Hot Tub Yoga: Exercises to Try

Your schedule may be hectic and your to-do list may feel never-ending, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live stress-free. Relieve stress while improving your body through hot water therapy and yoga.

Alone, hot water therapy has numerous health benefits: improving sleep and back pain, stress relief, and lowering blood pressure are just a few. Yoga is a practice that uses breathing techniques, exercise and meditation to improve overall health and happiness. Combine both hot water therapy and yoga to build strength, gain flexibility, and discover harmony and awareness to bridge the gap between the mind and body.

Yoga in water is a low impact and easy way to get started. The water provides support, allowing you to hit a majority of the poses you may find difficult out of the water.

Below are four simple yoga poses you can do in water to add to your daily hot tub routine:

1. The Standing Tree (Vrksasana)

To start: Stand in the middle of your hot tub and use your hands to guide your left foot to the inner right thigh or knee. Once there, place your hands at your hips or place your palms together at the center of your chest. Breathe in and out. Switch legs and repeat.

Hold: 30 seconds.

Focus Areas: Improve your balance while strengthening your: ankles, calves, shoulder blades, and abdominal muscles.

2. The Half Moon- Modified (Utthita Trikonasana)

To start: Stand in the middle of your hot tub and take step forward with your right foot. Bend your right knee and place your right hand on the outside edge of your hot tub. Place your left hand on your hip and begin to shift all of your weight onto your right foot. Find your balance and slowly lift and extend your left leg while raising your left arm into the air. Don’t point your chest to the floor. Keep an open chest by using your abdominals and be sure to engage your full left leg. Stay here for 30 seconds to a minute, then lower the raised leg with an exhalation and return to your starting position. Switch legs and repeat on the opposite side.

Hold: 30 seconds to a minute.

Focus areas: Improve coordination and balance, while strengthening your abdomen, ankles, thighs, buttocks and spine.

3. The Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana)

To start: Take a seat in your hot tub and bend your knees. Place your fingertips behind you for support while engaging your abdominal muscles. Lean back on your fingertips and lift your feet until your shins are parallel to the floor. As your knees are bent, bring your thighs to your chest and squeeze your inner legs together while keeping your toes pointed upwards. Extend your arms forward until they are parallel to the floor.  Remember to keep a steady breath.

Hold: 10-20 seconds at a time until you can hold for a minute.

Focus Areas: Core strength/abdominal muscles.

4. Spinal Twist (Marichyasna)

To start: Take a seat in your hot tub, bend your right knee and place your foot on the floor. Keep your left leg firm and rotated slightly inward. As you breathe out, rotate your torso to the right and wrap your left arm around your right thigh. Press your right fingertips onto the floor behind you to lift the torso slightly forward. Lengthen your spine with each breath in and twist a little more with each exhalation. Keep your head tilted to the right to complete the twist. Switch legs and repeat on the opposite side.

Hold: 30 seconds to a minute on each side.

Focus Area: Relieves backache and hip pain, while stretching and strengthening the spine. Massages abdominal organs, liver and kidneys.

Click here for more poses you can try out in your Nordic Hot Tub.