I love to sweat. It gives me a satisfaction that is unparalleled. In my first article I talked about my break from long distance running because of injuries, and I was in need of more activities where I can break a sweat and get similar enjoyment. Being inflexible, I needed to do yoga to deeply stretch my muscles to repair my body, but I hated yoga because I never sweat. Over the past few years hot yoga and Bikram yoga have exponentially increased in popularity. The main difference between hot yoga and Bikram yoga is that hot yoga studios can be kept at a range of temperatures from 80-100 degrees Farenheit while Bikram studios have to be 105 degrees with 40 percent humidity. The length of Bikram classes are typically 90 minutes whereas hot yoga classes are typically 60-90 minutes depending on the studio. I love trying out new exercise trends, but after doing a few hot yoga classes a question came to mind: Is hot yoga just a fad or is it an effective and healthy way to exercise?

While there isn’t a large body of research examining hot yoga, a TIME article discusses a hot yoga study conducted by Dr. Brian L. Tracy, an exercise scientist at Colorado State University. The study tested weight loss among two groups doing hot yoga: healthy but sedentary young adults who don’t practice yoga, and experienced “yogis.” The nature of hot yoga makes you feel like you’re burning 1,000 calories and losing weight, but the results showed that metabolic rates were similar to those of fast walkers and in reality, you are only burning around 300-400 calories depending on your gender and other factors. In response to the study, Dr. Kim Allan Williams, president-elect of the American College of Cardiology, said that the evaporation of sweat, rather than the sweat itself, is the part that cools our bodies, and hot yoga studios do not allow the sweat to evaporate properly. Athletes that practice outside on a hot, humid summer day experience the same struggle, which is why it is imperative to hydrate and acclimate to those conditions while listening to our bodies. Because we are sweating out minerals during the yoga practices, it is also important to hydrate with more than just water, such as the electrolyte drink tablets I use for running.

Because the physical benefits can be disappointing, it is crucial to view hot and Bikram yoga (and regular yoga) from a psychological and mental standpoint. In general, “[yoga] may help lower stress while improving pain management and emotion regulation in ways similar to meditation,” said Markham Heid, author of the TIME article. If nothing else, yoga allows us to get away from technology and focus on how our bodies feel, which is both a rarity and a necessity in our society. Adding heat makes us feel like we have accomplished a tough workout and can provide psychological and mental challenges that regular yoga does not fulfill.

Knowing that prolonged exposure to extreme heat can be potentially harmful, I did a quick search of “Is hot yoga safe?” and found a Huffington Post article that also contained the results of a similar study. The article interviewed Taj Harris, a yoga instructor who believes that hot yoga is similar to a physical therapy session with heat packs because "the heat allows the body to be more supple. It increases joint lubrication as well as flexibility in muscles." My frustration with regular yoga stems from my inability to get warm enough for the stretching to feel good on my muscles. I feel like the Tinman when he is in desperate need of oil.

My conclusion is that hot yoga does not provide the calorie burning and weight loss aspects that some people expect from it. This realization is upsetting, but hot yoga can still be effective for my personal intentions: to sweat and to become more flexible. It is still a good workout, especially for those who do not like regular yoga, but want to practice. Until reliable sources say it is unsafe to practice hot yoga, I will continue to do it in moderation and with caution.