"Breathe, Cleanse, Rejuvenate" urges the website of Leanne Chan's Rockstar Yoga studio. Those three words are integrated into the work Leanne does at the studio, with the help of yoga poses and an infrared sauna. "The infrared sauna is similar to a regular sauna," she explains, "but the warmth comes from infrared panels on the ceiling of the studio." While students practice yoga, the rays penetrate the body, below the skin, into muscles and tissues, and heat the body from the inside out.
The warmth in the studio helps reduce inflammations, Leanne explains, while sweat is the body's way of eliminating toxins. Together, she says, the combination of the infrared sauna and the slowly held yoga poses can help improve the immune system, fight off colds, aid with depression, promote weight loss and help with many other ailments or health goals.
"Hot yoga releases tension and clears the mind,” says Leanne. “I want to help people understand the mind/body connection—how to connect with their breathing, and find a way to reach whatever goal they hold."
Leanne is also mindful of the role nutrition plays in a healthy lifestyle and encourages her students to experiment with juicing. "Give the body the mineral and nutrient level it needs for optimal performance,” she advises.
