Benefits of hot yoga: It can burn a ton of calories, but it's not for everyone
While the health benefits of yoga are many, and include muscle strengthening, improved sleep, enhanced flexibility and reduced stress; there are multiple styles and methods of the exercise − each providing varying benefits of their own. Some such types include karma yoga, Kundalini yoga, Bhakti yoga, tantra yoga, yin yoga, hatha yoga, power yoga, yoga nidra and prenatal yoga.
Hot yoga is one of the most popular yoga trends today and is often incorporated into other yoga practices. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, does it and has called hot yoga one of her favorite forms of exercise. Hailey Bieber practices hot yoga, too, as does Jessica Alba and Alex Rodriguez.
But experts say hot yoga isn't for everyone, and that the heat element central to hot yoga isn't part of yoga's spiritual origins. "Heat isn’t even purported to add to the spirituality of yoga which is, after all, its point for many," says Loren Fishman, MD, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Columbia University and the medical director of Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
What is hot yoga?
Hot yoga is simply any form of yoga that is done in a heated environment. "Such environments typically range from 90 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit," explains Brett Larkin, a certified yoga instructor and founder of Uplifted Yoga. It can be done in conjunction with standard yoga poses or during "rigorous power yoga styles for an intense workout," says Larkin. "You can experience hot yoga performing any other style of yoga be it hatha, vinyasa or yin."
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How is hot yoga different from regular yoga?
While many traditional yoga practices are about increasing strength and flexibility, centering oneself or connecting to the aforementioned spiritual roots of yoga, hot yoga is all about the sweat.
"The originator of this concept was Indian-born American yoga guru, Bikram Choudrey," explains Larkin. To recreate the idea of practicing yoga outdoors in India for his students, he decided to heat his studio to 105 degrees while performing several key yoga postures. The heated style excited onlookers and participants alike, and "hot yoga exploded in popularity," Larkin explains. "Today, many studios offer yoga classes in heated rooms across a variety of styles."
In addition to Bikram yoga being practiced in a heated environment, Fishman says that power yoga is almost always practiced as a hot yoga technique as well. "Hot yoga’s only difference from non-hot yoga is thermal," he explains. "It can be done outside in the steamy jungles of Sri Lanka, but can also be done indoors no matter what the temperature is outside, including the snowy Himalayas."
What is the point of hot yoga?
As with any yoga practice, people participate in hot yoga for a variety of reasons. Many love the sweating aspect of it especially, and "some studies do show that perspiring is good for the skin," says Fishman. Along with all that sweat comes a good cardio workout that burns a lot of calories − especially when compared to more traditional yoga styles. "A 90-minute hot yoga session burns an average of 330 calories," says Fishman. But he adds that most of the weight loss attributed to hot yoga is usually just perspired water weight "which is quickly (and sensibly) replaced by hydrating." Even still, "several studies have shown that doing yoga in a heated environment does make you stronger more quickly," he says.
Another one of hot yoga's benefits is enhanced breathing techniques. "I think the overlooked benefit of hot yoga is that it forces practitioners to have a greater awareness of their breathing," says Larkin. "Performing poses in a heated room requires more stamina and endurance and forces yogis to attune to their breath in a deeper way," she says.
What's more, Larkin explains that many also find that being in a heated room warms up their muscles, allowing for greater flexibility as they stretch into postures, and that "sweating during hot yoga may also facilitate the release of toxins from the body."
Who should not do hot yoga?
Despite such benefits, Larkin says "hot yoga is not for everyone," and to "always check with your healthcare provider before engaging in it." Some potential harms of the practice include an increased risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, per the Mayo Clinic. And hot yoga is not recommended for pregnant women of people with asthma as it has been shown toaggravate that condition. It should also be avoided by anyone with a heart condition, Fishman says. "Heat dilates your blood vessels and makes your heart work harder, which can be dangerous," he explains.
"It's also easy to get dehydrated doing hot yoga," adds Larkin. "No matter what, wear breathable, sweat-wicking clothing − and drink tons of water."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Benefits of hot yoga: Why the stars do it, calories burned
