Hot yoga has undoubtedly been one of the biggest trends that the yoga world has seen in the past 10 years. Because of hot yoga benefits, these days, it seems like everyone is jumping on the hot yoga bandwagon- from celebrities to royalty and even your next door neighbor! So many people from all different walks of life are choosing to make hot yoga a part of their healthy lifestyle.
Many people think of hot yoga as being Bikram yoga. However, hot yoga is an umbrella term for a wide variety of styles – Bikram Yoga is just the most popular and well known. In actual fact, almost any style of yoga can be hot yoga if it’s practiced at a high enough temperature!
The practice is loved and loathed by yogis around the world and has endured its fair share of critics over the years since its inception. From worries about the hygienic aspect of the practice to concerns about the physical harm that the hot temperatures can have on your body, hot yoga has definitely stirred some debate in the yogic community.
However, the practice has its fair share of devotees, too! Many of whom attend classes religiously and swear by the health benefits that it brings them. These benefits are available to anyone of any fitness level. You just need to take a trip to your local studio and get on your mat to get the ball rolling.
Keep on reading to learn more about the hot yoga benefits can bring to your life!
The Hot Yoga Benefits
1. Flexibility
For anyone looking to increase their flexibility quickly, hot yoga is, without a doubt, the best style to try. Practicing yoga in a heated room helps create more elastic in the muscle tissue making the body much more supple and flexible.
The combined heat and humidity of a hot yoga studio can help the muscles to really loosen and the body can then go further into challenging postures. Many people report that they are more comfortable attempting certain postures in a hot yoga class than they would be in a traditional class where the body is not likely to be as warm.
This increased flexibility and heat in the body can help ensure that you can practice safely, with less risk of injury.
2. Concentration
Have you ever tried holding a dancer’s pose in 100-degree heat? As I’m sure you can imagine, the increased heat calls for increased concentration, particularly in already challenging postures.
Many people who practice hot yoga as part of their daily routine report that they keep that heightened concentration throughout the rest of their day. The hot yoga benefits are not only limited to your physical body. Hot yoga is just as intense a workout for your brain, too!
3. Discipline
In a hot yoga class, practitioners go through a rollercoaster of emotions. From feelings of inadequacy to feelings of ecstasy and euphoria, the 90-minute practice can bring up a lot of thoughts and feelings.
One of the most common thoughts that people have during the strenuous practice is to surrender. Learning to fight past this overwhelming feeling leads to great discipline skills that can be applied in any aspect of life.
On top of hot yoga, we also suggest adding meditation into your daily wellness routine to bring your discipline skills to their optimal level. For optimal comfort, while meditating and to avoid your mind from wandering, we suggest using a meditation cushion. There is a wide variety in the market so you are sure to be able to find the best meditation cushion for you.
4. Accelerated Weight Loss
It is said that a 90-minute Bikram yoga class can burn up to 1,000 calories! Bikram Yoga can help you burn a lot more calories than traditional Hatha Yoga and has all the same spiritual and psychological benefits, too.
While there is so much more to yoga than just weight loss, this is definitely a desirable trait for anyone who is hoping to shift a few pounds.
5. Cardio
The heat and intensity of hot yoga make it much more challenging than traditional yoga. As the body heats up, the heart needs to work even harder to pump blood around the body- even in static positions. Hot yoga is a fantastic cardio workout.
If you’re looking to incorporate more cardio into your workout, but want to increase your strength and flexibility too, hot yoga is a great option. There’s no need to spend hours on the treadmill if hot yoga is part of your daily fitness plan.
6. Detox
During hot yoga, you can expect to sweat. A lot! This has a fantastic detoxifying effect on the body. As you sweat, all toxins will be flushed from your body and metabolic waste will be evacuated from your muscle tissue.
This can help you to meet your weight loss goals, improve the condition of your skin, give you more energy and eliminate nausea, headaches, and fatigue.
After you expel all the badness from your body during class, you can replenish your system with lots of pure, fresh water after class. Helping you return to the best possible version of yourself!
7. Build Strength
A well-constructed hot yoga sequence will work every prime muscle in your body. Many people think of yoga as being all about the stretching and less about the strengthening practice. However, many of the major yoga postures have profound strengthening effects.
Performing these postures in a heated room is a great way to accelerate the strength building process. More intense hot yoga styles, such as Bikram Yoga, are said to be as effective for the body as traditional weightlifting. Particularly in terms of building lower body strength.
So, by practicing hot yoga, you too can have a toned and strong body without needing to lift a single weight.
8. Hot Yoga Benefits Reduce Stress
While the thought of performing yoga in sauna-like conditions might sound particularly stressful, it has an extremely calming effect on the mind.
Most people who have practiced Bikram yoga will report feeling amazingly clear-headed at the end of their practice. Taking just 90 minutes out of your day to focus on something other than your work, finances, and personal life can really help to reduce stress.
Making hot yoga a part of your life can also lead to lower heart rates, and a better night’s sleep, too!
So, as you can see, there are so many hot yoga benefits you can gain from practicing. Whether you are after the physical benefits, like increased flexibility and strength, or the psychological benefits, like lower stress levels and higher concentration, hot yoga can help you in a variety of aspects of your life.
To make hot yoga a part of your weekly wellness routine, search online to find a studio near you and join millions of other devotees of the practice!
Have your tried hot yoga? Leave us a comment and let us know what you love most about the practice. And, of course, if you enjoyed this article don’t forget to share it with your friends and let them know the hot yoga benefits, too.
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