Even on the coldest winter day, there is one place in La Crosse where summer lasts all year long. From the early hours of the morning to the evening, students file into a spacious room on Caledonia Street to practice yoga together in a balmy 95 degrees with added humidity.

For me, part of the beauty of the practice is to get that really deep sweat and the people who come to us they want to sweat, said Root Down Yoga Studio owner Mandy Roush, who started the studio with her husband Nick Roush in 2012.

Mandy, who worked in health care at Mayo Clinic, became enamored with the style of heated yoga after attending a teacher training in Mexico. When she returned, she was determined to replicate the experience at home.

Rachel Scanlan attends a yoga class at Root Down Yoga studio on Monday, Feb. 5. Scanlan has been attending heated yoga classes at the studio since 2016.

I remember feeling so wrung out in a really good way from the element of adding that heat and sweat, Mandy said.

Nick, who happened to work in the heating and ventilation business, installed a furnace in the couples garage, where they began hosting free yoga classes for friends. Word quickly spread, and soon the makeshift studio was hosting students five days a week. After seeing the community response, the pair decided to open a studio on Caledonia Street.

Heated yoga is part of a worldwide trend. In the U.S., the concept was first popularized in the 1970s by Bikram Choudhury, a now infamous yoga teacher who developed a style of practice in heated rooms of up to 105 degrees. Since then, the trend has evolved toward a less dogmatic approach, with studios adopting their own preferred temperatures and styles.

Address:1217 Caledonia St., La Crosse

Information: 608-519-2467,www.rootdownyogastudio.com

Hot yoga is an umbrella term for any style of yoga practiced in a heated setting. The heat can help relax muscles, thus increasing flexibility.

Our bodies are just so much more pliable when theyre warm, said Nick Roush. And it adds a challenge aspect to the practice that helps you be more present.

Root Down is now one of a handful of establishments offering heated yoga classes in the La Crosse area. PALM + PINE, a yoga studio with locations in Holmen and La Crosse, offers classes that owner Kat Soper describes as warm.

The studio also offers non-heated classes, which Soper said are equally as popular.

Mandy Roush leads a yoga class at Root Down Yoga studio in La Crosse. The studio was the first to offer heated yoga classes in the la crosse area.

There are definitely some people that just go to our heated ones. And there are definitely some people that just go to the non-heated ones. But Id say there are more people that dabble in both, Soper said.

At PALM + PINE, classes are heated from 80 to 90 degrees without added humidity. Instead of forced air, radiant heat panels warm the space.

Despite variations in temperature and style, the studios have one thing in common: A strong sense of community. At Root Down, many of the teachers started out as students.

I feel like we lit the match and the whole thing just kind of continues to smolder and burn on its own now, said Mandy Rousch. Yes, we all come there to do yoga, but its really a group of like-minded people that gather for this sense of togetherness and connection.

Co-founder of root down yoga studio nick roush attends a yoga class on Monday, Feb. 5. Roush founded the studio with his wife Mandy in (year), after the pair had hosted free classes in their home garage to great commmunity response.

Rachel Scanlan yoga since 2016 i love it its like a religion for me, some people go to church, I go to yoga,

Co-founder of Root Down Yoga Studio Mandy Roush helps guide a student during class on Monday, Feb. 5.

Mandy Roush leads a yoga class at Root Down Yoga studio in La Crosse. The studio was the first to offer heated yoga classes in the la crosse area.

Kelly Malszycki practices yoga in a heated room at Root Down Yoga Studio in La Crosse on Monday, Feb. 5. The studio heats most of their classes to 95 degrees with added humidity.

Rachel Scanlan attends a yoga class at Root Down Yoga studio on Monday, Feb. 5. Scanlan has been attending heated yoga classes at the studio since 2016.

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Warming up in the cold: Hot yoga trend heats up La Crosse - La Crosse Tribune