I Turned My Basement Into a Hot Yoga Studio with This Portable Heater

Since social distancing began, I've been lucky enough to continue practicing yoga, thanks to my favorite hot yoga studio going live on Instagram. But as I flowed through the guided vinyasa classes, I missed the feeling of warmth against my skin, sweat dripping onto my mat, and my heartbeat rising—things I could always expect from the heated studio sessions. My drafty, 1950s-era basement at home just didn't compare.

So how could I mimic the environment of my go-to hot yoga studio and make my movements a bit more challenging? Well, by getting creative, of course. I snapped up the De'Longhi Capsule Compact Ceramic Heater (Buy It, $40, bedbathandbeyond.com), and I'm pleased to say that after just one workout, I got the sweat-dripping results I had been craving. (

I made sure to take the necessary safety precautions (and avoid any fire alarms going off during savasana) by placing the heater 3 feet away from anything that could potentially catch fire before starting my workout. And it's important to note that I'm not currently sick nor do I have any feverish symptoms—you'd want to avoid heated workouts or high-intensity activity of any kind if you were feeling under the weather. Even from a safe distance, the little heater provides just enough warmth to get me sweaty during my regular hour-long flow—and I always turn it off right after.

But I'm not the only one who's turned to a ceramic heater in order to intensify a home workout, as a quick Instagram browse proves. Actress Tracee Ellis Ross cranked the temp while doing a Tracy Anderson Online Studio live-stream class with a personal heater in the background (and in the cutest Carbon38 leggings, no less).

And Bob Harper, trainer and host of The Biggest Loser, has transformed his workout space into a heated studio by placing a portable unit on each side of his mat. Needless to say, I'm definitely among good company with my $40 hack. (

I know someday in the (hopefully) near future, I'll be able to flow in a studio with my friends IRL. Until that time, I'll be daydreaming about walking up the stairs to a Y7 class, while I happily sweat it out in my makeshift basement hot yoga studio, thanks to this little heater.

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