Hot Yoga – Effect on Health

Hot Yoga or Bikram Yoga is practiced in a heated room.



Normally even the humidity maintained is quite high. There are enormous physical and mental health benefits to be had from the practice of hot yoga. However, there is a downside, as well; in as much as Yoga-related injuries are on the rise, even though, most can be prevented. Hot, Yoga is one of the most famous practices for physical and mental welfare in America today.



And for good reason, too. For a great complete body workout that can be done on all levels, give Hot Yoga a try.

Hot Yoga is practised in a room heated between 100 and 115 degrees. It is normally kept at 60% humidity, depending upon each studio’s personal privacy policy. Even though you have to be in, appreciably, good physical health to participate in hot yoga, it is not for all and sundry.



Even Choudhury Bikram, the founder of hot yoga, affectionately calls to his studio the “torture chamber.” And for good reason, too.

Benefits of Bikram Yoga

Inspite of the sweat and, oftentimes, light-headedness that results from this extreme workout, the benefits to one’s physical and mental health are just too many to be ignored. First of all, what’s on everyone’s mind these days – Bikram yoga can help with weight loss. When warm, the body burns fat more efficiently. Even the metabolism accelerates the assimilation of glucose and fatty acids. As part of a hot yoga class, it is quite normal to lose inches from problem areas in a very short span of time.

This is because the heat creates a far easier stretch as warm muscles are more flexible and malleable. This allows for more range of movement in the joints, muscles, ligaments and other parts of the body. The cardiovascular system also gets a very thoroughly massaged. In the heat, the capillaries enlarge more and this brings oxygen more effectively into the tissues, muscles, glands and organs. This helps in waste expulsion.

The long term effects of Bikram Yoga are also too good to ignore. For example, the muscles and connective tissue turn elastic and permit more flexibility. Plus there is lesser risk of injury and better resolution of injury. Sweating causes detoxification throughout the skin – this, by the way, is the body's largest eliminating organ. Just as your body temperature increases to fight infection, the increased room temperature will help improve T-cell function and the right functioning of the immune system.

The most important plus points, perhaps, are the mental health benefits. You will enjoy more willpower through restraint, self-discipline, focus and willpower. Besides, the effects on the stress in one’s life and how one manages it are unbelievable. You will pick up techniques to help you control your reactions to the stress stimulants you encounter throughout the day.