Thoughts on Hot Yoga?

2

Replies

  • hawkeygal
    hawkeygal Posts: 133 Member
    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
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    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
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
    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
    positivesky Posts: 20 Member
    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
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,454 Member
    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
    tempehforever Posts: 183 Member
    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
    amelia_atlantic Posts: 926 Member
    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
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,454 Member
    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
    in4nomz Posts: 230
    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
    samiakhalid Posts: 6 Member
    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.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Really, only you are going to be able to decide whether you like it or not (or if it is something you can handle)..so just try it out for a class and two :)
  • pagraham1971
    pagraham1971 Posts: 37 Member
    i love hot yoga, i go to Moksha 4 times per week, and it has helped me lose 23 lbs since October. I usually do the 60 min classes during the week, and up it to a 75 and 90 min class on the weekens. I look forward to every class that I go to, I feel awesome afterwards, and after going for awahile it doesn't even feel that hot anymore. My goal is to try a power flow class, i am just working my way up to it.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    No you don't. This is bad information that not recognized by any journals of medicine, physiology or biology.

    I don't know if Western medicine does but Ayurvedic medicine recognizes it. I'm skeptical about sweating out toxins but who knows if poses that stimulate the various glands and organs help them do their job? I think there are truths in Eastern medicine that maybe Western medicine just hasn't gotten around to studying. Yoga's been around a long time and a lot of the world practices it, possibly more than practice Western medicine.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    No you don't. This is bad information that not recognized by any journals of medicine, physiology or biology.

    I don't know if Western medicine does but Ayurvedic medicine recognizes it. I'm skeptical about sweating out toxins but who knows if poses that stimulate the various glands and organs help them do their job? I think there are truths in Eastern medicine that maybe Western medicine just hasn't gotten around to studying. Yoga's been around a long time and a lot of the world practices it, possibly more than practice Western medicine.
    What does Ayurvedic medicine base that belief on? And what are life expectancies of people who solely use Eastern medicine over those using Western medicine?
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member
    No you don't. This is bad information that not recognized by any journals of medicine, physiology or biology.

    I don't know if Western medicine does but Ayurvedic medicine recognizes it. I'm skeptical about sweating out toxins but who knows if poses that stimulate the various glands and organs help them do their job? I think there are truths in Eastern medicine that maybe Western medicine just hasn't gotten around to studying. Yoga's been around a long time and a lot of the world practices it, possibly more than practice Western medicine.

    One would think that toxin removal is something that could be measured, no?
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    rml-16: I don't know, if you're interested you'd have to research that yourself.
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member
    I don't know, if you're interested you'd have to research that yourself.

    It wasn't me who suggested that certain poses possibly eliminates toxins, so I'll pass, thanks though.

    If some proponents of yoga want to put that forth, I'd think that the onus would be on them to show evidence of that, rather than the old argument that Western medicine hasn't caught up to Eastern medicine.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I don't know, if you're interested you'd have to research that yourself.

    It wasn't me who suggested that certain poses possibly eliminates toxins, so I'll pass, thanks though.

    If some proponents of yoga want to put that forth, I'd think that the onus would be on them to show evidence of that, rather than the old argument that Western medicine hasn't caught up to Eastern medicine.
    That teaching is as old as yoga itself, but since I don't think they were doing scientific studies back then, it's probably mostly just a spiritual belief. Kind of like you're not supposed to do inverted poses when you have your period because the energy flows the wrong way.
  • ddslowly
    ddslowly Posts: 46 Member
    it's the only sport i've asked about that i'm not medically cleared to do? heat + humidity=asthma attack in my world so, no hot yoga. my sister loves it though.
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member
    I don't know, if you're interested you'd have to research that yourself.

    It wasn't me who suggested that certain poses possibly eliminates toxins, so I'll pass, thanks though.

    If some proponents of yoga want to put that forth, I'd think that the onus would be on them to show evidence of that, rather than the old argument that Western medicine hasn't caught up to Eastern medicine.
    That teaching is as old as yoga itself, but since I don't think they were doing scientific studies back then, it's probably mostly just a spiritual belief. Kind of like you're not supposed to do inverted poses when you have your period because the energy flows the wrong way.

    Yeah, but you'd think now that the capabilities are available to do the studies, they would be done to show that there was elimination of toxins.