Thoughts on Hot Yoga?

SoftHeat

Is hot yoga the same as regular yoga but in a room with an increased temp? Also, I have only done yoga a few times & it was several years ago. Would hot yoga be a bad idea to get myself started?

RunDoozer

it's hot

SoftHeat

it's hot

Hot like Florida in July or hot like Hell in August?

gs1941

I love hot yoga. I go to Moksha Yoga every Sunday and it is only $5.00. It is a great workout and you feel extremely calm and relaxed after. Just remember to drink lots of water before practice and after!!!

shutyourpieholeandsquat

bring a towel to wipe your face or otherwise you'll find yourself grabbing your socks and wiping your face.

Seriously.

shutyourpieholeandsquat

it's hot

Hot like Florida in July or hot like Hell in August?

Ours is like hell in August and steamy. We write on the windows HELP backwards so the people outside can see :laugh:

sunnshhiine

Is hot yoga the same as regular yoga but in a room with an increased temp? Also, I have only done yoga a few times & it was several years ago. Would hot yoga be a bad idea to get myself started?

hot yoga is perfect if you hate yourself.

sageryu21

Bikrum yoga is challenging but very fulfilling in the long run. You are doing 26 poses or rather 13 poses twice, depending on what studio you go to. The poses and the heat help dispel toxins from your body as well as help with flexibility. When you are down in Corpse Pose at the end, your body and mind will be praising your name. Bring water and 2 towels to wipe yourself down with as well as place on your mat to prevent from slipping.

grkatie

Hot yoga is AWESOME!!! I love it. It is the same as a regular Vanyassa class but set at usually 95 degrees. It's a dry heat, so it's warm but it's not humid. You will be fine- just drink lots of water. It is a SERIOUS workout though, you will be working your butt off the whole class. I'd suggest if you've never done one before to see if the studio offers a basics or beginners class- you don't want to be looking around at what the pose is throughout class lol. Have a good time!

smn76237

Hot yoga is typically practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees. There are 26 poses that you go through. I personally cannot stand exercising in such a heated environment, and I also hate knowing which poses are coming next. I do love regular yoga (70-80 degree room please and thank you!) and practice 3-4 times a week. Depending on the class, you can really torch some serious calories, heated room or not.

LouSmorals

Hot like Florida in July or hot like Hell in August?

They are the same thing

MysteriousMerlin

My sister loves it, but I think I would die.

kyherber

I've been a practicing yogini for a little over a year now, and I'm absolutely in love with hot yoga. Yes, hot yoga is just yoga done in a hot room, but there are so many types of yoga (it's been around thousands of year and there has been a lot of inevitable splitting between schools of thought) that that "hot yoga" in itself is not a very helpful or descriptive a moniker. Look at what studios around you offer. If it's in a hot room and advertised as hot yoga, it's highly likely that it will be vinyasa, power yoga, power flow, or something along those lines. The word "vinyasa" means "to place together," and the practice places together different poses in a sequence that flows with the breath. I love this type of yoga, because although it takes several classes to get even a little bit of a hold on it, the breathing and flowing becomes very meditative. Don't give up! The power yogas are generally newer branches of vinyasa, meaning that they will have some flowing sequences and might incorporate longer, sustained postures (about a minute or so), especially standing poses. All of these types of yoga listed above are very physically demanding, but the beautiful part about yoga is that it is a student's responsibility to accurately self-assess their level and to take rest when needed. There is NO SHAME in taking rest or modifications to make the pose gentler. In fact, as a yoga assistant and teacher in training, I love seeing people taking care of their bodies this way, and it shows that the practitioner has a more developed practice than one who might try to push beyond their current physical limitations and risk injury.

If you're interested in taking classes, make sure that you've eaten well a few hours beforehand and are hydrated. You will want to bring a towel (there are specific yoga mat towels for this purpose, and I highly recommend getting one if you start practicing and decide it's something you want to continue doing, but if you're just trying a few classes out, just bring a bath or beach towel). This is to soak up the inevitable sweat, and to keep your hands from slipping on the mat.

Remember, due to the freedom of sequencing available in vinyasa and other types of flow yoga, different teacher within a studio might teach fairly different classes. Also, different studios might support different emphases (more spiritual, more "work-out" based, more gentle, whatever), so if you try out a few classes and don't really connect to any of them, try a different teacher or studio. If you're still not convinced, I HIGHLY recommend trying a different type of yoga, just to see if it works for you. I am the hugest fan of yoga, really. Can you tell?

Like I said, the first few classes are going to be physically demanding and mentally confusing. Stick it out, and going to a yoga class may become one of the most fulfilling choices you've ever made.

LMK if you have any questions Sorry for the info dump, it's just something I'm super passionate about.

eclaireya

I have been practicing Bikram Yoga since May 2013 and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. The room is 105 degrees with 40-50% humidity. Before I started going, I had tried maybe a handful of classes and liked it but never committed. Bikram just spoke to me I guess. I was really nervous about the heat but knew about 10 minutes into the class that I loved it and would keep with it. Bikram is a 90 minute class with the same two sets of 26 poses. I thought it might get boring but it doesn't and I like the fact that I could step into any Bikram Yoga studio in the world and get the same class. The repetition also gives you the opportunity to really get into each pose and get to your best place in the pose.

