing you in the hot room!