Ten years ago, Cindy Coats, along with her two business partners, Aaron Goodman and Jeff Morin, opened Real Hot Yoga in Suburban Plaza, a novel idea at the time but one that has been proven successful. Today, the yoga studio is a franchise with six locations across East Tennessee, New Jersey, and Myrtle Beach and five more in the works, most notably a second Knoxville-area studio in Farragut.
Cindy was no stranger to yoga, as it had been part of her regimen since the 1990s. Along with running, yoga was something she could do anywhere, which suited her transient lifestyle working on cruise ships.
“I could run anywhere and do yoga anywhere, and with my love of travel, I’d check out yoga studios in whatever city I was in,” says Cindy. “I’ve been in places where the heat was suffocating and had little air flow. I don’t like that, and we don’t do that.”
With her years of experience, she and her partners designed a studio with forced air through UV filters, an arrangement that set them up nicely when Covid came around. Intentional breathing is a crucial component of any yoga practice, so getting the air circulation right was essential.
“One of the most important things about yoga is the breath, so I want people to breathe deeply and breathe the cleanest air they could. We add humidity, which makes it easier to breathe, plus it’s a controlled environment,” she says. “You don’t have the sun on you. When you’re outside and feeling hot and miserable, you might be sweating but it’s evaporating. We keep the humidity up so your sweat doesn’t evaporate, and your body stays cooled. We also want that for better range of motion and a deeper stretch.”
The Farragut location is owned by Lisa and Brad LeCoultre and will have more than 30 class options on the schedule. There are currently more than 40 class options on the schedule at the studio in Bearden, which is tucked in the center of the shopping center between Barnes & Noble and Trader Joe’s. There are two temperatures to choose from – 95 or 105 – and Cindy makes it clear: hot yoga isn’t exclusive to the experienced.
“There’s a misconception that because it’s hot it’s more advanced, but it’s not. [Hot yoga] is better for the beginner because of that increased range of motion. We have classes for people who want to do deep stretching all the way to aerobic yoga,” she says. “We knew there wasn’t a big yoga community here, so the majority of people who come to us have zero experience.”
Cindy also notes that hot yoga isn’t ideal for someone with Multiple Sclerosis or other neurological conditions, and no one under 16 years old is allowed in the 105-degree room. As always, it’s important to consult with your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.
“Someone can purchase a single drop-in class to see what it’s like, but we also have a new client intro for $45 for 30 consecutive days of unlimited visits,” says Cindy. “Yoga helps you find a healthy state of balance, and yoga with the added heat makes every workout a little more cardiovascular.”
For more information, visit RealHotYoga.net.