Hot yoga is the term applied specifically to the practice of Bikram yoga in a heated room. The practitioners usually practice in a room surrounded by mirrors to allow them to refine their technique. Although it takes time to build up endurance to the heat, most students try to perform hot yoga at least three times a week.
Bikram Choudhury, a famous Hatha yoga instructor from Calcutta, created the yoga style which bears his name just over thirty years ago. Bikram yoga concentrates on the healing aspects of various yoga poses and is often performed in a warm room to enhance these effects.
Students of hot yoga move smoothly through a series of twenty-six Bikram yoga poses, usually performing each pose twice. Including the warm up exercises, this usually takes about an hour and a half. Each pose readies the body for the next, and the heat from the room makes each pose more effective. Some of the simpler poses include the Supta Vajrasana, the Kapalbhati, and the Sit-Up.
Students involved with Hot Yoga rave about the heats beneficial qualities. They insist that it makes them more flexible and reduces muscle tension and strain. They also insist that hot yoga helps the body eliminate toxic elements and reduces the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles. Some find that hot yoga increases stamina and minimizes injuries. The heated room may also cause an increase in the metabolic processes of the body and help the body to fight infection. However, heat can prove detrimental to people with some chronic health problems and dehydration is always an issue that must be considered.
While hot yoga may work well for both beginning yoga students and the most experienced, it is important to choose the classes with care. Good instructors will usually put novice students in the back of the class so that they can learn from those already adept at the poses. They will also remind students periodically to monitor their fluid intake. In hot yoga classes, sanitary conditions are also more difficult to maintain because bacteria multiply quicker in heat so mats should be cleaned between each yoga session. The temperature in the room must also be closely monitored to prevent overheating.
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