What Is Hot Yoga? 7 Incredible Health Benefits of Hot Yoga

Are you interested in learning more about what is hot yoga? How can you benefit from it, and who should try it? This article will take a closer look at what is hot yoga and how you can get started safely, and more.

Hot yoga has become popular in recent years. Especially in cities with younger crowds, hot yoga studios seem to pop up out of nowhere. Hot yoga refers to different styles in warm and heated studios for a more intense workout. You must be wondering what is hot yoga; you will find your answer in this article.

Like traditional yoga, hot yoga offers a range of benefits to mental and physical health, flexibility, and overall well-being. It provides the same benefits as regular yoga, includes– reduce stress, enhancing strength, and increasing flexibility. But, with the heat turned up, hot yoga can give your heart, lungs, and muscles an even more excellent, more intense workout. Want to know what is hot yoga? Keep reading to find out more.

“Hot yoga is the best. When you’re in [class], there are no cell phones, talking, or distractions. You’re taking a leave from reality for an hour or so.”

What Is Hot Yoga?

What is hot yoga? Hot yoga is a style of hatha yoga and a more intense form of yoga. It is performed in a room heated above normal temperature, leading to considerable sweating. Typically, the temperature range is between 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the duration of classes can be anywhere between 60-90 minutes. 

Hot yoga follows the concept of heat and exertion to relieve toxins through sweat. Hot yoga sessions include any variety of poses– asanas that may vary from class to class, depending on the yoga instructor’s preparations. It provides music and more interaction among the people in the class.

Do you hear the term “Bikram Yoga”? There is a lot of confusion between “Hot yoga” and “Bikram yoga,” and many people use them interchangeably. However, they are not relatable; while all Bikram is hot, not all hot yoga is Bikram.

People performed Bikram yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41°C) with 40 percent humidity. There are two breathing exercises and 26 yoga postures. Bikram yoga– the original form of Western hot yoga, developed by an Indian-American guru named Bikram Choudhury. It is based on the teachings of B.C, and Ghosh became popular in the early 1970s. Bikram yoga sessions typically last 90minutes. And unlike hot yoga, which is a bit louder and interactive, Bikram yoga often is a quieter, serious practice. 

However, in 2013 due to sexual assault, discrimination, and defamation allegations against its founder, some studios now call it “hot yoga” rather than ‘Bikram yoga” to describe their heated classes. 

People trained in other styles can also facilitate hot yoga, and Bikram practitioners can only conduct Bikram yoga. Additionally, many proponents of Bikram yoga say it improves heart health and helps them lose weight. Supporters claim that the heat allows the heart to beat faster, burning more calories and improving cardiovascular health. Hot yoga can give your muscles, lungs, and heart a more intense workout than a regular yoga class because it takes place in a heated room—still, no scientific evidence supports these benefits.

And the practice is not about extremes. The notion is that if you’re sweating a lot, the workout is too challenging; however, if your breathing or heart rate begins to elevate, you should stop and take a rest.

Hot Yoga vs. Traditional Yoga

After discussing what is hot yoga, let’s compare it with traditional yoga.

Traditional yoga is conducted at room temperature, between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (20 and 22.2 degrees Celsius), while hot yoga is performed at a temperature higher than usual.

Regarding physical endurance and risk, hot yoga can be riskier for those with specific medical problems than traditional yoga.

Yoga postures can be more vigorous with heat, but there is a higher chance of injury.

Other Types of Hot Yoga

Hot yoga is used by many different yoga styles, including Bikram. Other types include:

• Vinyasa Yoga.
• Moksha Yoga (also known as Modo Yoga).
• CorePower Yoga.
• Forrest Yoga.
• Hot Yin Yoga.
• Hot Power Yoga.
• Hot Fusion Yoga.

There are also temperature changes, and some people might like warm yoga, performed in a gently heated studio to a temperature between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 and 29.4 degrees Celsius).

I hope that you have found the answer to what is hot yoga now.

Health Benefits of Hot Yoga

Hot yoga and Bikram yoga seek to promote mental relaxation and enhance physical fitness, regardless of the ambient temperature. Yoga can be more challenging to practice in a hotter place, but some advantages might be noteworthy.

After comparing what is hot yoga and traditional yoga? Let’s discuss a few health benefits of hot yoga. Following are some advantages of hot yoga that, when practiced appropriately and safely, are often comparable to traditional yoga.

1. Improves flexibility

Stretching after your muscles have warmed up is safer than stretching them when cold; perhaps you may already be aware. Blood arteries expand due to heat, enhancing blood supply to the muscles. Hot yoga uses moist heat to “warm-up” the muscles and helps them to relax.

Consequently, yoga poses can be more straightforward and effective in hot yoga studio classes. You can stretch a little further and attain a wider range of motion thanks to the heat.

According to a study, individuals in Bikram yoga had more flexibility in their lower back, shoulders, and hamstrings after two months than in the control group.

