It would be remiss to say that hot yoga is having revival; for years, the ancient practice has been hailed for its ability to lengthen, improve posture and strengthen muscles, allowing for deeper stretching and mind-body connection, increased flexibility and a boost of blood flow, not to mention a hit of mood-altering endorphins.
It might be steeped in history - the first Bikram ‘hot yoga’ has been around for some fifty years - but it's currently capturing the attention of the modern fitness world, with an A-list fan base that includes everyone from Lady Gaga and Jennifer Aniston to Madonna. If you’ve seen it circulating online or your fitness-focused friends are eschewing their beloved reformer pilates for hot yoga, consider this your cut-out-and-keep guide to getting to grips with everyone's favourite workout...
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What is hot yoga?
Dubbed ‘hot yoga’, the practice itself involves performing yoga in a heated or hot room and originates from Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram yoga, who created the method. Today, you’ll find a number of different hot yoga styles and variations cropping up. ‘It always involves a hot room, which ideally has oxygenation, humidity control, air extraction and a trained teacher in a heated environment,’ shares Michele Pernetta, founder of the hot yoga studio, Fierce Grace.
‘The heat helps bring your body to its natural working temperature for exercising, where muscles work at their optimum and you are less likely to injure yourself. It means stretching feels easier and is safer; it also promotes sweating which is very healthy,’ she adds.
What are the benefits of hot yoga?
It detoxifies the body
A practice that guarantees you get your sweat on, this also helps rid the body of toxins. 'Sweating detoxifies the body and skin and can can help eliminate harmful bacteria and toxic wastes from the body,' Pernetta shares. ‘It's been shown to reduce people's likelihood of getting colds and flu due to the body temperature rising and killing bacteria more easily (as people who take regular saunas also report less colds and flu),’ she adds.
Hot yoga regulates your mood
Sweating is also a little-known way to regulate your mood, too. Much like saunas and infrared, the instant serotonin boost synonymous with heat is well documented. 'Research has shown that temperature-sensitive neural circuits to specific regions in the brain exist and may play a significant role in controlling mood,' she adds.
It increases flexibility
The hot room helps warm up your muscles, which can allow for deeper stretching and a better range of motion compared with regular yoga classes or vinyasa; this helps increase your flexibility in the long run.
It reduces stress levels
There's a growing body of research pointing to the power of hot yoga, particularly when it comes to reducing cortisol. Deep diaphragmatic breathing is among the simplest of tools to alleviate mounting stress levels and bring oxygen to the brain and body, but the hot room itself can also prove a salve.
'The heat can be cathartic, helping people feel relaxed and well. Research suggests that temperature-sensitive brain circuits may play a role in mood,' shares Pernetta. 'The heat can help people deal with old injuries, scar tissue, and mental and emotional blockages,' she adds.
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It reduces the risk of injury
Sprint runners and vinyasa pros will have likely experienced an injury at some point in their practice. Hot yoga can help reduce this risk. 'Having your joints and muscles at their working temperature when you exercise means you are less likely to injure yourself, due to the synovial fluid being thinner at around 100 degrees and more accessible for lubricating the joints,’ Pernetta explains.
What are some of the common postures in hot yoga?
'Most yoga styles have standing and seated poses, from leg, hip spine stretching, and slow hold strength exercises like Plank and Down Dog as well as arm balancing and abdominal strengthening,' shares Pernetta. Hot yoga will not be a fast paced class, but will focus on deeper stretching and longer poses.
What you need to know if you've never tried hot yoga before
This is not your standard yoga class so doing your research beforehand is key. Pernetta stresses the importance of arriving hydrated. 'Don't work too hard the first couple of times you do a class, and always pace yourself and sit when you need to,' she shares.
'Breathe through your nose, not your mouth, as this takes cooled moisturised air into your lungs and prevents overheating,' she adds. Equally important is to wear light clothing, drink a lot of water 90 mins beforehand (but do not eat anything 90 minutes prior to the session). Much like a traditional vinyasa flow or hatha, hot yoga is a practice – it requires patience and perseverance, but you're likely to feel the effect post-session and all the endorphins thereafter too.
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Amelia Bell is the Multiplatform Beauty Director for ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar, developing beauty strategy, writing, editing, and commissioning, and leading beauty content across both sites. Amelia has a particular interest in wellness and longevity, exploring the skin-mind connection, and decoding the latest treatments, tweakments and runway trends. She also has bylines for Women's Health, Refinery29, British Vogue, Harrods Magazine, and more.
