An Introduction to Infrared

What is Infrared Heat and How will it Complement Your Workouts?

If you’re considering joining us here at OYF Far Infrared Yoga & Fitness once we open our doors, you might have noticed one of the key tenets of our business is the Infrared heating we offer in our classes. It’s so important to us, that we even put it in our business name! If you aren’t as familiar with what infrared heat is or why you might want it as part of your workout, don’t fret! Lucky for you, its benefits are also one of our favorite things to talk about. Today, let’s break down what infrared heat is, how it’s different from traditional hot yoga practices, and what it can add to your workout. 

What is infrared heat?

As explained by How Stuff Works, infrared heat is “a product of light that is invisible to our eyes”. When we’re feeling infrared heat, we’re feeling warmth because of light hitting us, much like when we feel warm in the sun. There are multiple types of infrared heat. At our studios, we use Far infrared heat, which is differentiated from other infrared by the section of the electromagnetic spectrum the heat exists within. This type of heat is capable of “deep tissue penetration”, which can be used for pain management, muscle recovery, and skin rejuvenation, all reasons why we think it is a great fit for our fitness classes. 

How is infrared different than your typical hot yoga?

If you’ve never been to a hot yoga class, you might have some concerns about what it would feel like to workout in a hot room. If you have visions of sweating buckets or struggling to breathe in a stuffy, congested room, we understand why you might have this concern. You might even have heard stories of friends who’ve been to hot yoga classes and had this experience. But while in a traditional hot yoga class, the heat is being pumped in through the air around you and so the experience might be like doing yoga outside on a humid day, we think you’ll find the experience in our studios quite different. In infrared, the heat is coming from the room itself, from infrared heating panels, and is  transmitted to you via light. This not only prevents the stuffy air feeling that can come along with an overheated room but also makes it feel like a more natural heat, like the sun. You might discover you find this type of heat more comfortable than you imagine – relaxing even. 

It’s Not Only Yoga

You may have noticed our yoga classes aren’t our only heated classes! We have plenty of heated yoga options, but you can also take strength, stretching, or cardio-based classes in our infrared heat. For example, you may want to focus in on a specific area of strength training in Hot Absolutely Burning Butts or Hot Amazing Arms & Shoulders, or you might be in the mood for a more well-rounded stretch in Hot Candlelight Deep Stretch & Relaxation.  There are benefits to exercising in far infrared heat that will help support your progress in all of these classes, such as pain relief and detoxification. Infrared heat can help lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, and reduce muscle tension. A new study on hot yoga even suggested that it could help treat depression. 
With the variety of options we provide for far infrared workouts, you can experience these benefits no matter what style of workout you prefer. Come see for yourself how working out in far infrared heated rooms impacts and improves your workouts at a studio near you.

What Class to Try Based on Your Zodiac Sign

We’re proud to have a lot of classes to choose from here at OYF Far Infrared Yoga & Fitness because we think this allows everyone to find their personal favorite. If you’re not sure which class you want to try first, read on to find your Zodiac sign class pairing. We’ve considered every sign’s strengths and the focus of each of our classes to give you a guide to the class we think you’ll love based on your Zodiac sign. 

Aquarius: For the community-oriented Aquarius, we think the perfect class to try is one that they can ensure any friends and family they want to invite to class with them will love too. Hatha Yoga, a class perfect for everyone from beginners to experienced practitioners, is a place where you can continue your fitness journey and those of your loved ones at the same time, no matter how different of paths you are on. 

Pisces: Hot Yoga Freedom Flow opens by connecting the mind to your breath, which we think will be the perfect opener to class for the spiritually guided Pisces. The class continues with a flow focused on taking one breath per movement, focusing on increasing strength and flexibility in the body and mind. 

Aries: Hot Total Body Conditioning is an intense class, which is why we think its well suited to the challenge-loving aries. The class alternates from cardio to strength training which will help ensure they never get bored, and can keep your caloric burn going even after class finishes. 

