Sometimes you may not feel like going into the yoga studio, or there may not be a class at the time you want to practice yoga. Having the option to do hot yoga at home comes in handy for those times! So even if you have a super busy schedule, with a hot yoga studio at home, it will be easier to get some hot yoga practice time in.

How to replicate the hot yoga studio environment at home

If you would like to do hot yoga at home, you have several factors to work on:

1. Temperature. If you are going for a Bikram hot yoga style at home, you will need to get the room up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% humidity. If you are doing a less structured style of yoga such as Vinyasa, you can make the room any where from slightly warm to as hot as you would like. Some yoga studios employ infrared-style of heat. Infra red heaters are more quiet than traditional heaters, and they give off a very targeted area of heat.
2. Humidity. While it may be difficult to achieve 40% humidity, any increase in humidity will help replicate the yoga studio environment. You can purchase a humidifier, they generally not too expensive. But it may be tricky to get the room up to 40%, especially if you live in a dry climate. You may find that even a 5% increase in humidity helps a lot.
3. Flooring. Be aware of how slippery some flooring can be, especially when wet. For this reason, I wouldn’t do hot yoga in the bathroom. Also, in case you slip make sure you are not near any furniture you could fall on and hurt yourself.
4. Location. Find a place where you feel comfortable, whether that be in the main bustle of the house where you can keep an eye on things, or in a more private area where you can be alone.
5. Screen for yoga instruction. Do you plan on doing postures from memory, play a pre-recorded class, or stream a live class? Or do you plan on having private instruction? If needed, factor in where you will place the screen.

Hot Yoga Dome

Be sure to check out this interesting invention called a “hot yoga dome”. It is an inflatable, portable hot yoga room with heat and humidity. The reviews are positive, and is even suitable for small living spaces. One woman in tiny 460 square foot New York City apartment purchased one and loves it!

Some other ideas for a yoga space are converting a garage, attic space, or finished basement area into a yoga room. Keep in mind, the less insulated the area is, the more heaters you will need. Be sure and keep it clean and uncluttered, and generally make it a pleasant space to be in. That way you will look forward to doing your yoga practice on a regular basis, even when you can’t make it to the studio.

If you are too busy even to make use of your home yoga studio, check out my shoulder stretching yoga sequence for busy IT professionals for an easy sequence you can do on your lunch break or in between meetings.