Max Henderson and Nick Higgins : Hotpod Yoga

People are moving faster than ever in work and their personal lives and these high-impact schedules are taking a toll their quality of life. And to counteract these full-contact lifestyles, people are moving towards slowing down, even within a controlled period of time meaning wellness is totally trending right now. Enter Hotpod Yoga, a company that’s bringing new technology and interest to the yoga space. The brand creates inflatable, heated yoga studios that give clients “an intensive and balanced physical workout, restoring calm and clarity to the mind” thanks to their patent-pending cocoon-like pods. Each pod is heated to a 37°C temperature which helps warm muscles and give clients flexibility. The vinyasa-based classes are focused on regulated breathing to help clear the mind and give class-goers the calming feeling they need to decompress from their workdays. We interview Max Henderson and Nick Higgins co-founders of Hotpod Yoga on what makes yoga a competitive market to invest in, what makes London a great place for the yoga industry to flourish, the idea behind hot yoga and the yoga space has changed and what Hotpod Yoga does differently to keep people coming back.

Something Curated: What spurred the idea to create Hotpod Yoga? Tell us about the moment you came up with the idea.
Max Henderson: “Hotpod yoga is all about making yoga accessible: a highly effective and down to earth approach to an often very inaccessible practice. Nick and I came up with the idea back in 2012. We were both struck by a few key things we noted in the yoga market: 1) The huge cost of setting up hot yoga studios 2) The lack of mobility and career options for yoga instructors; 3) The lack of really accessible, down-to-earth yoga. These things collectively spurred us to develop Hotpod Yoga.  Nick and I have worked with some amazing people and continue to do so, which has made it all possible — from our product team (who we work with on all things structural design), to our instructors and our franchisees (who invested their trust in us at a very early stage). It was very quick to get off the ground. Our 2013 launch pop ups, sold out immediately and we’ve not really looked back since. We now have 22 sites in more than five countries.”
Nick Higgins: “Overall, our aim is to dispel the preconceptions of yoga that most people hold, and be able to give them a taste of the magical stuff that yoga as so they can enjoy a healthier happier life. We are all about accessibility in the way we teach our classes, very down to earth, logical and simple teachings. The classes  flow through strong holding postures that both stretch and strengthen the body.”

SC: Tell us (briefly) about your career path? What were some pivotal points in your career that have set your path to creating HPY?
MH: “I studied economics and politics at university, and then went on to a career in strategy consultancy — working with multinational brands on a range of things: predominately developing sustainable business models. I then went to London Business School and launched HPY with Nick, on the back of that.”
NH: “My working career has been somewhat unorthodox however has mainly sat within the teaching realms. Before I co-founded Hotpod Yoga, I was a school teacher. I had completed my yoga teacher training and knew that I wanted to be able to teach the thing that made me feel physically and mentally incredible: hot yoga. It was a year or two in the planning and refining whilst my school teacher career continued, that eventually we launched Hotpod yoga.”

SC: Have you had any noteworthy yogis?
MH: “We’ve worked with and had a huge range of people in the pod, from England rugby players to investment bankers in their offices and international models! Notting Hill, London Fields and Brixton all young, vibrant places with open mind people. It’s also relatively diverse as a selection of locations and we like that. We never like to be pigeon holed. In terms of our impact on the movement in London — what we’re very good at is getting people to do yoga who may perhaps have never considered themselves yogis, or part of a yoga scene. We appeal to a broad and surprising audience — so we’re done a fair bit to really broaden yoga community, I’d say.

SC: HPY is in London Fields, Notting Hill and Brixton. Any future locations planned?
MH: “We have a huge number of new locations planned, both globally through our franchising and across London. Space-wise, we have the luxury of not needing to be fussy. We’re pretty resourceful, pretty creative and out pods enable us to transform any space into a beautiful yoga environment.”

SC: What are some of the best independent yoga spaces in London?
MH: “I’m sure lots of people say this, but we really really don’t consider competition. The yoga world is nascent in London, so we’re big believers in the more yoga the better. We love Stretch (our near neighbours in London fields) and Yoga Haven (where we both first practiced) and have huge respect for the likes of triyoga and Indaba, who’ve been doing great things for a long time.”

SC: What did you learn while creating Hotpod Yoga? What were some of the challenges with this idea?
MH: “The list of what we’ve learned is endless — seriously. And the list is growing longer by the day! In terms of yoga spaces, the thing that seems to really impact people is the cocoon-like nature of the pods. It really cuts you off from the world outside. We love this and so do our students.”
NH: “When we first started the challenges were monumental. Trying to create a studio which pops up in minutes, and uses very little electricity, and is hygienic (we avoid allowing condensation to settle on the fabric) was very tricky. But with testing we got there. I think a great yoga space has the following: 1) Low lights which make people more relaxed and let them naturally ease into the exercises and calm the mind; 2) Heat which warms the body up, gets the blood moving and the joints, ligaments and muscles in the the correct position quicker; and 3.) Music — good bass heavy, down tempo, soothing music to make you flow. 4) Scent — the way a space smells is very important as the right essence a can again enhance senses of relaxation even when the yoga maybe challenging.”