Taurus: For lovers of aroma-filled spaces and serene environments like the Taurus, nothing can beat our Hot Candlelight Deep Stretch and Relaxation classes. The slower pace of movements in the class will allow time for consideration of how your body moves through each and every pose, while the warm infrared studio and candle-lit environment will create the peaceful environment of your dreams. 

Gemini: In our hot 20/20/20 class, you get a little bit of everything. The class opens with 20 minutes of cardio, transitions into 20 minutes of strength, and ends with 20 minutes of stretching. This diversity of options is perfect both for the Gemini’s strength as a generalist with some knowledge about everything and for their interest in exploring multiple passions. In this class they can try and learn about everything.  

Cancer: We know our Cancer friends love a foundation of strength and have the talent for seeing things from a different viewpoint. Thats why we think they’ll love Hot Yoga Rise & Shine. Getting into the studio first thing in the morning will let them start there days off on the right foot and leave them going into their day with their hearts open and intentions set, giving them the peace and openmindedness to see things a new way. 

Leo: For any of us with a passion for performing, dance classes can be a great place to let ourselves shine. Leos can bring that passion into their workouts in our Hot Barre Fusion classes, a ballet-inspired class with a mix of hard-core pilates and Athletics style yoga mixed in. 

Virgo: The Virgos unparalleled ability to work hard and remain practical while honing in on small details will come in exceptionally useful in an intense class like Hot Fast & Furious Fusion. The dynamic class works your entire body while blending pilates and yoga, keeping energy high throughout the class. It can certainly offer a challenge, but it will leave plenty to practice and continue to improve upon. 

Libra: Libras have the talent of seeing the big picture and of seeing things from multiple perspectives, which is why we think they’ll have a special appreciation for our Hot Yang Yin Yoga class. The class has a powerful combination of masculine and feminine energies as it moves between stretching and strengthening. 

Scorpio: In our Hot Box Fusion class, Scorpios can safely externalize any desire they may have to guard themselves while diving into a challenging workout. The class is a high-intensity combination of shadow boxing, kickboxing, fusion, core, and cardio. 

Sagittarius: Adaptable and flexible, Sagittarius’ can keep building on their strengths in our Hot Core-lates classes. If you’re looking to build a strong fitness foundation, taking the time to strengthen each and every muscle in your body so that you can succeed in any class you decide to partake in, the core stability this class builds will be invaluable. 

Capricorn: Hot Power Core is an intense class, using various equipment in a high energy workout with pilates and yoga-style exercises incorporated. But, we think the hardworking and persistent Capricorn is up for the challenge. The intensity will likely lead to results no matter your fitness goals, so for goal-oriented Capricorns the effort might just be worth the reward. 

Whether you feel more aligned with the class we’re paired with your Zodiac sign or a different one completely, we hope you’ve found a class that sparks your interest in this list and we’ll hope to see you in a studio near you soon!

Your tried and true favorites + OYF Far Infrared Yoga & Fitness’s innovative options = Stepping closer to your goals!

Whether you’re just starting your workout journey or you’ve been showing up to the same classes for decades, it’s likely you’ve come to prefer some sorts of workouts over others. You might love getting your cardio in while singing along to your favorite music and show up happily to your favorite dance workout class each week, but dread picking up a weight. Or maybe you’ve found a new kind of peace on the yoga mat, but have a harder time committing to upbeat workout options. Whatever the combination is for you – we get it. We all have our preferences. We have things that come easier to us, things that are more enjoyable to us, and things that feel more connected to the goals we’re trying to achieve in our workouts. 

