By EMILY HALL
ehall@soundpublishing.com

KINGSTON — Pardon the alliteration, but just down the street from their place to eat, the Pickards have opened “Sweet Heat.” And it’s, ahem, pretty neat.

Kingston’s locally famous Grub Hut is celebrated for its gourmet burgers, gyros, and Philly cheesesteaks. The owners, Sean and Tiziana “Tiz” Pickard, have prided themselves in their business being voted five years in a row as having the “Best Burger” by readers of the North Kitsap Herald.

Now, the Pickards have started a new venture. On Sept. 8, they opened Sweet Heat Yoga, a studio in Kingston that offers heated and unheated yoga classes. It is currently the only yoga studio in Kingston.

The Pickards have been running the Grub Hut in Kingston for eight years, most of which while they were living in the Seattle suburb of Lynnwood. There, they practiced yoga at a studio down the street from where they lived. In July 2014, when the Pickards moved to Kingston, they found themselves without a place to practice yoga. This motivated Mr. Pickard to earn his yogi certification by completing a 200-hour teacher training class. One year later, he and his wife opened Sweet Heat Yoga.

“Once you get it under your skin, you feel the benefits of it and want to share it,” said Mr. Pickard, citing his reason for starting the yoga studio.

At Sweet Heat Yoga, there are 12 instructors that teach 28 classes, collectively, per week. The heated yoga studio is set at a temperature between 90 and 95 degrees. Mr. Pickard describes this as “sweet heat,” because anything hotter is considered “oppressive heat.” At this stage, the human body begins to shut down, as it moves into survival mode to prevent from overheating. Yoga in cooler, sweet heat, however, allows the body to enjoy a toasty, relaxing workout.

Some like it hot. Others who are not quite ready to partake in heated yoga can enjoy non-heated yoga classes.

Yoga has been practiced for 5,000 years. It had its beginnings in ancient India, where it was first described in sacred Hindu texts. Many believed that practicing yoga was a way to get in touch with one’s inner spirituality, that it was a balance of body, mind, and spirit. Thousands of years later, when the British occupied India in the 19th century, yoga was introduced to European settlers, who in turn brought yoga to the Western world.

Involving no equipment at all (besides a mat), yoga is exercise that is beneficial to the human body. It improves chronic pain, lower body weight, balance and flexibility. Continuous practice leads to better emotional and mental clarity, fitness, and relaxation. It is a low-enough impact sport, so those just beginning or starting out with injuries are encouraged to start with that.

— Sweet Heat Yoga: 26569 Lindvog Road NE, Suite 102 (off Highway 104), Kingston. www.kingstonsweetheatyoga.com.