Visible light Emitting Heat Sources are also connected to Glass Blowers Cataracts -be sure if you use a heater that glows red or orange that it is out of your line of sight and not reflected back into your eyes by a mirror.
How hot is Electric City Hot Yoga? It depends on how you look at it.
On a practical level, it’s the 108 degrees Fahrenheit and at least 40 percent relative humidity type of hot.
From the health practitioner’s point of view, it’s a hot and popular way to build strength, boost endurance, increase balance, cleanse impurities from the body, maximize flexibility, and maintain a healthy weight.
From an economic perspective, the hottest name in hot yoga studio design is the Electric City Hot Yoga owner, so he knows what it takes to make his yoga studio into a prime setting for the type of exercise the New York Times called “a workout promising not just the best body, but also the best sweat.”
Chad Clark, the owner of Electric City Hot Yoga, grew up in the North Pocono area. He attended middle school and some high school in North Pocono School District, then went on to graduate from the Valley Forge Military Academy. He attended the University of Scranton, joined the Navy, and became an expert in industrial heating, cooling, ventilation, and electrical work, as well as in general construction.
While working construction in 1998, Clark began practicing hot yoga in New York City. He began working on the mechanical aspects of yoga studios in 1999 for Bikram Yoga NYC. After meeting Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram Yoga, Clark was invited to run and upgrade one of Choudhury’s facilities in Los Angeles. In 2001, Clark became a certified Bikram Yoga instructor.
Returning to his Pennsylvania roots, in 2006 Clark and a partner opened Steamtown Hot Yoga in Scranton. Eventually, the partnership dissolved and Clark opened Electric City Hot Yoga at 1120 Moosic St. in Scranton.
Clark is also the founder and owner of Hot Yoga Studio Supply & Design, an internationally acclaimed company responsible for the design and construction of hundreds of hot yoga studios, and for technical consultation on many more.
“I have built, consulted on, or worked on around 3000 hot yoga studios worldwide since I started doing this in 2003,” said Clark, who has traveled extensively to fulfill his clients’ needs.
Clark recently penned a book, How to Build a “Chad Clark” Hot Yoga Studio, which is a detailed manual covering all aspects of planning for, building, and running a hot yoga studio.
A hot yoga class is held in a studio that is kept heated to a sweltering temperature of at least 105 degrees. Couple the heat with a steamy level of humidity in the air, and the poses and movements of a yoga class turn into a high-intensity workout.
Clark explained, “Bikram wanted to duplicate the heat of Calcutta, India, so he turned on the heaters in his studio in LA. His style of yoga was developed more for physical fitness and strength, with not as much focus on the spiritual or religious.”
Practitioners of hot yoga believe it works on the principal of thermogenics, which equates increased body temperature with increased metabolism for a more effective workout.
“After your body reaches 104 degrees, you start burning fat, and your body keeps burning fat for an hour or an hour and a half. But it’s not just exercise, it’s about rehabilitating your body and your organs to get them to work to their best capacity,” said Clark.
Proponents of hot yoga say it has a therapeutic effect on the muscles, joints, skeletal system, and organs. Clark has experienced these benefits in regard to his own fitness and health, and also shares stories of Electric City Hot Yoga clients who have found yoga beneficial.
He relates the story of a 48-year-old man who was able to stop using his asthma inhaler after regular yoga classes, tales of athletes who have used yoga as a way to help their bodies heal from injuries, and even an uplifting story of a group of elderly nuns who traveled from the Bloomsburg area to his studio.
“After several months of yoga, many of them were able to walk without the aid of a cane or walker. They regained their balance, and with it, their confidence to move freely again,” offered Clark.
Other benefits of yoga demonstrate a mind-body connection. Clark recounts the story of a Catholic priest who found that his visits to Clark’s studio helped him to concentrate more on his prayer life, and of students who get better grades after regularly attending yoga classes.
He remarked, “They can focus more, and can sit and study more effectively without fidgeting because yoga gets rid of nervous energy.”
People who struggle with alcoholism and other addictions often find yoga beneficial as well.
Clark explained, “They can rechannel their addictive behavior into yoga. This allows them to concentrate on what they need to focus on. They’re not drawn so much into the addictive behavior because of the physical commitment of the yoga.”
The effect of a yoga session lasts for hours afterwards, according to Clark, who mentioned that a hot yoga class releases as many endorphins as an eight-mile run.
Electric City Hot Yoga is located just a few miles up Route 307 from Moscow. The facility features the large, mirrored hot yoga room with a soft floor for safety and comfort. There is also a second, smaller yoga room where Clark and his staff of four certified yoga instructors teach conventional yoga classes.
The lobby, yoga mat storage room, and male and female locker rooms are all spacious and tastefully remodeled with tile, wood, and stone.
Clark plans to add a steam room and additional classes in the near future.
Classes are open to anyone age ten and older, and Clark welcomes drop-ins who want to try out hot yoga to see if they like it. Several classes are offered daily between 6 a.m. and 7:15 p.m., with a complete schedule posted online at www.electriccityyoga.com. Various affordable pricing plans are offered.
Clark encourages anyone who is interested in learning more about hot yoga to visit his website, call Electric City Hot Yoga at 570-558-9642, or drop in and try a class.
“Bikram yoga has been called the fountain of youth for all the good it does to the body, and anyone can benefit from it,” said Clark. “Anyone can just drop in, with no commitment. We never pressure people; we want them to feel comfortable doing whatever they can do.”
