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If you are looking for a new take on yoga, a Hot Yoga class is the place to be. Many new yogi practicers often confuse Hot Yoga with a similar type of yoga called Bikram Yoga. Although many of the Hot practices were taken from the Bikram yoga program, they are not one in the same.
Bikram follows a very strict regime of yoga, used by the Yoga College of India, which was started by Bikram Choudbury. The main principles of the Bikram yoga class are for practicers to be in a room of at least 105 degrees Fahrenheit, following a specific regime of 26 asana poses to help promote proper breathing and meditation. |
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What is Hot Yoga?As an offspring of Bikram yoga, many yoga studios began offering Bikram classes, but since they were not taught by the Yoga College of India, Bikram himself put a stop to the use of the name. From here, the name “Hot Yoga” has been used instead to designate anyone teaching a similar style yoga class but without specific Yoga College of India certification.
Depending on the studio you attend, you may get a variation of Hot classes. Some follow Bikram’s yoga pretty closely, although not certified by the Yoga College of India, while others have simply taken the notion that a heated room can help in promoting a detoxification of the body. As well, a heated room usually helps to warm up the body and can aid in flexibility, circulation of the blood and breathing.
Most yoga studios will recommend that a heated room be at least 80 degrees in temperature, although many will strive for temperatures closer to 95-100 degrees. Because of the excess sweating caused by the heated room, it is essential to bring along your own yoga mat, as well as a towel to dry off with during the class. Most instructors will also recommend you drink a large quantity of water both before and after class to avoid dehydration.
More often than not, this is not a class for beginners, as it takes time to get used to the intensity of the heat, along with a rigorous routine of poses. Because the Hot instructors want students to really work up a sweat to detoxify the body, most that don’t follow along with Bikram’s exact specifications at least use Vinyasa or Ashtanga Yoga in order to really get the body moving. The intensity of the class, along with the significant amount of perspiration, makes Hot Yoga an excellent workout that can aid in weight loss.
As well, it should be noted that this type of yoga is not suitable for those with circulatory or heart problems, because of the high body temperature, which will inevitably raise the blood pressure and heart rate. This especially includes pregnant women because of the increase in body temperature and the strenuous level of exercises. If you are concerned that you might not be suitable for a Hot yoga class, be sure to consult a doctor before beginning.
Because Hot Yoga is meant to be done in a warm classroom with other warm bodies working hard nearby, there is yet to be a yoga video that undertakes this specific yoga ideology, although almost any yoga video could be used along with simply raising the temperature in your home.
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