hot yoga poses

The Complete Guide To Hot Yoga Poses

Hot Yoga Pose The ancient art of yoga has helped millions of individuals find peace of mind and reconnect with their inner true selves. There are numerous yoga styles that help you maintain good physical and mental health. However, one yoga style that stands out from the rest is hot yoga. Whether you want to learn traditional Hatha yoga or fast-paced Vinyasa yoga, there is no dearth of yoga styles to fulfill your needs.

For the uninitiated, you do the Hot yoga pose under hot and humid conditions to make you sweat. You might confuse this yoga style with Bikram yoga, however, these are not the same. The yoga masters have compiled a small guide for you to understand this yoga style, a bit more in detail.

Let us first take a look at how this yoga style came into being.

The History Of Hot Yoga.

history of hot yoga

It is time we take a peek at the history of hot yoga and the numerous hot yoga pose.

Hot Yoga was founded in 1972 by Bikram Choudhary. He arranged the traditional yoga poses into a particular order to promote a healthy mind and body. Bikram Choudhary created a franchise of his unique yoga style and got trademarked the 26-pose yoga sequence to discourage competition.

However, for you to practice and adapt to hot yoga, it is important for you to be aware of the principles of this yoga style.

Principles Of Hot Yoga

You might think of Hot Yoga poses as a yoga session done in a heated room. However, for you to reap the maximum benefits of this yoga style, it is necessary you are aware of the 3 principles governing its practice.

1. Focus & Breathing

Focus & Breathing

Since your body has to work harder to stay cool, the mind has to fight to remain focused amidst a totally different environment. Hot yoga puts focus on deep breathing to increase the flow of the sacred Prana. Breathing connects your body and mind and helps you transition from one yoga pose to another. However, the method of teaching focus varies from one yoga school to another.

2. Heat

heat

Heat in the room warms up your muscles and induces sweat. Warmer muscles stretch further by minimizing the risk of an injury during a hot yoga session. Moreover, heat also increases your body’s capacity to burn more calories in an effort to stay cooler during practice. Heat dilates the capillaries, distributes oxygen to muscles, glands, tissues, and organs.

3. Sweat & Detoxification

Sweat & Detoxification

Your body’s largest organ is your skin, and it eliminates toxins through rigorous perspiration. A major function of sweating is to keep your body cool through evaporation. There is a common misconception that sweat removes waste from your body, however hot yoga practitioners say that perspiration removes waste such as smog and dirt from the pores in your body. The cleaning happens on a deeper organic level by carrying waste away from the kidney and liver.

Besides, helping you sweat and keeping your body free of toxins, there is a lot more than hot yoga does for you.

Health Benefits Of Hot Yoga

health benefits of hot yoga

Although hot yoga offers the same benefits as Hatha, the addition of heat in the session improves your mental and physical health. A heated environment makes practicing yoga a serious challenge which is also where all the benefits come into play.

Taking the last statement into consideration, yoga experts have come up with a list of health benefits that hot yoga offers you.

1. Minimal Injuries

The additional heat inside a hot yoga class helps with the vasodilation of blood vessels. A hot yoga session causes more blood to rush to your muscles thereby making them a bit more elastic. In other words, the more elastic your muscles are, the lesser the chances of you getting injured during the yoga session.

2. Improves Lung Capacity

You might think that too much heat during a hot yoga class would make it difficult to breathe. However, a hot yoga class includes numerous deep breathing exercises that enhance your lung’s capacity which makes them capable of holding more oxygen.

3. Strengthens The Immune System

Daily practice of hot yoga helps develop your immune system’s capacity to fight infections. The sweating that occurs during the session multiplies the benefits of hot yoga. Moreover, as a practitioner of hot yoga, you are much less likely to fall sick as your body is able to recover faster from an ailment.

4. Improves Muscles Flexibility

In comparison to other styles of yoga, hot yoga improves your muscle flexibility. The heat in the session enhances the muscle stretching process beyond the limits of your body. Moreover, this external heat causes your muscles to contract and expand beyond their normal limits. It provides you more flexibility without any risk of injury while doing yoga.

In other words, the hot yoga style is perfectly suited for you if you are a dancer, athlete, or someone who wants to improve their flexibility.

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5. Rids You Of Toxins

One of the major hot yoga benefits is the sweating that occurs as a part of the session. This helps rid your body of any toxins and harmful substances.

6. Improves Blood Circulation

A hot yoga session provides you a good cardiovascular workout which improves blood flow to all parts of your body. In other words, a single hot yoga session rejuvenates your body and mind.

7. Boosts Lymphatic System

Do you know a clogged lymphatic system weakens your immune system? Fortunately, the sweat you produce during a hot yoga session helps the lymphatic system. A clean lymphatic system means you have glowing skin and a light body.

8. Helps In Losing Weight

You might not know but hot yoga helps a lot when it comes to losing unnecessary weight. The numerous yoga poses you do in a heated environment make your heart pump faster and build lean muscles. A single session of hot yoga helps you burn up to 1000 calories and also benefits your endocrine and digestive systems.

