KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It is all about mindfulness inside Real Hot Yoga's West Knoxville studio.
"I feel great!" client Brian Thomas said. "I used to run a little bit and my knees, being a bit older, have given me a little bit of problems, so yoga's been fantastic. Keeps me in shape."
But this is no ordinary yoga class.
Real Hot Yoga is cranking up the heat.
"The heat feels different in our room, so you hear 95, you hear 100 degrees, and you equate it when you're outside on a hot summer day and it feels nothing like that. It's actually much more comfortable in our controlled setting," said co-owner Cindy Coats.
The 1,000 sq. ft. room features a heating system specifically designed for hot yoga with precise temperature and humidity control.
Coats says the heat detoxifies the body, making you feel energized.
"We do three temperatures," she explained. "We have a couple that are warm classes just for those people who are a little bit more hesitant, but our most popular ones are the ones that are 95 degrees. They're a little bit more active class. And our ones at 105 are at 105 degrees because they're not as fast moving. You're not building as much internal body heat, so we compensate with the temperature."
Nanci Jackson has been going to Real Hot Yoga for four years.
"The heat doesn't bother me at all. I love it, and you're so much more flexible. I can do a lot more in here than I can do in cold yoga," she said.
Her health is also improving.
"My cholesterol went down 40 points the first year," she said. "It's really helped."
Experts say hot yoga can have just as much mental benefit as it does physical-- another reason why it is becoming so popular.
"This time in class is time in the present moment where we can experience gratitude, where we can experience joy, and those feelings are very addictive," Coats said.
But if you are still unsure if it would be a good fit, she says try it for yourself.
"Come with an open mind, be willing to have some fun, get ready to sweat and feel great afterwards," Coats said.
Click here to learn more about Real Hot Yoga.