I used to run longer distances but suffered a back injury and needed something- and to me, the endurance of staying in the sweltering class is similar to the test of endurance with long distance running. And the heat- sometimes it gets to me, mostly it doesn't. It will always feel hot, but I have had a few classes where it felt too hot to me and it was a real challenge to get through the class. But mostly it just is what it is. I also like to sweat with a workout so the sweating to me is good. And Bikram Yoga, and really yoga in any form, is so good for more than just a workout, flexibility, strength, etc. I have only had 3 migraines since starting...I used to get 3 in a month. I have less anxiety, and am just a calmer person when I'm practicing.

Hope this helps and good luck!

kyherber

Bikram and Hot Yoga are not synonymous, but Bikram is in a hot room. I hope that clears up some potential confusion.

cathipa

I just did my first session yesterday. I'm in VA and summer here was worse than being in the class. Humid and hot, but not miserable. I enjoyed it for relaxing and stretching. It was a nice deviation from my typical run/walk or doing an aerobic workout. I will probably do it again.

BlueBombers

No thanks

gpizzy

I thoroughly enjoy hot yoga. I haven't done Bikram's which is on carpet, and is your regular heating turned up super high, opposed to infrared heating (the kind I have done). I understand the practice of Bikram's is quite intense as well with many people telling me they couldn't wipe sweat from themselves or drink water throughout the class. I attend classes at a local studio that does hot yoga and is heated by infrared which sort of heats from the inside out so is less intense. The types of class vary in difficulty and practice, so flow, or hatha, etc. Like I said, I thoroughly enjoy it.

Muddy_Yogi

I absolutely love hot yoga. It really helps with flexibility with the muscles being so warm. I don't get to do it often but I do try to go every couple months.

DrMAvDPhD

Anything that tells you you are expelling toxins by sweating is BS. However, I like hot yoga because it loosens my muscles up and lets me a get a nice deep stretch that regular yoga doesn't quite get to.

hawkeygal

Bikram is totally different than hot yoga.

Like one of the posters said, Bikram is a set set of 26 poses. The temp has to be 105F exactly.

Hot yoga can be any series of poses; and the temp can vary from 96-105F.

Both are challenging.

The first time you go, it will be a mind game, so keep that in mind. Your main goal/focus is relaxing and staying in the room.

I LOVE both of them. I feel at peace and more focused than traditional yoga.

Also, be mindful to take small sips, rather than huge gulps to prevent tummy aches/cramping during your practice. Also, you'll have to get used to all the sweat. While Bikram (and hot) yoga encourages not to wipe it, it's hard not to. Once you have a consistent practice, you won't even notice it as much as the first few times.

Hope this helps!

hawkeygal

also, in regards to detoxifying your body through hot/Bikram, you do, but it's not so much with the heat (as that allows you to become looser and not so restricted) but in the actual poses targeting specific areas on your body.

rml_16

Is hot yoga the same as regular yoga but in a room with an increased temp? Also, I have only done yoga a few times & it was several years ago. Would hot yoga be a bad idea to get myself started?

Sort of. There's hot yoga and then there's Bikram Yoga. Bikram is licensed and is a specific set of poses done in succession over and over and held for specific periods of time.

Hot yoga is just yoga in a heated room.

Personally, I sweat enough doing yoga in air conditioning with a fan going that I have no desire to do it in 100-plus degrees. People claim it burns more calories (it doesn't) and that it rids your body of "toxins," though I guess sweating in any way kind of does that, but it isn't necessary.

If you think you'll enjoy it, do it (but make sure you're well-hydrated). Otherwise, just do regular yoga.

Escloflowne

I love it, doing cardio after an hour of hot yoga is great, I feel very loose and my legs can deal with higher resistance on the cardio machines.

positivesky

Is hot yoga the same as regular yoga but in a room with an increased temp? Also, I have only done yoga a few times & it was several years ago. Would hot yoga be a bad idea to get myself started?

This is a thing? If it floats your boat, why not? :drinker:

ninerbuff

Bikrum yoga is challenging but very fulfilling in the long run. You are doing 26 poses or rather 13 poses twice, depending on what studio you go to. The poses and the heat help dispel toxins from your body as well as help with flexibility. When you are down in Corpse Pose at the end, your body and mind will be praising your name. Bring water and 2 towels to wipe yourself down with as well as place on your mat to prevent from slipping.

The heat helps you to sweat and release water and salt. There are no "toxins" that are being released.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

tempehforever

It's not something I'm into, but people seem to enjoy it. I'd much rather do yoga in a regular room than a hot room. Remember, you're not actually "detoxing" anything by sweating more. However, some people say the heat makes them more flexible, so there's that.

The fact that Bikrum yoga uses the same sequence every time (and is trademarked!) is weird to me.

amelia_atlantic

It's hot and humid but I prefer it! You can get into the poses better and it's just an overall sense of cleansing. I do heated vinyassa which is more cardio and arm balances because there's a "flow."

It doesn't matter the last time you practiced. You can always lie in child's pose if you need a moment.

ninerbuff

also, in regards to detoxifying your body through hot/Bikram, you do

No you don't. This is bad information that not recognized by any journals of medicine, physiology or biology.

but it's not so much with the heat (as that allows you to become looser and not so restricted) but in the actual poses targeting specific areas on your body.

And there are no exercises that target any part of the body to "release" any fat/toxin/water etc.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

in4nomz

I love Hot Yoga!! The heat helps you deepen your stretch just a litttttle more than you normally can, you sweat like crazy you just feel cleansed afterwards (though it isn't proven to sweat out toxins like some claim). I like doing it on days when I want to take off from the gym and heavy weights, but still want to work my body. If you can get classes at a decent price, I highly suggest it.

samiakhalid

I loved it but WAY too long a class for me. An hour and a half and that's without changing and getting in and out of sticky sweaty yoga clothes.