What is Hot Yoga?
Hot yoga is a vigorous type of Yoga that is performed in hot and humid conditions with temperatures between 85 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It is a popular form of fitness-oriented yoga and is said to deliver a plethora of calorie-burning and flexibility-improving benefits. Hot yoga offers many of the benefits of traditional yoga and has roots in tradition-based Ashtanga-style yoga.
Hot yoga aims to elevate the body temperature and encourage sweating, which is believed to help detoxify the body, burn calories, improve flexibility, and boost stamina. There are different styles of Hot yoga, the most typical one being Bikram Yoga. Other styles of Hot yoga differ from Bikram Yoga in terms of the sequence of postures, instructions, temperature, humidity, styles, etc. The Bikram style of Hot yoga is more structured with the same poses followed in the 90-minute class.
Different Types of Hot Yoga
Bikram Yoga
A traditional Bikram yoga class involves 26 precisely-sequenced postures, two breathing exercises, performed in a heated room (40 degrees celsius) with a humidity level of 40 percent for almost 90 minutes. The class ends with a 2-minute corpse pose or Shavasana. Until 2010 Bikram yoga was only considered equivalent to Hot Yoga. But later due to its widespread popularity many tried to imitate it and name their classes Hot Yoga.
Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga
This variation of Hot yoga was developed by Baron Baptiste and blends Ashtanga, Iyengar, Bikram, and other styles of yoga with the room temperature set at about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Every single class of Baptiste Yoga is different based on the teacher and the students are also encouraged to take things at their own pace. BPV Yoga is focused on poses, meditation, and self-awareness. It can be practiced by any and all yogis. Baptiste-style yoga teachers are positive, encouraging, grounded, aware, and attentive.
Moksha Yoga
Moksha Yoga or Moda Yoga was developed in Canada in 2004 by Jessica Robertson and Ted Grand, both human rights and environmental activists. Moda Yoga involves the same poses and room conditions as Bikram Yoga, but the poses vary by teacher. Moksha yoga is a bit more flexible allowing changes in the sequencing and different class types. The classes last for 60 to 90 minutes. This yoga style is slower and is a mixture of therapeutic and traditional yoga practiced in a heated room.
Hot Power Yoga
Someone who doesn’t want to practice the same poses again and again and would also prefer some temperature difference should go for Hot power yoga classes. Hot power yoga inculcates a wide range of styles like the Vinyasa flow to move from one pose to another and room temperatures between 85-100 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot power yoga does not follow a rigid sequence of poses. Therefore. each class is different depending upon the studio/instructor.
How did Hot Yoga Start?
Bikram Choudhury an Indian-born American yoga teacher is considered the founder of Hot yoga, which he named Bikram Yoga. This form of yoga was popularised by him in the 1970s in California. Bikram set up his first hot yoga studio in Beverly Hills in 1973 and very quickly earned a huge following. He sequenced traditional Yoga in a specific order to promote the health of both body and mind. The poses were systematically chosen and designed by Choudhury from Hath Yoga to attain the desired results. It wasn’t the heat that made this traditional style of yoga work and so popular. The teaching, principles, education, practice methods worked together to create transformative benefits.
Sometimes Bikram Yoga is referred to and compared to Hot Yoga as the poses are done in heated rooms, but the two are different. Any yoga practice that is done in a hot room can be called Hot Yoga. Other Hot Yoga rooms are not as hot as the rooms used to practice Bikram Yoga. In 2016, Bikram was accused of running a cult of sexual harassment and even rape by some of his former students. Then he moved to India where he continues to teach yoga.
There is no conclusive evidence of anyone using a heated room to practice yoga before Bikram Choudhary’s classes. However, there are several examples of people using heat to create healing environments. From Finnish sauna to the use of steam baths in Ayurveda, sweating for improving general health and to treat colds and flu is common to almost every culture in the world. Many hot yoga practices copy and recreate the heat and humidity of India, where yoga is believed to have originated.
Benefits of Hot Yoga
- One of the main and important benefits of hot yoga is detoxification. The heavy sweating during the practice helps flush out the toxins from the body.
- The heat also allows the practitioner to go a little deeper into the poses safely and makes transitions comparatively easier. When your muscles get heated, they can stretch more easily which reduces the likelihood of injuries.
- An increase in body temperature spikes the metabolism also.
- Practicing yoga in a heated room increases the heart rate, which makes the body work harder and helps burn more calories.
- Hot yoga is an intense cardiovascular workout that can help you develop strength, flexibility, and also tone your body.
- Working in heat also helps your body relax and improves breathing which can be helpful in conditions like asthma.
- The emphasis on deep breathing during the practice increases the circulation of oxygen through the body.
Risks
Sometimes improper supervision and overstretching in heat can lead to sprains and strains. Heat delays the pain response as you approach your flexibility limits, which can make you overstretch and cause injuries. Excessive sweating during the practice can also lead to dehydration if the practitioners do not drink enough water. Pregnant women should not practice Hot Yoga. Even people with low blood pressure or heart problems should also limit the amount of time they spend in the heat. They should always consult a doctor before trying out any kind of Hot Yoga class.
The Takeaway
While sweating and heat can work wonders for your waistline, stamina, flexibility, they can also dehydrate you. To practice Hot yoga safely, drink lots of water and take a break and leave the room if the heating becomes too much. During the practice, it is very important to pay attention to how your body feels. Hot yoga may or may not work for you. If it doesn’t there is always another type of yoga that is going to be fine for you.
