Lava Yoga

Photos by Emma Highfill, Rose Wheat Photography

Hot in Arizona

A hot yoga class in Arizona in 2006 spurred two sisters, Leigh Granada and Beth Kuckelman, to open Lava Yoga in Topeka.

“Beth was training for multiple competitions and marathons all the time, really pushing her body to the limit. She kept getting injured over and over,” Granada said. “While she was training in Arizona for an Ironman, her training partners suggested she try hot yoga. She loved her first class and called me and told me to go try it. I loved it too.”

At the time, the nearest hot yoga studio was in Wichita, and that was just too far of a drive for Granada and Kuckelman, so they set out to recreate hot yoga in their own homes.

“We would go for a long run in the summertime and then close the windows in the car and would just sweat,” Granada said.

They decided they needed to bring hot yoga to Topeka, so the sisters both became certified in hot yoga training and opened Lava Yoga, located at 4005 SW 29th, in 2013. They opened a second studio in Lawrence in 2017.

We try to encourage people to be
kind to yourself and to forgive yourself.
I think that is one of the harder parts
of living, and we try to teach that,

Hot yoga has many benefits including how it helps with blood flow and waste removal as well as joint flexibility and mobility.

Hot and Hotter

“I think the heat helps to keep me really focused,” Granada said. “When I started doing hot yoga it was so challenging, both physically and mentally, it really kept me focused and in the room.”

The temperature of the room during a hot yoga class depends on the type of class: for a hot yoga class, the room is heated to around 102 degrees, and for a warm yoga class, it is heated to around 95 degrees. Humidity can reach as high as 60 percent during a class.

“The heat and humidity really help the muscles to stretch and burn calories, and your heart rate goes up a little higher than in a regularly heated room,” Granada said.

Granada says hot yoga has many benefits. Hot yoga helps with blood flow and waste removal. It increases flexibility and allows for greater mobility of the joints. Hot yoga also makes muscles more elastic and easier to stretch without causing injury. During a 75-minute class, a student can burn 350 to 500 calories while eliminating built up toxins from sweating.

Hot yoga isn’t for everyone, but according to Granada, anyone can do it.

“It is designed so that anybody can do it. We encourage people to try it out. You will never be shamed for not being able to do something,” Granada said. “We also cool the room down two times during class by opening all the doors to let the humidity out and put a breeze on everybody. It is a nice mental break for everyone.”

Granada says their studio believes in kindness—especially to yourself.

“It is easy to be kind to others, but we are not usually kind to ourselves. We try to encourage people to be kind to yourself and to forgive yourself. I think that is one of the harder parts of living, and we try to teach that,” Granada said.