But, if you find a point where your progress is paused in your usual workout routine, you’re experiencing injuries more often than you’d like, or you’d simply like to know how you could better serve your body, you may want to consider branching out in your workout routine. Trying new forms of exercise can help prevent injuries, improve your performance in your usual workouts, and allow time for recovery. If you’re considering trying out a new class but don’t know where to start, 

If You Swear by HIIT Classes…

If you spend most of your workout time in high paced, fast moving classes, why not give yourself the chance to breathe and unwind in our Hot Candlelight Deep Stretch & Relaxation class. Giving your body the chance to move slower through the movements means you’ll have more time to focus on what your body is doing and how it is feeling through every part of the workout. Also, the focus on stretching and flexibility you’ll find in this class mixed with the impact of tapping into your inner strength will open your mind and loosen your body in a way you may not have experienced in your other classes. 

If The Serene is Your Specialty…

On the other hand, if you spend most of your time in slower paced yoga classes, get your heart moving in our Hot Fast & Furious Fusion class. You won’t have to step entirely outside of your comfort zone, because there is still an aspect of athletics-style yoga embedded within the class, but it will be mixed in with endurance training that incorporates weights, Pilates balls, blocks, and resistance bands all while keeping the energy high and your heart beating. 

If You Tend to Skip Arm Day…

If your workout classes focus more on ab or leg strength, take the chance to focus on your upper body in Hot Amazing Arms & Shoulders. The class opens with a focus on your shoulder muscles and then halfway through changes focus to your arms, giving you the opportunity to work on each of your shoulder and arm muscles throughout the duration of class. 

If Cardio is Your Go To…

If you spend most of your time running, biking, or focused on other aerobic focused activities, the class you may find the perfect balance to your workout routine is Hot Sculpt & Tone. Whereas your regular workouts may provide goals of distance or speed, in this workout class you’ll focus more on conditioning specific muscles, including many you may not even know exist! As the title implies, it’ll add a level of tone to your workout routine that you may find brings you different results to your regular workout. 

If You Want Options…

If you want the chance to figure out what best compliments your workout, no matter what that workout is, Hot 20/20/20 will allow for the opportunity to dip your toes into a multitude of different options. The class is divided into three sections – cardio, strength training, and stretching, meaning that no matter what sort of workouts you frequent, you’ll likely get to experience another type of workout as well within this class. 

Find out when these classes are available near you or check out the rest of our offerings here and we’ll look forward to seeing you in the studio soon!

When you have a set workout plan, it’s easy to get into a groove where you’re not tempted to try any new classes. And while there’s definitely something to be said for consistency, there’s also a lot of benefits to throwing in a new challenge once in a while. We know a lot of you probably have your favorite workout routines already, but we want to encourage you not to let that stop you from trying something new. Here’s five reasons you should try out a new workout class.

Branching Out Prevents Injuries

Consistency is important to workout success. Working out once is great, but it’s the repetitive commitment to getting your body moving that helps strengthen your muscles, improve your endurance, reduce stress, improve your mood, and increase your energy. This is likely one of the reasons you’ll find many people have their chosen workout routine that they stick to. If you repeat the same workout too often, your muscles won’t get the chance to rest which could in turn lead to injury. On the other hand, if you try a new workout, you’ll get the chance to focus on different muscles and body systems. As you strengthen new parts of your body, you’ll then be better equipped to perform in your usual workout classes as well, whether it be because the new muscles bring you new power or the new exercise allows you to improve your cardio, as explained in Healthline. 

Turn Off Autopilot

If you’ve ever walked into your kitchen and then forgotten why you were there or driven yourself to work and then realized you don’t remember the drive there, then you’re familiar with what it’s like to be living life on autopilot. If you’re familiar with autopilot, then you’d probably agree it’s not the time we’re more focused on how we are accomplishing tasks. Take a minute next time you’re working out to consider if you’re going through your exercise routine on autopilot. Whether you answer yes or no, you’re still getting your body moving and your muscles stretching and strengthening. But if you really want to get the most out of your workouts each time you’re in the studio or gym, focusing on how you’re completing your workouts could create a bigger difference than you know. Training with purpose and a focus on what you want to accomplish gives you the opportunity to check if you’re staying on course to your progress, and therefore have a better chance of completing your goals. If you switch up your workout routine by trying a new class, it’ll force you to be fully present during your workout. Then, you can carry what you learn about your body and your progress into any class you may take. 

