Hot yoga in a Far- Infrared heated yoga studio

Back in September I said to Lucy “Red Light is having a bit of thing I’ll do a blog about the studio’s Far-Infrared heating when the first cold snap comes”.

We chose Far-Infrared (FIR) heating panels to heat our hot yoga studio because quite simply the advantages and benefits over more commonly used gas convection heating are innumerable.

• Heat mass not air! The key benefit is that the FIR waves heat mass (your body) rather than the surrounding air. This is why when you first come into the studio particularly in the winter when the ambient air temperature is quite cool it does’t actually feel that hot but after a couple of minutes in the studio and especially once you get moving you start to heat up very quickly. On this there’s a few things we’ve discovered over the last nine years that might not be initially obvious:
  • We tend to start the class at 34c and heat upwards rather than aim to begin at 37.5c, this is because you feel the heat much more when the panels are directly heating your tissue.
  • Our bodies act like storage heaters so when the room is busier or there’s a few big muscular yogis practicing the heat can feel more intense as the bodies emit heat back into the studio.
  • We add humidity through the air conditioning that brings fresh air from outside into the studio because it raises the heat index. Basically it makes it feel hotter. When the ambient air is already quite humid you tend to heat up quicker and cool down slower.
• Deep tissue penetration: FIR waves penetrate a few centimetres into your skin and subcutaneous tissues, soothing your deep muscle tissue and gently encouraging blood flow. FIR produces thermal (and non-thermal) effects, such as increasing artery blood flow and peripheral blood circulation, alleviating fatigue and pain, reducing blood pressure, and promoting capillary dilatation.
• Heat mass not air! I know, so good it gets mentioned twice! Because your body is being heated rather than the air around you, can breathe easily and the air remains far cooler and more pleasant to inhale than with gas convection heating. Really quite a large benefit for a practice focused on breathing…
  • Another key factor here is that unlike convection heaters that blow hot air around, infrared heating does not circulate dust, pollen and other airborne toxins.
  • Because the air is not being heated it retains its natural moisture levels preventing the dry skin conditions, itchy eyes, and sore throats common with gas convection heating.

Long story short Red Light Far Infrared heating is ace and ideal for practising yoga.

Something else worth mentioning is that since we opened we’ve always bought renewable energy and the FIR panels use electricity rather than gas. Which we like.