POPPING up in villages and community halls across Nottinghamshire is Hotpod Yoga – an inflatable, portable yoga studio that can heat up to 37°C.
Only launched two weeks ago in the area, it has already been labelled the latest fitness craze but for director Sarah Harrison, hotpod is here to stay.
The 44-year-old holds daily classes in five locations around West Bridgford and Long Bennington, near Newark, some of which have been sell-out sessions.
She says: "I only launched it in West Bridgford last Sunday and it was really busy. The pod only holds up to 20 people and both sessions on the day were rammed out.
"I launched the classes in Long Bennington the week before. I had a feeling that the area didn't have anything like this."
The pod, which comes in a range of shapes and sizes, can be used for both public and private classes and takes ten minutes to inflate electronically and ten more to deflate again.
It is made up of four permeable inflated walls and a covered roof which help maintain a constant air flow. There's also a Muji aroma diffuser to help the class relax.
The pods are the brainchild of yoga instructor Nick Higgins and management consultant Max Henderson, who wanted to make hot yoga more accessible and developed the idea around two years ago.
The heat, which is regulated by two heaters within the pod, is beneficial, says Sarah.
"The heart and the lungs are working harder because of the temperature," she explains.
"It's like a cardio work-out too. The warmth encourages the muscles to go that little bit deeper.
"It's the whole package. There's the yoga benefit and then the heat, but also the aromatic thing going on. It's also easy to set up and find different locations - you can just put it up and then let it down."
Sarah invited me to one of the first sessions at All Hallows church hall in Lady Bay.
Once inside the purple pod, the heat instantly surrounds you – it's humid, faintly illuminated and aromatic.
Taking my position on one of the 20 yoga mats on the bare floor, the aroma diffuser bubbles gently in the corner and soft music plays in the background.
Sarah starts with a few simple moves to get warmed up, but as the session continues it becomes more of a challenge.
Positions including the downward dog, the humble warrior and the cobra are all incorporated, each requiring balance, stamina and strength.
Each session lasts approximately an hour and, after I step out of the pod into the cool air, the sweat is dripping from my forehead and I feel like I have had a major work-out rather than a spiritual treat. There's certainly an improvement in my balance and posture.
Sarah, who previously worked in business development, says she first fell in love with the concept after attending a friend's class in London.
She says: "As a yoga lover myself, I just loved the environment and atmosphere. I could really tell the benefits of the heat."
Despite being similar to Bikram yoga, which is performed in a heated room, Sarah says that the two concepts are wildly different.
"Bikram yoga involves 26 positions. It doesn't matter where you're doing it in the world, it would be a combination of the same moves.
"With Hotpod yoga, each teacher can add their own personality. There are no rules. You can incorporate what you think and tailor it to your classes."
The benefits include relaxation and improvement in balance and muscle tension, but for Sarah, "the benefits are personal to each individual".
And she says one of her female clients was particularly surprised after a session to find that she could touch her toes again.
Yoga enthusiast Charlotte Morcom, 40, is already a big fan of the sessions.
She loves the classes so much in fact, that she has recently booked a block of ten.
She says: "I've been to four sessions so far and I've loved it.
"It's completely different to the yoga that I've done before and the heat isn't a problem at all.
"It may sound daunting when you first hear about it but I can honestly say that I was never overwhelmed or out of breath."
Charlotte is now planning to attend two sessions a week, on a Monday and Wednesday, in her home town of Long Bennington.
Teacher Martha Mullen, 43, enjoyed the Lady Bay session. "I loved it - it was invigorating but also quite relaxing," she says. "I'm definitely going again."
Keep an eye out for the hot purple pod as it could soon be popping up in other places, as director Sarah has big plans to expand the business throughout Nottingham, as well as into office buildings.
She adds: "My next step is to launch it within businesses and corporate sites.
"I'm giving myself until Christmas though to get established first. I want to make sure my
locations are right."
For more information on Hotpod Yoga go to www.hotpodyoga.com