Meet New People

If you go to the same workout class all the time, you’ll likely get familiar with the cast of regulars who also frequent the class. This is a great way to build community and get to know your neighbors. But not all workout studios are the same – they all have their own unique atmosphere. If you haven’t hit it off with the regulars at your gym or in the class you usually take, don’t lose hope on finding a gym buddy. You might find your people are waiting for you in a new type of workout class!

Give Your Brain a New Challenge

When was the last time you learned something new? In childhood, we learned new things all the time whether we liked it or not. A combination of our newness to the world and the government mandated education program meant that both in school and out we’d be experiencing new things and learning as we did. But, as adults we have to make more active choices to learn new things. It’s important we keep learning new things because the ability to do so is sort of a cyclical process. As described by INC “learning new skills stimulates neurons in the brain, which forms more neural pathways and allows electrical impulses to travel faster across them”. In other words, when you learn something new, you strengthen your brain and make it easier to learn more new things. If your response to all of this is wondering when between work and friends and family and all your other commitments you’re supposed to find time to learn something new, that’s totally understandable. That’s why we suggest using a commitment you’ve already made – to working out – as an opportunity to learn something new. You might be a weight room aficionado, but a total newbie to yoga, or you might be a HIIT class regular whose never tried choreography. Challenge yourself to learn something new within your workout routine and you might find learning new things in other parts of your life becomes easier too. 

You Might Find a New Favorite

This might possibly be our favorite thing that can happen when you take a new style of workout class. You’ve picked something to try out, whether it’s because a friend asked you to come along or because you thought it could be a good change to your workout schedule. You expect a new challenge or a fun, one-off experience but then you get through the warmup and realize you actually love this new type of workout. You’ve unexpectedly found a favorite! It might even become the centerpiece of your workout routine going forward. This isn’t going to happen with every class you ever take, but sometimes it might and you’ll never know if you don’t try something new!

Whatever brings you to try a new class with us here at OYF Far Infrared Yoga & Fitness, we’re happy to have you! You can find all the class options to choose between here and we’ll look forward to seeing you in the studio soon!

When it comes down to it, the time we spend working out is a fairly small fraction of our day. If we break it down, doing an hour workout, even if you did it every day, takes up less than five percent of your week. But how are we utilizing this portion of our week can have a lasting effect on so much more of our lives, from how much our bodies ache after playing catch with the kids to your mental clarity heading into your big work presentation. We want to be sure you get exactly what you need out of your time in the studio. To do that, here’s a few of our tips for making the most out of your workouts. 

Set Intentions

In order to get what you’re hoping for out of a workout class, it helps to consider what it is you’re looking for. It might seem obvious, but it can be easy to assume we know what we want out of our workouts while glossing over the details if we don’t take the time to think about it and it’s much easier to achieve our goals if we’re able to talk about them in tangible, measurable ways. You want to improve your quality of life? Does that mean being able to play high intensity sports with your friends or taking more opportunities to walk outside? You want to use your workouts to support your mental health? Does that entail motivating yourself to stick to regular workouts or allowing yourself the grace to do what feels right in your body each day? Take a couple of minutes to think about what you want out of your workouts, even if its just as you’re walking in the door to the studio. 

Listen to Your Body

It’s great to set workout intentions, but if you aren’t practiced in doing so you might not yet know how ambitious you tend to be when setting goals. If you tend to push yourself to the brink, you may benefit from realizing when working hard turns past the point of productivity. If you set goals that aren’t achievable, you might end up getting frustrated by your lack of progress. On the other hand, if you make your goals too easy, you might meet them and still feel dissatisfied with your progress.Check in with yourself regularly to see how the workouts you’re doing are making you feel. Our team is also there to support you in picking classes or modifying movements to best suit your needs. 

