First things first, I am not a health care professional and what I am writing is either my opinion or gathered information from the internet. So basically, take it or leave it, but it will definitely make you think and ponder.
So, what exactly is HOT YOGA? First, not all hot yoga is created equally. A lot of times when people hear hot yoga they will ask, “Oh, you mean Bikram, right?” Not necessarily. Bikram is an actual guy who created a set of 26 yoga poses that he deems to be the best ever when practiced in 95-108 degrees with a humidity of 40%. (If you want a fun story, ask me about my ONE Bikram experience). One particular studio I love to frequent when I am on vacation in California is Core Power Yoga. Some of their classes aren’t even called HOT but they raise the heat and humidity. Their specific hot classes are between 95 and 108 degrees with added humidity. Those classes do not have a set of poses, it is up to the teachers to create a sequence. Where I teach, we get to make up our sequences and our hot classes are 95+ degrees (teacher discretion) but we try to limit the humidity. When I teach I try to keep it “Arizona Hot” which is less than 20% humidity but the heat can get up to about 108 degrees. In summation, if you are interested in hot yoga you really have to try different places and see what works or doesn’t for you and your body.
That all said, I have been teaching hot yoga for a year now and lately people are asking, “So why exactly should I practice hot yoga?” It got me thinking….a lot!! Why the hell do people want to practice hot yoga? Why do I practice hot yoga? So I made this lovely, and funny, pros and cons chart.
And now I shall dissect each point.
Pro: It’s hot AF! Con: It’s hot AF!
Some people just love the heat, and some people can’t stand the heat. It really can be that simple. There are people who will never step foot into a hot yoga class or studio because they just plain don’t like being hot and sweaty. While others crave the heat. Think snowbirds from Canada and northern states going to Arizona during the winter; they want the heat. (I lived in Yuma, Arizona for 3 years which is why it’s easy to reference).
Pro: Your muscles warm up faster. Con: Your muscles warm up too fast.
Ideally in any sort of exercise or series of moves involving your muscles, you want your muscles to be warmed up. You especially want your muscles warmed up before doing deep bends, deep twists, or more challenging yoga pretzel poses. So if you’re in a hot environment it makes sense that you will get to that point a bit faster. But is that really better? Not necessarily. It might seem like you’re kinda cheating or skipping a step. And you also have to be careful for the next statement…
Pro: Allows you to go deeper into poses. Con: Allows you to go too deep into poses.
This is where safety is super important. You want to be able to get deeper into poses but maybe your body shouldn’t go that deep. It’s kind of like you’re giving your body a false sense of security. Your core temp is hot and you’re sweating like a pig so that must mean you can do everything you can’t do when you’re cold. Not exactly. And then there’s….
Pro: Increased flexibility. Con: Increased flexibility can lead to injury.
You just need to be careful and take things slow. Earlier I mentioned deep folds and twists and pretzel yoga. This is not an expert talking, but I would suggest that if you cannot fold and twist into a pretzel in a cooler environment after a bit of work, you probably shouldn’t push yourself to do it just because your body is hot. Also keep in mind, flexibility can increase and decrease day to day depending on what you have been doing. If you haven’t been to yoga in a week, your flexibility could decrease a bit, so trying to do the splits halfway through your class because you could do it the week before isn’t always going to end the same whether the room is hot or not.
Pro: It’s harder to breathe so you focus more on your breath. Con: It’s harder to breathe. Why is this even a pro?!
You should be focusing on your breath in EVERY yoga class and be able to fully inhale and fully exhale. You shouldn’t need heat to remind you to breath. You should really be more of an experienced yogi to enjoy this because you will know and understand how to slow your breath. To be honest, I am trying to argue the pro here but it’s really more of a con in my brain.
Pro: It’s like a sauna. Con: It’s like a sauna.
If you don’t enjoy the sauna you won’t enjoy a hot yoga class. I’ve done research on saunas and I understand why they are good, but you’re only supposed to sit in the sauna in 5-10 minute increments and you are not doing yoga poses. So again, if you don’t like the sauna or the idea of it then you won’t enjoy a hot yoga class.
Pro: It feels like a workout. Con: It feels like a workout.
Generally speaking, traditional yoga should NOT really feel like or be a workout. The yoga asana was originally invented as a physical practice to prep your body for increased relaxation and to sit in meditation for long periods of time. So yes, it’s physical and you are using muscles but it’s not meant to actually be a calorie/fat burning exercise. Yoga has been very westernized and has been geared towards a more “workout” type of movement, but if you want to lose weight, yoga in general, hot or not, is not really the answer. That being said, I am not saying you cannot use yoga as a means of physical exercise. Shoot, I have gained a ton of muscle from practicing yoga. But the caloric burn of a hot yoga sesh is not going to fix a bad diet…which is a totally different direction so I won’t even get into that. Back to the point, if you are looking for an hour of yoga “workout”, hot yoga IS for you!
Pro: It’s Detoxifying! Con: Sweat does NOT carry toxins out of the body.
This is a fun one to dissect because “it’s detoxifying” is definitely a phrase I have used. But after some research I have learned that the word detox has been wayyyy over-used and misused. Dictionary.com defines detox as “a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.” Just by reading that definition I can say that one hot yoga sesh is not going to rid your body of toxic substances. Abstaining from said toxic substances is going to help you detox. Will a hot yoga class help you to get over some of the side-effects of detoxing from those substances? Without a freaking doubt!! You’ll be too damn hot to remember you aren’t feeling great. But as far as physiology of the body goes, you cannot “sweat out” toxins in the body. But isn’t sweat bad shit coming out of your body? Nope!! Sweat is a natural reaction to your body getting too hot and trying to cool itself down. Another form of sweat is a nervous sweat that happens when your body goes into “fight or flight” mode and your nervous system is all effed up. Guess what yoga does? It calms your nervous system to try to keep you OUT of “flight or flight” mode. So big picture, do we really want to sweat during yoga? Some yogis will say you shouldn’t sweat at all. But let’s face it, some of us, me 100%, sweat no matter the weather outside. Sweat is a natural thing but in the end it’s not detoxing your body.
Pro: You just enjoy being a gross, sweaty mess. Con: You don’t like sweating.
Pretty much see above, lol. I do enjoy the feeling of being a gross, sweaty mess. I enjoy running and exercise and generally becoming gross. Like that workout slogan, “Earn your shower!” I am totally on board. But if you aren’t, don’t come to hot yoga.
Personally, no matter the cons, I love me some hot yoga! After I finished my very first hot yoga class I left feeling high as a freakin’ kite! Could that have been the side effects of dehydration and exhaustion? Eh, it’s possible. Maybe I just had a really amazing time. All in all, if you love it you love it, and if you decide you don’t, I won’t hold it against you if I never see you in my hot classes.
The Life of a Chrissy 