Dominique Gatto practices her yoga routine.

Dominique Gatto started her yoga practice late in May, and it didn’t take long for her to become addicted. This is a blog that will share her journey of Bikram yoga as well as explore the other aspects of yoga including the clothes, atmosphere and people.

A tickle reaches the back of your throat. You find yourself constantly grabbing for another tissue, and your head feels like it’s in outer space. What do all these symptoms have in common?

Well, the common cold, of course.

Thanks to this bipolar weather, I found myself with a case of the common cold this past Friday. Thanks to hot yoga, I found myself a cure. And the best part? It works its magic in less than 48 hours.

I started with a 7:30 a.m. Saturday Bikram class (90 minutes, 26 postures, 104 degrees) to help cleanse my body of the dreaded cold. Following the class, I decided to invest in some fresh cold-pressed juices made by the studio owner, Liz. My instructor that morning, Erin, suggested that I go with the True Lemonade (Lemon, VT Spring Water, VT Maple Syrup and Cayenne) and the True Gold (Pineapple, Pink Grapefruit, Fresh Turmeric, and Lemon).

Right after class, I gulped down the True Lemonade. Erin suggested drinking that first because the cayenne would flush the toxins out of my body causing my cold. Let me tell you, this stuff tastes waaaay better than any cold medicine on the market.

I drank the True Gold a couple of hours later. It’s possible that I mixed the True Gold with a couple of spiked seltzers (I was visiting a friend in New Hampshire who is moving to Australia so obviously there was a need for celebration…). The doctor probably wouldn’t recommend it, but I sure do. It was the perfect balance of healthy and well, not so healthy. But life’s all about balance, right?

When I got home from New Hampshire on Sunday, I decided that I needed one last push to kick this cold to the curb. A 4:30 p.m. Bikram class did the trick. Not only was I able to sweat out a little too much alcohol from the day before, I also (be) rid myself of the common cold! In less than 48 hours might I add.

The proof is in the pudding (or shall I say juice), yoga is the best medicine!

So, next time you feel that tickle entering the back of your throat, why don’t you give hot yoga a shot. Two classes and two juices will go a long way. And if you want to enjoy your weekend by adding a little something else to the juice, I won’t judge.