Indie Hot Yoga gives Janoah Augustyn inner peace

For many yoga is more than just a physical practice – it’s a journey of self-discovery and growth.

Janoah Augustyn, a yoga instructor at Indie Hot Yoga in Pineslopes, shared how it changed her life, and how she’s dedicated to helping others experience the countless benefits of this ancient practice.

“I attended my first hot yoga class by chance in my late 30s,” she said. It was a Bikram /Hot26+ class. It was overwhelming, hard and challenging. I felt emotionally and physically depleted and thought I’d never do it again but found myself a month later attending other hot yoga classes.

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“I was going through a stage of introspection and trying to find my life’s purpose. I realised my nine-to-five corporate job wasn’t inspiring me anymore, I was unhappy, unmotivated and felt drained the whole time. Every time I was at the studio, everything just seemed right like I was supposed to be there. I realised this is my passion and I found my tribe.”

Augustyn started managing the studio at Indie Hot Yoga and teaching a more relaxed yoga style called yin yoga once a week, focusing on stretches and poses practised in an unheated room.

She said she was always intrigued by the challenge and intensity of Bikram /Hot26+ yoga so much so that when an opportunity to train as a teacher came up, she went for it. Augustyn added she decided to specialise in Bikram yoga because it challenged her mentally, physically and spiritually.

Also read: How to manage stress through yoga and meditation

“Although Bikram yoga consists of a structured sequence of 26 postures and two breathing exercises practised in a heated room of 42 degrees Celsius and 50% humidity, every time is different because your body and mind meet you on the mat differently because life is not the same every day.”

Augustyn is also an avid trail runner which is also not just a passion but a meditative experience for her. Having conquered iconic treks such as the Everest base camp and Kilimanjaro summit, she finds that the rhythmic breathwork and physical movement of running allow her to tap into a deeper sense of awareness and connection – a sensation she believes is, in itself, a form of yoga.

“Yoga changes people’s lives. People with mental, emotional, spiritual or health challenges found their home in yoga. Yoga is for everyone, irrespective of race, gender or religion.”

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