My introduction to yoga began 6 years ago at Bikram Yoga in Louisville, Kentucky. The studio was very close to the horse barn where I trained my horses. The major benefit of hot yoga for me was to reduce tension and stress of riding and showing young inexperienced horses and being better equipped to handle the heat of the attire and the summer weather. Because of my profession, I have broken many bones and have put a lot of miles on my knees and ankles.  I find the Sumits series very beneficial physically, but feel the real reward is in the mental clarity and calmness that spills over into every area of my life.

Our journey to being couple of the month, and practicing soul to soul started five years ago.  The sign out front for Sumits Hot Yoga had just been installed, driving by Kim mentioned she would like to give it a try.  Since it was close to Christmas, I was on the lookout for any meaningful gift and purchased an unlimited two-week pass.  Being a mom of three intensely active teenagers, Kim could use a chance to unplug and give to herself...

After years of sports activities, gym workouts, running, biking, aerobics too, the accumulated physical punishment caught up with me. A full hip replacement in 2009. I continued my long gym workouts, week in and week out. A few years later, my physician began suggesting hot yoga, as he experienced the benefits. Finally, after awakening one morning in March 2017, the increasing signs of arthritis, it was time...

I took my first class at Sumits about 3 years ago with some friends. Having always been interested in different ways to work out and stay in shape, the rewarding, sweaty workout is what initially got me hooked. I loved the heated aspect and how it allowed me to go deeper into each pose. I didn't realize it in the beginning, but this practice would change my life...

I started hot yoga about 2 years ago at Sumits in Columbia! I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My initial thought was that I will get a sweat on and learn something new. With a lot of tlc from the instructors it has been a transformative experience. Yoga for me is both physically and mentally challenging. I have seen inner change, the ability to slow down and to be at peace and to be more patient with myself in this journey!

My best friend Lauren Goin brought introduced me to yoga and Sumits, and I am forever grateful. It has been exactly one year since I started my yoga journey. As a long distance runner, yoga has helped me to grow in flexibility, improve my breathing, and of course helped me with injury prevention.

In the fall of 2015, I moved to Jefferson City just before my wife and I had our first child. We came from St Louis where I primarily did Crossfit and Bikram yoga for my workouts. After having our daughter, I wanted a workout that was relatively short and something I could do during the day....

While the journey continues, I am over fifty pounds lighter, seriously stronger, and with better flexibility and balance than I had last fall.  My joints remind me that I am not 20 something, but I know I am physically healthier than at any other time in my adult life.  Coming to my mat at Sumits provides the essential time that I need to check in with my body and mind.  It challenges me physically and mentally, and leaves me with enormous gratitude for where my body and mind are that day.  Finally, I believe it is this balance that leads to feeling spiritually recharged, and that is what is so addicting!  

Before I began hot yoga, I did not understand the appeal. I had never been very athletic and in my 30s tried several different types of cardio to stay in shape. This resulted in knee injuries, a new ACL, and planter fasciitis. I was then desperate to find a way to exercise that was intense but not high impact. I was skeptical about hot yoga because I hate the heat, I’m not very graceful, I do not have chakras, I’m not spiritual and I have been known to have panic attacks when I attempt to meditate. 

Life changing is the only way that I can describe how Sumit’s Hot Yoga has impacted me. There is no part of my life that yoga hasn’t changed for the better. Every time I step on my mat, I learn more and more about myself - physically and mentally. Through the people I have met here and what I have learned, I have been able to take care of my body by changing what I choose to put in it and how I treat it. With that knowledge and the AMAZING workouts, I have managed to lose over 30 lbs. in just over two months!

I see yoga as being synonymous to me time. Each session seems differently because some are challenging while others give me a great sense of self limitless. Regardless of what kind of session it was, I walk away internally smiling because it was something I did for myself. I look forward to continuing to challenge my body, my mind and my soul. 

I started practicing yoga about three years ago, when my cousin brought me to my first class at a studio called CorePower Yoga.  Before this, I had never done any yoga so I didn’t really know what yoga truly was or what it entailed, but I had known for a while that I wanted to try it out. So, when my cousin asked me if I wanted to go with her to her studio, I was super excited/nervous about it.  Excited because I was finally going to be able to try it out, but nervous because I had no clue what to expect.

Brandy has convinced me to do many crazy things…but the craziest may have been getting me into Hot Yoga almost 4 years ago.  When Brandy decided to become an instructor she felt I needed to know what it was she had fallen in love with and convinced me to go. Not only did I enjoy the class, but I quickly what she was talking about!

Now…it’s one of my favorite and most relaxing workouts.  And for Brandy she not only loves teaching but immersing herself into her yoga practice.  It’s also one of our favorite activities as a couple!

I began practicing yoga in 1999 and now I am addicted! I am so thankful that Sumits Yoga came to Columbia. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. I love the energy I feel in class from my fellow yogi community.

2. I enjoy the ability to relieve stress in my everyday life through breathing.

3. The heat allows me to go deeper into a pose and stay injury free.

4. I don't have to think and can just flow in a moving meditation.

5. It pushes me to the edge mentally and physically.

I had a slow beginning to my yoga journey.  Soon after Sumits opened, I would attend classes for awhile, then stop (when life got busy) then start and stop again.  But one year ago I was determined to use my card before it expired and I came to class almost daily for two weeks. Before I knew it, I was hooked! I have been coming to class 3-4 days per week for a year now and I feel great physically and I see spiritual growth too.

I’m just a regular guy.  Sure, I’m larger than the average bear, but I’m not particularly graceful and not overly flexible, either.  I drive a truck.  I’m good with a chainsaw.  I like my beer cold on a football Saturday with my Tigers.  Hot yoga may seem like a dichotomy in that mix, but it’s not. I’ve recently had a hip replacement and the healing aspects of yoga are not lost on me.  After a six-week stint of having to rely on others to bring me food, drive me where I need to go, help me with so many aspects of daily life, I was cleared to return to Sumits again… In just one session, I regained something so simple – I could put on my own socks again!  

When Sumits Hot Yoga first opened in Columbia, I had been practicing yoga regularly for several years, mostly on my own at home.  I had been wanting to rejoin a studio for some time and was really excited to see a new studio opening near my house . . . but I absolutely hate heat and sweating, and so I was really nervous about trying hot yoga!  Despite this, I took my first class on Halloween night of 2012.  It was certainly challenging, but I instantly fell in love!  (And, I actually found that the heat and profuse sweating helped me to focus and stay present.)  

I found myself feeling so different when I entered the yoga room. Things just got quieter. My to-do lists could wait, the expectations I had for myself became less important, and what I saw in those giant front mirrors began to make me happy. When I am not in the yoga room, the voices of Sumit's amazing teachers would enter my head during stressful times. I started being able to let more go during the hard times and to be more present during the happy times. 

I like that I do a better job of “listening to my body” now. I know when I’ve been good to myself and when I’ve not had the proper calorie intake. I can feel it during hot yoga! Sumits is great…I particularly like the silent room leading up to class, the no-talking during class, and I can’t imagine a better group of instructors anywhere.

As I'm sure it is for many, my first class was nothing short of awkward. I didn't know the poses, I didn't know how to breathe and my balance left much to be desired. But, I survived it! I went back for another class, and another, and another; I was hooked. With every practice, I got better; I felt better. I sought out hot yoga for the physical aspects, but what I've gained is so much greater. Love for myself, inside and out.