However, for you to reap these benefits, you must follow a few simple guidelines and make the most of the hot yoga session.

Hot Yoga Tips For Beginners

hot yoga tips for beginners

The heat and temperature inside a hot yoga class make it a different and unique challenge for all. Yoga masters from around the world have come up with some effective tips to help you make the most of hot yoga sessions.

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1. Come Hydrated

The first and most important guideline you should keep in mind when coming to a hot yoga session is to be hydrated. Yoga experts recommend you drink enough water within 24 hours leading up to the day of practice to avoid fainting in the class.

2. Eat Light

For you to make the most of each hot yoga session, you should consume a meal that is a combination of protein, fat, and carbs to get the energy for the practice. You should not go to the practice hungry, but also don’t arrive at the session on a full stomach.

3. Bring A Mat Towel

Before coming to a hot yoga session, you should bring a towel that can absorb sweat and has a non-slippery surface. Bring a mat towel, which can be a beach or bath towel and helps you wipe off the sweat with ease.

4. Breath Through The Nose

If you are a newbie in the hot yoga class, breathing might be a bit of an issue. Yoga experts recommend you should take slow and deep breaths through the nose to avoid feeling dizzy. You can take a break if you find it hard to breathe properly.

5. Do Not Overdo

What makes the hot yoga pose so great is it opens up your body. However, you should remember not to push your body beyond what feels comfortable. The experts recommend you should keep your ego at the door and do what feels okay for the body.

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6. Find A Cool Spot

Although it is normal to feel overwhelmed by the excess heat and humidity in the hot yoga room, yoga experts recommend you take a seat and lie down in the Child’s Pose. It is a great alternative to leaving the room which might make the body go into a shock.

7. Ease With Stretches

Working out in a hot room at high temperatures increases your blood flow, thereby making it easier to warm up the muscles. Unfortunately, this warming up of muscles can make you feel a little extra flexible than you actually are.

You should remember that hot yoga can also lead to ligament tears and joint instability. Yoga experts recommend you rather ease into the yoga movements rather than jumping in because you have started to sweat.

8. Check Your Body

When you enroll in hot yoga, it is important to do regular checks. Remember, doing yoga in a heated room leads to exhaustion and in a worst-case scenario, heatstroke. You should also be familiar with signs of heat exhaustion like nausea, confusion, dizziness, and weakness.

Do you know there are four different types of hot yoga poses? Read further to know more hot yoga pose.

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4 Types Of Hot Yoga

Whether you are an athlete looking to work your muscles or just want to become a bit flexible; hot yoga has a lot to offer.

1. Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga

Developed by Bikram Choudhary during the 1970s, Bikram Yoga consists of a 26-pose sequence that you practice in a room with temperatures up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. This style of yoga rids your body of toxins, improves flexibility, and also offers a great cardiovascular workout. Each session of Bikram yoga lasts for about 90 minutes.

2. Moksha Yoga

Moksha Yoga

One of the popular styles of hot yoga is Moksha yoga. Each class is about 90 minutes long and starts with a relaxation pose to focus your mind on the main practice. The teachers in the Moksha yoga class encourage you to develop strength and flexibility in your body.

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3. Hot Power Yoga

hot power yoga

Hot yoga is an umbrella term for a yogic practice without any limits. This style of yoga has its roots in the Ashtanga style and other basic yoga classes. This yoga form covers a broad range of classes that utilize common principles including Vinyasa flow to move from one pose to another. You can easily find hot power classes easily at a yoga school near you.

4. Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga

Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga

Baron Baptiste developed his own version of hot yoga, which is the Baptiste Power Vinyasa style. This yoga style is a combination of different types of yoga like Bikram, Ashtanga, and Iyengar. Every class of Baptiste Power Vinyasa yoga is different and depends on the yoga instructor.

The room temperature in this yoga style is normally 90 degrees. If you are looking for a hot yoga style with a bit of variety, then this is the yoga style for you.

As always, those willing to join a hot yoga class usually have a lot of questions, especially beginners. Below, yoga experts have tried their best to answer the most common questions about this yoga style.

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Hot Yoga Pose FAQs

1. How Many Calories Does Hot Yoga Burn?

Depending on a number of factors like weight, sex, and consistency in yoga practice; a single session of 90 minutes of hot yoga burns at least 500 to 1000 calories.

2. Can I Practice Hot Yoga With A Previous Injury?

Yes! Hot yoga poses have the ability to heal past injuries. However, to be safe, make sure you have a discussion with the yoga instructor before attending the class. They would be able to chalk out the right strategy to help you practice hot yoga and not push your body.

3 . Can I Lose Weight With Hot Yoga?

Hot yoga poses offer you a great cardiovascular workout. If you are attending a minimum of three yoga sessions with a proper diet, the results will soon show up. This works on your endocrine, lymphatic, and digestive systems to increase your overall body awareness.

Conclusion

Do you want to get rid of the excess weight and develop good health? You should enroll in a hot yoga session to enjoy good health the natural way.

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