I did Hot Yoga for a Year - Here’s my Honest Review

I signed up for a year of hot yoga primarily for my mental health—and because relying on self-motivation alone wasn’t enough to keep me working out consistently. I also missed being flexible and agile in my movements. For context, I was a dancer in grade school. Currently, my day job involves sitting at a desk, so I was determined to build good, preventative habits now before I ran into problems later in life. 

I didn’t go into this trying to reinvent myself or chase a “new year, new body” narrative. I mostly wanted to feel better—physically and mentally—and to prove to myself that I could stick with something consistently.

A year later, hot yoga gave me more than I expected in some ways, and far less in others.

This is for anyone wondering if it’s worth the sweat, money, and the “burn”. 

Why I Started Hot Yoga

I’ve been doing yoga since I was about 5 years old. I have an aunt who is an avid yogi. She would bring me along to class and I always enjoyed doing the movement and being around the people. Ever since, I’ve practiced it on and off throughout the years. 

However, I’d never been to a hot yoga class. I’d heard good things about them and decided to sign up for a free week trial at my local hot yoga studio.

The First Month

That first month was BRUTAL. Each class was 45-60 minutes long. The pacing was fast and the heat made me feel like I was choking! I barely made it through most classes. I experienced delayed onset muscle soreness during the free trial and I was limping for a couple of days! I also started going through clothes like crazy - I had to increase my laundry loads because I was essentially wearing two sets of clothes a day. This may be normal for regular gym-goers, but for me it was a dramatic shift. I went from not working out at all to working out 4-5 days a week. I also discovered I was carrying far more pent-up anger than I realized. With each class, I was able to release a small amount of it until it all finally dissipated. It was amazing to experience. That first month was filled with muscle soreness and learning about my mental state. 

Physical Changes

Body: The biggest change I noticed was that my clothes got tight! This was because I was building muscle mass. I expected to slim down or look noticeably leaner in my clothes, but in actuality, I was building up strength. I went from doing nothing to doing something. 

Flexibility: My flexibility increased significantly. By the end of one year, I was able to place my palms on the ground when I touched my toes. I also experienced less neck stiffness and felt good overall. Consistent stretching had a noticeable, positive impact on how my body felt day to day. I also noticed improvements in my balance, mental focus, and outlook on life.

Things that didn’t change: My weight did not change much and I didn’t change my diet at all. I think deep down I was expecting to lose 15 lbs and have that perfect beach body (an expectation I now recognize as unrealistic), but in reality, I maybe lost 1-2 lbs. And that’s okay! I’m in a healthy weight range so I didn’t need to lose a bunch of weight anyway. At the end of the day, I traded fat for muscle. If I wanted more out of weight loss, I would have needed to track my calorie intake more closely. 

Mental and Emotional Impact

One of the best perks of hot yoga is not having your phone on you during a workout session. It’s only you, movement, and listening to the instructor. Naturally, your mind wanders during class and the lack of stimulation from a phone, computer, or tablet allows the mind to think freely. There’s no distractions, and that’s powerful. The meditation sessions gave me the space to solve personal problems and understand my emotions on a deeper level. 

The Hard Parts/Things No One Talks About

Price: Hot yoga is expensive. I got lucky in the sense that I bought my 1-year subscription during a sale -I paid $1,000! Yes, you read that correctly. I paid $1,000 to sweat for an hour, three times a week. In the end, it was worth it. 

Time Commitment: I had to plan my days around my workouts. I like to workout in the evenings. On average, I got home around 6-6:30 everyday. I barely had enough time to cook dinner before I had to get ready for bed. The bottom line: working out is a luxury of time. 

Burnout: At the 10 month mark I started to get bored. At that point, I’d tried all the levels - beginner to advanced and developed significantly in my balance and strength. I did start to go to less classes. There was nothing new to learn, there was only maintenance at that point. I’m not someone who can stay focused on a topic once I’ve mastered it. I get the itch to learn something new. 

Limitations: I have weak wrists and had to do accommodations with many of the positions, such as making fists during push-ups, downward dog, etc.. I couldn’t even do the side plank pose because it put so much pressure on my wrists. It was frustrating. 

Community: I did not make any friends during my time at the yoga studio. I discovered that most people want to be left alone. Or they only want to converse with the friend they invited to class. Deep down, I wanted to make a friend or two, but that didn’t happen. Sometimes, working out is a solo experience – and that’s okay. 

One Year Later…Was it Worth it?

Yes, it was worth it. Looking back, hot yoga didn’t change my life, but it did change how I relate to my body, discomfort, and consistency. It taught me that grace and patience are two of the most powerful forms of self-love, and that showing up to your mat is 80% of the battle. 

I don’t plan on paying for another year of hot yoga, but I am thankful for the experience. It taught me so much about my body and my mind. It was a wonderful chapter of my life. That’s not to say I won’t go to another yoga class, it just won’t be a regular part of my workout routine at the moment.

Final Takeaway

If you’re considering hot yoga, I don’t think the question is whether it will transform you—it’s whether you’re open to learning something new about your body and your limits. For me, that alone made the experience worth it.