Need a break from the stressors of everyday life? Shelly Kwiatkouski has you covered. “Step out of the hustle and bustle and demands of your busy life and step onto a yoga mat,” the master teach of Hot House Yoga in Ormond Beach, Florida, tells Us Weekly.
The fitness guru continues: “The ancient practice of yoga nourishes the body by increasing your flexibility, building strength, reducing stress and elevating your mood, no matter how old you are.”
Kwiatkouski, who has more than 15,000 hours as a yoga instructor, encourages new students to open up to “the yeses that shape your life.”
She believes practicing yoga offers more than just the health and fitness benefits from the different physical postures. “It’s a guide to inner reflection and a better way to connect one’s thoughts, feelings and core values,” she explains. “You learn to never judge yourself but rather to celebrate your accomplishments.”
Read up on the different types of yoga below!
Hot Yoga
Star Followers: Hailey Bieber, Kaley Cuoco and Khloé Kardashian
How It Works: The heat is most definitely on inside these trendy hot-yoga studios: Temps are set between 80 and 105 degrees.
Bieber says the heat helps her get a deeper stretch. “I was a dancer and that’s all about muscles being loose, so I enjoy that.”
Try It If: You feel tight or want to get rid of toxins. “You sweat so much,” explains instructor Amy Dannheim of Miami-based Tropical Vinyasa yoga studio, “you really feel like you’re detoxifying.”
Vinyasa
Star Followers: Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Karlie Kloss
How It Works: If you’ve heard of Ashtanga yoga — physically demanding poses flowing in tandem with the breath — think of vinyasa as its creative cousin.
Aniston praises its mental benefits. “It’s like meditation,” she says,” and makes anything coming at you feel doable.”
Try It If: You get bored easily. “Vinyasa fuses other styles, so classes can incorporate music or weights,” Dannheim says.
Kundalini
Star Followers: Kate Hudson, Alicia Keys, Reese Witherspoon
How It Works: “It’s one of my favorite forms of meditation,” Hudson says about kundalini, one of yoga’s more spiritual incarnations.
But it’s not all about breathing and chanting — practitioners get a major workout too. (See her post-baby body for proof.)
Try It If: You want to burn calories while embracing your inner goddess.
By Jaime Harkin
