\u201cSweat equity takes on a whole new meaning when you\u2019re networking in a hot room,\u201d says Chad Messer, a managing director at US lender KeyBanc. Rather than a bustling conference, he is referring to hot yoga, a practice done in temperatures of 35C to 40C.<\/p>\n
Messer does sessions before work, typically at 5.30am. \u201cIt is a great way to start the day,\u201d he says. As well as \u201cphysically challenging\u201d, he finds it \u201cmentally grounding\u201d.<\/p>\n
He is part of a growing trend to incorporate hot yoga into the working day. Instructors say individuals are enjoying it as a welcome break from thinking about work, while some teams are swapping a group lunch or dinner to take sessions together.<\/p>\n
Over the past few years, Kelly Isaac, instructor and co-owner of ID Hot Yoga, which operates studios in New York and the Hamptons, has seen a growing number of executives, particularly men, practising before work. \u201cIt\u2019s an hour they choose for themselves, when they are shutting everyone else out,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can go for a run, or Barry\u2019s [boutique fitness studios] but yoga gets you into your flow state when you\u2019re not thinking about the email you need to send.\u201d <\/p>\n
Sophie Deakin, a teacher at Hot Yoga Shoreditch, on the edge of the City of London, identifies a broader workplace trend. \u201cThere\u2019s a cultural shift [to] doing these activities in a business,\u201d she says. She has a regular group from a bank and another from a pharmaceutical company and her studio also offers corporate sessions for team building. It has a branch in Canary Wharf, home to many global banks. Clients \u201care high-fiving each other after\u201d, Deakin says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of camaraderie with people and the recognition that it\u2019s challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hot yoga was popularised by Bikram Choudhury, who later tried unsuccessfully to copyright it, and also faced sexual harassment allegations. More recently, social media influencers have brought it to younger audiences. <\/p>\n
Deakin notes a change in motivation among the busy professionals who come to her studio. \u201cPeople used to do it because they thought they\u2019d get really skinny really quick, or want the challenge.\u201d Now more customers want to improve their wellbeing, she says.<\/p>\n
Becca Gray, a town planner based in Manchester who organised a session at a property event for young women recently, says despite initial nerves, attendees reported feeling in \u201ca better mind state to network openly and effectively\u201d after yoga. \u201cThey felt so relaxed yet energised\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009Trying something new together gives people an opportunity to connect over shared experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another enthusiast, LeeAnn Black, chief operating officer at Latham & Watkins law firm, finds it helps clear her mind. \u201cBeing in a hot studio requires a lot of determination. It\u2019s hard. You really have to concentrate. I really forget about work for an hour. I walk into that hot room and the [stress] temperature goes down. It\u2019s super helpful.\u201d In other activities, such as SoulCycle, she finds her mind wanders. \u201cThe intensity of hot yoga allows you to get into a place of relaxation while at the same time it\u2019s rigorous. You put your phone away, you can\u2019t have a phone in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beth McGroarty, research director at the Global Wellness Institute, says hot yoga is part of an evolving corporate trend replacing \u201cthe old company nights eating and guzzling booze with healthier social and evening experiences\u201d. With the rise of sober workers, companies are \u201crespecting that choice and alternative non-boozy group outings might become more the norm\u201d. <\/p>\n
Similarly, in conferences, she says, \u201cit feels almost de rigueur now to programme in wellness \u2014 whether yoga, breath work, meditation, fitness, group running sessions \u2014 [to] the agenda\u201d.<\/p>\n
Philip Berlinski, co-chief operating officer of the Millennium hedge fund, notes a \u201chuge shift\u201d since he started in financial services in 1998. \u201cThe culture\u2019s changed. There\u2019s greater mental health awareness, more focus on wellbeing, and it\u2019s less male-dominated now\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009People realise they are working longer and need to think about their health more.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did his first hot yoga class two and a half years ago, describing it as \u201cthe worst one-hour experience I\u2019d had in a while. I was a ball of sweat. It was exhausting. But it felt good. It\u2019s difficult to be in your mind, you\u2019re focusing on your breathing. [It] stops me thinking, improves my flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Isaac observes that for executives new to the practise, \u201cthe head gets in the way. You get guys come in [who] can run a marathon, or [are] physically strong, and they can\u2019t touch their toes, or stand in stillness. It\u2019s a physical challenge as well as a mental challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n