O U R S T U D E N T S
Their stories
Ray
How and when did you discover 26+2 Hot Yoga?
I discovered hot yoga when we shifted to Waikanae. My wife was a hot yoga fan, I had never tried it so I thought I’d give it a go to stay active and supple.
I discovered hot yoga when we shifted to Waikanae. My wife was a hot yoga fan, I had never tried it so I thought I’d give it a go to stay active and supple.
What have you gained since starting?
Since starting I have increased my flexibility, improved my balance and learnt to relax more and meet some great people.
Since starting I have increased my flexibility, improved my balance and learnt to relax more and meet some great people.
What has been your greatest struggle and accomplishment in the room?
Balance has been my biggest challenge, I didn’t realise beforehand but my balance when attempting a one foot pose was appalling. Hot yoga has improved my balance significantly, however balance is still work in progress.
Balance has been my biggest challenge, I didn’t realise beforehand but my balance when attempting a one foot pose was appalling. Hot yoga has improved my balance significantly, however balance is still work in progress.
Advice for new students
My advice is give it a go, Anj is positive, supportive and a great motivator. The hot yoga experience is amazing, Anj will help you through and make it a fun experience.
My advice is give it a go, Anj is positive, supportive and a great motivator. The hot yoga experience is amazing, Anj will help you through and make it a fun experience.
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Clare ChristianHow and when did you discover 26+2 Hot Yoga?I discovered Hot Yoga while living abroad in Melbourne and London in my late 40s. It was a tough time—my marriage had just ended—and my son, who was attending classes, encouraged me to try it. He was right: the near-daily 90-minute sessions not only markedly improved my physical health, but also helped me to navigate that stressful period with resilience and grace.
After returning to Kāpiti, I paused my practice for several years due to a lack of local studios. Finding Kāpiti Hot |
Yoga was an exciting day! I’ve been attending twice a week for over a year. Now 64, and admittedly not as bendy as I once was, I credit Hot Yoga for a good chunk of why I maintain reasonably good health and mobility.
What have you gained since starting?
Hot Yoga builds strong will. It’s not always easy to step into that hot room, but the rewards are immense.
Hot Yoga builds strong will. It’s not always easy to step into that hot room, but the rewards are immense.
Advice for new students
For newcomers: push through the initial discomfort. At first, it can feel like some kind of self inflicted punishment!—but soon for me it became a strange compulsion. I came to love the cleansing effect of intense sweating and meeting the challenge of the mental grit needed to manage the heat and hold the poses. There will be times of frustration. I'm still regularly falling out of poses, but for the most part, have learned to keep my sense of humour close, and self judgement and frustration at the door!
In short, Hot Yoga is tough, healing, energizing, and deeply satisfying. And the friendly, supportive community at Kāpiti Hot Yoga makes it all the more special.
For newcomers: push through the initial discomfort. At first, it can feel like some kind of self inflicted punishment!—but soon for me it became a strange compulsion. I came to love the cleansing effect of intense sweating and meeting the challenge of the mental grit needed to manage the heat and hold the poses. There will be times of frustration. I'm still regularly falling out of poses, but for the most part, have learned to keep my sense of humour close, and self judgement and frustration at the door!
In short, Hot Yoga is tough, healing, energizing, and deeply satisfying. And the friendly, supportive community at Kāpiti Hot Yoga makes it all the more special.
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Renee GerlichHow and when did you discover 26+2 Hot Yoga?
I went to my first 26+2 hot yoga classes around 2010, while living in Wellington – a colleague took me to the Friday night koha classes on Taranaki Street. I remember one teacher at the time was very militant, and would say: “If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right!” I felt like I just bumbled my way through, daunted and uncomfortable. I never committed to going regularly. I thought it was for hardcore people and not for me. Then in January this year (2025) I was visiting a friend, and she asked if I wanted to join her and go to a yoga class. She didn't mention it was a |
hot yoga class, but I realised it as we started approaching the same studio on Taranaki Street! I was unprepared, overdressed, and told her not to worry about me if I escaped the class early – I’d just wait for her outside. But to my surprise, I loved it. I went home and immediately searched for a studio close by, found Kapiti Hot Yoga, signed up and was hooked.
What have you gained since starting?
Since committing to a regular hot yoga practice (and I've been super regular since January), my body feels like I receive a regular full body massage. A lot of the pockets of tension, stiffness or niggles that used to be there are gone. I've also noticed that my gym practice is smoother – I feel more fluid doing things like deep squats or walking lunges. Less creaky. I also find that hot yoga requires awareness throughout the day of what you eat and staying hydrated. My practice is best on an empty stomach, which means not eating for several hours beforehand. Having a regular practice means having to consider things like that – you can’t just have fish ’n chips for dinner then head off to hot yoga! So, that also has positive effects.
Lastly, I want to say something about what I think is one of the best kept secrets in Kapiti! That’s the Thursday and Sunday night double sessions, where there is a 90-minute hot yoga class, followed by a half hour break and then an hour of yin yoga. I do the 3-hour session religiously, and find that people assume it must be so demanding. But they don’t understand! It’s not demanding. It feels like being pampered, like going to a day spa. After the 90 minute hot yoga class, my body is thoroughly worked out and tired. Lying in savasana, I'm able to relax very deeply and enter a state I’d normally associate with yoga nidra – where you're almost asleep, but still conscious. Once I'm there, I try to maintain that state throughout the yin class. I've recently started wearing an eye mask to help with that. I stay awake enough to follow instructions, but I am super relaxed. I think this is magic. It’s definitely so good for me. Just as the physical practice of yoga extends our anatomical range of motion, I use these double sessions to increase the depth of relaxation I can enter while staying awake. To top it off – Michelle and Carol often make a pot of peppermint or chamomile tea before their yin classes. Sipping that tea while feeling completely warm, supple and chilled out is a highlight of my week. I feel like if people knew what was really available in those double sessions, they’d be banging the door down!