SC: Tell us about the Hotpod Yoga style. What makes it truly special?
MH: “We’re really balanced in our approach and I think that really sets us apart (both mental and physical benefits; tough but not too tough; strong continuity but never tedious; down-to-earth but not ‘dumbed-down’). We practice Vinyasa flow and love it. Bikram did remarkable things, as he blazed a trail in terms of hot yoga. We owe a lot to that. And from it (ourselves included) has sprung all sorts of different forms of hot yoga, that are typically less prescriptive and more open to creativity and expression, which seems to be resonating with students.

SC: What does vinyasa yoga in a heated room do for the body? Tell us why clients love it and what the benefits are.
MH: “It’s a really balanced set of benefits both mental (de-stressing, calming the mind, stepping away from the world outside) and physical (cardio and aerobic health, better flexibility, better posture, more strength) – check out our recent social media campaign #10REASONSTOYOGA
NH: “My favourite style of yoga is what we do at Hotpod Yoga. It’s different for every instructor but overall people refer it to it as yoga flow: a constant movement of the postures, whilst focusing on your breathing which is a meditation — so you are exercising your mind too, whilst working your body.”

SC: Tell us about places you’ve travelled around the world. Which are your favourites and why? What beautiful design elements from these places inspire you to create new spaces or new projects?
MH: “We have franchises in a really diverse range of fantastic places — from rural Nottinghamshireand Pembrokeshire to capital cities like Lisbon, Amsterdam and Johannesburg. All these places provide new challenges and new inspiration.”

SC: Tell us about your typical workday (or as typical a workday might get).
MH: “It’s a cliche, but there really is no typical work day! It starts early (Nick and I have a proper breakfast together every day to keep us on track and set ourselves) and ends late (that’s a given). We travel to see franchisees a fair bit and I’m lucky enough to meet a lot of really interesting people – from a huge range (whether they be inspirational business leaders sharing their wisdom or creative and dynamic brands we work with). So that keeps things very varied. Thankfully a good amount is spent at our London Fields HQ—where we have a studio and office—I love the area and I love being close to the action.”

SC: What habits/hobbies do you do to keep yourself inspired? Tell us about something you do for yourself or for friends that keeps you happy and gets you going.
MH: “Meditation is a good habit I really try and keep to. Headspace keeps me in check on that front.”
NH: “A little green tea and yoga. Or any exercise for that matter. Get the blood and energy flowing is a thousand times better than any stimulant.”

SC: What art exhibits have you seen recently and what music are you listening to (if any) that put you in the right mood to create? What’s on your current playlist?
MH: “Ai Wei Wei was sublime. Really powerful and visually stunning. Benjamin Clementine is on the playlist – lots of soulful vibes at the mo soothing me into winter.

SC: Where do you live in London? Where is your personal office (at home or elsewhere)? Or where in the city do you like to work if you’re mobile?
MH: “I live in Peckham. Work at our HQ in London fields.”

SC: What is your favourite restaurant, cafe or bar in London or elsewhere? What is your favourite hotel or event space in London or elsewhere?
MH: “Dandy cafe and Pidgin are two of my favourite new spots around our office. Both amazing. And Peckham is full of great spots (Artusi, Peckham bazaar etc). On event spaces – I’m scoping out lots at the moment for our event series in January and for my forthcoming wedding to my girlfriend, in fact!”

SC: Golden piece of advice?
MH: “Roll the dice. A lot of people spend years finessing a business plan or agonizing over a logo. Get going and then learn as you go along.”
NH: “(When it comes to practicing yoga) book your class in and then you will go. Otherwise it will never happen.”

SC: Guilty pleasure?
NH: “We love the Rye chocolate cookie from the local bakery, E5 Bake House.”

SC: Greatest lesson learned?
MH: “When you own a business, it’s pretty hard to be an outlier. Most business truisms are just that—true.”

SC: Motto you live by?
MH: “The yoga world is too full of corny mottos for me to make one up and throw it in! I don’t have one. Just a decent set of principles.”
NH: “How much fun can you have today? Aim for as much fun as possible.”

SC: Favourite movie.
MH: Shame directed by Steve McQueen and A Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) by Paolo Sorrentino.

Text: Glynnis Mapp 
Photos: Andrey Uverskiy