Tip of the Week: Breathe Clean Air!

We were graced with a storm this last weekend which helped to clean out some of the pollution in our air, but our air quality in Utah is still far from great. Practicing Bikram yoga in our state-of-the-art fresh air system is much safer for your respiratory system than any outdoor exercise.

There was a Salt Lake Tribune article from Jan 4, 2016 titled "Running a risk: Is it safe to exercise during a Utah inversion?" It states that according to Robert Paine, a pulmonary physician at University of Utah Hospital, when people exercise, they breathe faster to bring more air into their bodies. Anything in the air small enough to bypass the respiratory system's natural defenses also comes in with each breath, so those who exercise outdoors when the air quality is poor get a much bigger dose of pollutants — making 3 miles feel like 6, lengthening recovery time and increasing one's risk of having a heart attack that day. And exercising repeatedly in bad air could possibly lead an athlete to develop asthma.

Below is a previous post of ours titled "Tip of the Week: Breathe Fresh Air" to remind you why it's a good idea to come and let your lungs breathe fresh clean air for 90 minutes in our studio. Ahhh...

With the air quality in our city being so poor lately, have you wondered why you actually find it easier to breathe in the studio? This is because our studio at Bikram Yoga SLC has a specialized fresh air and heating system that is the perfect marriage between fresh air, heat, and humidity. We have developed a state-of-the-art fresh air system that pumps fresh air along with consistent heat and humidity. We have made every effort to care for the health of our yogis by ensuring that the air quality in the studio is well oxygenated, properly humidified and disinfected from harmful germs.

At Bikram Yoga SLC the room is always being pumped with fresh oxygenated air! We knew there had to be a better system than simply closing the doors and turning up the heat. We've gone through great lengths to maintain the air quality in our studio within a healthy range.  Our fresh air system pulls air from the outside, and goes through a large complex filtration system, eliminating all airborne bacteria. This fresh air is pumped through the system along with consistent heat and humidity. The result is fresh air that doesn’t smell and is not full of harmful bacteria. 

Ever wonder why Bikram Yoga SLC does not smell badly?  We have spent the time, energy and expense to make sure that our classes never smell and that you are breathing the freshest cleanest air possible. Our clean air system will greatly reduce CO2 levels and eliminate and destroy: bacteria, odor, mold & mildew, viruses, V.O.C.’s, cleaning chemicals, smog and other airborne pollution. 

The benefits of a clean air environment are enormous. Clean air will help prevent colds and influenza, prevent headaches after class, provide relief from asthma, hay fever and sinus problems, reduce fatigue, and breathing problems, and relieve sore throats, runny noses, wheezing and sneezing. Practicing yoga at Bikram Yoga SLC will  have a dramatic effect upon your physical and mental well being.

Where is the coolest spot in the room? Unlike other studios that are thermostat controlled where there are hotter and cooler spots, our studio does not have this problem. Due to our system, there is a consistent temperature of 105 degrees and 40% humidity every minute of class, regardless of the number of people in the room or how hard they are working. Instead of a thermostat that just switches on or off, we use sensors in the room that can sense accurately the temperature and humidity in the room, and give instant results. Everything works on a bell curve, to instantly increase or decrease fresh air flow, heat and humidity depending on class size. The speed of the motors is always changing during class.

All is computer controlled with accuracy down to the hundredths. All of the variables are computerized with a software program written specially for us so we can monitor our system and see that the temperature, humidity, and fresh air is always consistent. We can see that as the students are emitting more heat and breathing harder in the cardiovascular series, such as Standing Head to Knee Pose, the motors of the system begin to speed up to pump in more fresh air and remove the bad air. At the same time, the heat in the room is being decreased. The system knows what's happening in your body before your body can even sense it. The CO2 levels are kept to a minimum, and you are able to breathe easily.

So the next time you're in class and you hear the teacher say, "inhale"...you can really "INHALE"! You will be oxygenating and energizing the cells in your body with very fresh, healthy air.