Since committing to a regular hot yoga practice (and I've been super regular since January), my body feels like I receive a regular full body massage. A lot of the pockets of tension, stiffness or niggles that used to be there are gone. I've also noticed that my gym practice is smoother – I feel more fluid doing things like deep squats or walking lunges. Less creaky. I also find that hot yoga requires awareness throughout the day of what you eat and staying hydrated. My practice is best on an empty stomach, which means not eating for several hours beforehand. Having a regular practice means having to consider things like that – you can’t just have fish ’n chips for dinner then head off to hot yoga! So, that also has positive effects.
Lastly, I want to say something about what I think is one of the best kept secrets in Kapiti! That’s the Thursday and Sunday night double sessions, where there is a 90-minute hot yoga class, followed by a half hour break and then an hour of yin yoga. I do the 3-hour session religiously, and find that people assume it must be so demanding. But they don’t understand! It’s not demanding. It feels like being pampered, like going to a day spa. After the 90 minute hot yoga class, my body is thoroughly worked out and tired. Lying in savasana, I'm able to relax very deeply and enter a state I’d normally associate with yoga nidra – where you're almost asleep, but still conscious. Once I'm there, I try to maintain that state throughout the yin class. I've recently started wearing an eye mask to help with that. I stay awake enough to follow instructions, but I am super relaxed. I think this is magic. It’s definitely so good for me. Just as the physical practice of yoga extends our anatomical range of motion, I use these double sessions to increase the depth of relaxation I can enter while staying awake. To top it off – Michelle and Carol often make a pot of peppermint or chamomile tea before their yin classes. Sipping that tea while feeling completely warm, supple and chilled out is a highlight of my week. I feel like if people knew what was really available in those double sessions, they’d be banging the door down!
What has been your greatest struggle and accomplishment in the room?
My greatest struggle has actually been discerning how to navigate falling sick as a committed practitioner. This year I had common cold symptoms for over a month, it was the longest I’ve been sick before. Trying to gauge when to go to class and when not to was difficult. It feels rude to come to class when you’re sniffly and snotty, but equally it doesn't feel right to stop a practice that supports your wellbeing just because of some mild symptoms. I haven’t figured out how to navigate that.
Accomplishments – I found that I made the most progress in the first month or two of regular practice. Unlocking toe stand was very satisfying! But I think the biggest accomplishment has really just been staying consistent, and that is thanks to the studio and how welcoming the teachers are and the friendliness and camaraderie among students. Kapiti Hot Yoga is a special studio, with a vibe that’s a perfect balance of focus and friendliness.
My greatest struggle has actually been discerning how to navigate falling sick as a committed practitioner. This year I had common cold symptoms for over a month, it was the longest I’ve been sick before. Trying to gauge when to go to class and when not to was difficult. It feels rude to come to class when you’re sniffly and snotty, but equally it doesn't feel right to stop a practice that supports your wellbeing just because of some mild symptoms. I haven’t figured out how to navigate that.
Accomplishments – I found that I made the most progress in the first month or two of regular practice. Unlocking toe stand was very satisfying! But I think the biggest accomplishment has really just been staying consistent, and that is thanks to the studio and how welcoming the teachers are and the friendliness and camaraderie among students. Kapiti Hot Yoga is a special studio, with a vibe that’s a perfect balance of focus and friendliness.
Advice for new students
I do have advice for new students, considering my own first experiences of hot yoga. I feel like I started for the first time twice! Once around 2010 when I had little previous yoga experience, and then again in 2025, as a dedicated yoga practitioner with teacher training under my belt.
The first time I went, I really didn't think hot yoga was for “people like me.” In hindsight, it wasn't really fair for me to expect myself to “perform” like the other students in the class when I had no idea what was going on! Unlike other forms of yoga, hot yoga teachers don't really have leeway to give individualised feedback. So students have to be proactive about giving themselves an opportunity to really try the practice properly. Kapiti Hot Yoga offers consultations along with memberships, and also posture clinics. I would strongly advise anyone new to hot yoga – and certainly if you’re new to yoga in general – to take up those opportunities. I really don’t think you can know whether hot yoga is for you unless you’ve given yourself a proper chance to get a handle on it, with at least an introductory session or two.
I do have advice for new students, considering my own first experiences of hot yoga. I feel like I started for the first time twice! Once around 2010 when I had little previous yoga experience, and then again in 2025, as a dedicated yoga practitioner with teacher training under my belt.
The first time I went, I really didn't think hot yoga was for “people like me.” In hindsight, it wasn't really fair for me to expect myself to “perform” like the other students in the class when I had no idea what was going on! Unlike other forms of yoga, hot yoga teachers don't really have leeway to give individualised feedback. So students have to be proactive about giving themselves an opportunity to really try the practice properly. Kapiti Hot Yoga offers consultations along with memberships, and also posture clinics. I would strongly advise anyone new to hot yoga – and certainly if you’re new to yoga in general – to take up those opportunities. I really don’t think you can know whether hot yoga is for you unless you’ve given yourself a proper chance to get a handle on it, with at least an introductory session or two.
L O V E N O T E S
From students
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