Be Present

Between all this goal setting and checking in, you might be thinking you’ll have a lot on your mind during class. On the contrary, while we encourage you to take a couple minutes to check in on your goals or to not how movements feel in your body, once your class actually gets started we encourage you to set all that aside and focus on class. 

Especially in our yoga classes, mindfulness and meditation both play an important role in our classes. Meditation, as explained by Headspace, is “about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective” whereas mindfulness is “the ability to be present, to rest in the here and now, fully engaged with whatever we’re doing in the moment”. While these definitions share some similarities, for our purposes you can think of the differences as meditation being more of an activity within itself. At times, we may sit on the mat and meditate or practice meditative movements, while mindfulness is a state to carry with you throughout your activities. These aspects of class are just as important as the physical aspects of class, which is why leaning into the mindset is so integral. Even in more high intensity interval styles classes or other non-yoga offerings, if you take the time to focus on your workout and your workout only while setting the rest of the world aside, you might be surprised by how positively it affects your life, both in and out of the studio. 

Stepping into new situations can always be intimidating. Yogis of every level, from people who have never stepped into a yoga class to people who have kept a dedicated practice their entire lives can all be found in our studio; no previous knowledge is required! But if you’d like a little more of an introduction before you walk into your first class, we’ve got your back. Every yoga class is different, but there are some poses you’ll likely encounter in many yoga classes  here at Oxygen Yoga & Fitness. Read on to learn a little more about these poses so you can familiarize yourself before stopping by the studio. 

1. Downward Facing Dog

Even if you’ve never been to a yoga class, you might have heard of this pose. You might have seen memes of dogs stretching their backs out, insinuating they were doing the pose. This position, which looks sort of like a leaning triangle with both your feet and hands on the ground and your hips up in the air in the middle can be accomplished by standing with two feet flat on the ground, leaning forward and reaching your arms out on the ground, and then pushing your hips back towards your heels. For a full demonstration on how to accomplish this pose, check out this video from Yoga Tree.This is a common pose to flow through during gour sun salutations and to return to throughout the rest of class.

2. Shavasana

The pose you’ll likely end your yoga practice with is called Shavasana, otherwise known as the Corpse Pose. If you catch a yoga class at the end of their session and it looks like everyone’s fallen asleep, this is the pose you’ve likely caught them in. To take shavasana pose, you lie flat on your back with your legs and arms both lying out flat and comfortably on the floor. A favorite pose of many because of the opportunity to rest and focus on your breathing and mind at the end of class, it might be helpful inspiration if class gets a little tricky to keep in mind that you’ll get this pose at the end!

3. Warrior pose. 

There’s a couple of different warrior poses, two of the most common of which look like variations on a lunge. To accomplish warrior one, take a forward facing lunge with the front leg bent ant and the back leg straight behind you and with your arms up to the ceiling. Another iteration, warrior two takes a side facing lunge, turning your hips to the side wall while keeping the front leg bent and back leg straight. 

4. Tree pose

Some of the most fun and most challenging poses we do in yoga classes can be the balance based poses. One great example of these is the tree pose. A tree pose is accomplished by balancing on one foot and pulling your second leg up into a triangle like position against your leg. For a full demonstration, you can watch this video from Alo Moves. Remember that you’re never expected to be able to achieve these poses before stopping by class and if you find yourself struggling to balance while trying this at home, just know you’ll build strength and learn balancing tools in class that will make this seem much more possible. 

These are just a couple of the many poses you may encounter in your yoga classes, but we hope you notice that while things may sound difficult and fancy – like shavasana – this could literally mean laying on the floor! Learning the name of the poses and getting started in your yoga practice can be a learning curve, but we think once you try a couple classes you’ll agree that the learning curve is very worth it once you start to recognize the mental and physical benefits. Check out our website to find a class to try out near you!