Most yoga poses and other forms of exercise involve active stretching, which improves muscle strength and flexibility.

2. Strengthens Muscles

Strength-building is a goal of many yoga poses, and one must hold the position for at least 60 seconds to develop muscle strength.

The High Plank, Dolphin, Chair, Boat, and Side Plank are examples of postures.

While holding positions, yoga practitioners use their body weight as resistance. Hot yoga poses can work on upper and lower body strength.

Study shows that practicing Bikram yoga can enhance adults’ balance, upper and lower body range of motion and lower body strength.

3. Strengthens Bones

In addition to increasing bone density, sustaining body weight while holding a position can also benefit. Since bone density reduces with age, this is crucial for older people and pre-menopausal women.

According to a study, pre-menopausal women who practice Bikram yoga may sustain and even improve their bone mineral density in their neck, hips, and lower back. So, it can be a helpful strategy for preventing osteoporosis in women.

4. Burns More Calories

Compared to regular yoga, the heat and the longer duration a person performs strenuous poses can help people burn more calories.

In a study contrasting hot yoga with traditional yoga, it was discovered that hot yoga enhanced fat metabolism. Additionally, it may increase the range of flexibility in all four significant joints—the elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee.

Even if it isn’t quite as rigorous as a Bikram yoga class, hot yoga will still burn more calories than regular yoga.

5. Reduces Stress

Many people use yoga as a healthy stress-reduction technique. According to a study, Bikram yoga lowers mental stress and anxiety.

In addition, a study discovered that a 16-week Bikram yoga program for stressed out, sedentary people increased their self-efficacy, perceived stress, and health-related quality of life. The notion that you are in charge of your actions and social surroundings.

6. Improves Cardiovascular Health

Hot yoga might be more challenging than a conventional yoga¹ class because of the high temperature, and it increases metabolism and puts more strain on the heart, lungs, and muscles.

A study found that practicing hot yoga can help elite female field hockey players with their cardiovascular health and plasma volume².

Yoga postures³ can be more challenging to perform in a hot environment, making them better for your heart, lungs, and muscles.

7. Improves Mental Health

Many people believe that yoga is an excellent approach to calm and boost their mental health⁴.

In addition, a review discovered that practicing yoga could be an effective intervention for lowering anxiety and sadness in kids and teenagers.

The American Psychology Association states that it could be a beneficial therapy for easing the signs of depression⁵.

Yoga is an efficient approach to lessen depressed symptoms, according to research that looked at the practice as a treatment for depression.

Potential Drawbacks and Safety Tips

After comparing what is hot yoga and its health benefits, let’s discuss some potential side effects and safety measures of hot yoga. Hot yoga is typically risk-free if you’re in excellent health, but there are some safety considerations to bear in mind, as with most forms of exercise.

Hot yoga poses a significant risk of dehydration. Drinking water is crucial before, during, and following a hot yoga class. Electrolytes ⁶lost during your hot yoga class may be replaced with the use of a low-calorie sports drink.

The risk of collapsing in a warm environment may increase with people having pre-existing health conditions. It incorporates anorexia nervosa, diabetes, cardiac conditions, vascular anomalies, and fainting episodes in the past.

Hot yoga may make you feel faint or dizzy if you have low blood pressure or blood sugar. To ensure that hot yoga is safe for you, see your doctor.

Pregnant women should speak with their doctor before attempting a hot yoga class.

You may need to continue yoga practiced at a normal temperature if you’ve already experienced issues with heat intolerance.

 In the End

Let’s hope you now have a clearer understanding of what is hot yoga?

If you still have questions about what is hot yoga, how it’ll be beneficial for you? Talk to your health professional or yoga trainee before changing your daily exercise routine.

If you have any questions or comments on the topic what is hot yoga, kindly leave a remark below. Have a wonderful day, and thank you so much!

Here is more reading material if you enjoyed this one.

1. Nagalakshmi Vallabhaneni, Dr P. Prabhavathy. “The analysis of the impact of yoga on healthcare and conventional strategies for human pose recognition.” Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT) 12.6 (2021): 1772-1783. ↩︎
2. Schlittler, Maja, et al. “Regulation of plasma volume in male lowlanders during 4 days of exposure to hypobaric hypoxia equivalent to 3500 m altitude.” The Journal of physiology 599.4 (2021): 1083-1096. ↩︎
3. Rishan, Fazil, et al. “Infinity yoga tutor: Yoga posture detection and correction system.” 2020 5th International conference on information technology research (ICITR). IEEE, 2020. ↩︎
4. Moreno, Carmen, et al. “How mental health care should change as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The lancet psychiatry 7.9 (2020): 813-824. ↩︎
5. Thapar, Anita, et al. “Depression in young people.” The Lancet 400.10352 (2022): 617-631. ↩︎
6. Li, Matthew, et al. “New concepts in electrolytes.” Chemical reviews 120.14 (2020): 6783-6819. ↩︎

Last Updated on February 13, 2024 by Suchi