Sweating it out while stretching and receiving the benefits of yoga appears to be gaining popularity, with at least two new "hot yoga" studios opening here in the past couple of months.

Sun Yoga Hawaii, in the Aina Haina Shopping Center, offers a relaxing beginners’ class that includes Vinyasa sun salutations, a Hatha yoga posture sequence and a pleasant guided meditation at the end. Both 60- and 90-minute classes are offered.

I opted for the shorter class, which was the perfect length. I managed to stay in the room, heated to 99 degrees with infrared heat, for the entire session but did have to sit and relax on my mat a couple of times.

Instructor and studio owner Michele Santos recommended remaining in the room during class, and sitting or lying down to rest if needed. Once you leave the room, the benefits of the infrared heat, which include improved circulation and increased oxygen levels, are lost, she said.

Sun Yoga Hawaii is installing a shower alongside the changing room to make it easier for people who need to go to work or handle errands. A promotion to attract new members offers unlimited yoga for $30 for two weeks, with a challenge to complete eight classes within the time period.

CorePower Yoga, in the outside wing of Kahala Mall near Pizza Hut, offers a faster-paced, high-energy class with tunes pumping throughout the session. A trial promotion allows you to try a week of unlimited yoga for free.

I decided to join an intermediate class led by manager Zoe Pappas, which was definitely out of my league. The CorePower Yoga 2 class, which includes Vinyasa postures and sequences, is heated at 95 degrees using conventional heat, and lasts for an hour. It’s recommended that beginners start with five to 10 level-one classes, which are unheated, before moving on to other CorePower Yoga workouts, something I was unaware of when I jumped in the higher-level class. I spent lots of time sitting on my mat, just hanging out.

Showers and a locker room are available as well as a boutique that sells yoga accessories and clothing. Since the studio is in the mall, getting errands done or squeezing in some downtime after class is a bonus.

The classes really make you sweat, so don’t forget a towel and water bottle. The heat makes the yoga workout more challenging and is intended to help stretch muscle fibers and tendons and aid in injury prevention.

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“Tryouts” features exercise and wellness classes and other fitness activities. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.