Community

Stephanie has been one of H.O.T.Y.’s biggest supporters from the very beginning! She started practicing with Suzanne and Joe before they opened the studio. Stephanie says, “It’s been so amazing and such a privilege to be with them since the beginning!” For Stephanie, the decision to follow Suzanne and Joe as they established their new studio was “a no brainer.” She says, “I love H.O.T. Yoga on the Island because of the wonderful environment that’s been created there! Joe and Suzanne have done the most amazing job creating a safe, clean, friendly, healthy, and inviting atmosphere for all of us to practice in.

Though he’s been practicing yoga for over thirty years, Bill McKanna first discovered hot yoga only five years ago, when a friend invited him to try a class at H.O.T. Yoga on the Island. That first class opened Bill’s eyes to the physical challenge of yoga. Bill described his first HOTY class as “An exhilarating and completely exhausting experience!” As he struggled through his first 90-minute session, Bill says he remembers thinking, “WOW! But I’m definitely coming back.”

Because he discovered hot yoga later in life, Bill’s biggest obstacle in his practice has been overcoming the aging process. He says, “I’ve always been in shape and even had some professional experience in sports, but I was not in yoga shape. I never saw the physical challenge of yoga until discovering hot yoga.”

Linda has been a devoted H.O.T.Y. Yogi for about two years even though she’s been practicing yoga for much longer! She discovered the studio in 2018 while driving past on a shopping expedition. Since her current studio was undergoing a period of transition with moving and reopening, she was excited to find a new place to practice until things calmed down at her home studio.

Chris Hendren took his first HOTY class in February of 2020, but the positive changes he’s experienced keep him coming back to the hot room several times a week! The advantages of practicing yoga have only become more apparent for Chris over the past few months. He says that since he started practicing at HOTY, he has “never felt better!”

Chris has already seen huge physical benefits, noticing that “things that used to hurt no longer do” and feeling that he is “getting better every day!” His advice to new students is to be consistent and keep coming back, insisting that the benefits of the practice are worth the hard work and sweat!

Diana has been a devoted HOTY yogi for over six years now! Her practice at H.O.T. Yoga on the Island began in August of 2014, when a friend recommended the studio to her. She doesn’t remember much about her first class, except that it was taught by HOTY teachers Claudia Cox, and the heat made it difficult to stay in the room.

Despite the challenge of her first HOTY experience, Diana persevered, and is now an avid hot yogi! After years of consistent practice, she has seen significant improvement in her overall health, and especially her back pain and alignment issues.

Joan started practicing at H.O.T. Yoga on the Island ten years ago. As an an avid tennis player, she was struggling to recover from the dreaded “tennis elbow”, and had also begun to develop some nagging knee problems. Joan knew she needed to find a lower-impact activity. Hot yoga seemed like the perfect solution!

Like most H.O.T.Y. yogis, Joan remembers “sweating profusely- like after running a 10k” during her first class. The heat and the difficult postures provided a worthy challenge even for an athlete like Joan, but she loved the feeling of being “tired but invigorated” when the 90-minute session was over, and has been a dedicated hot yogi ever since!

Rebecca first discovered the 26&2 series twelve years ago in St. Petersburg, Florida, while attending law school. Though she doesn’t remember the details of her first hot yoga experience (she jokes that the heat must have melted her memories!), she found that the class provided much-needed mental and physical relief from the stress of her law degree program.