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Hot yoga

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Hot yoga refers to yoga exercises performed under hot and humid conditions. "Hot yoga" is used to describe any yoga or yoga-inspired fitness styles that use heat. Hot yoga typically leads to profuse sweating.[1]

The purpose for the heat in hot yoga varies depending on the practice or the individual. Some hot yoga practices seek to replicate the heat and humidity of India where yoga originated.[2], while some forms use heat to enhance health benefits.

History

The hot yoga trend began with [Bikram Yoga], developed by Bikram Choudhury in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Largely due to the success and health benefits of [Bikram Yoga], many yoga styles and fitness practices began adding heat and humidity to their practice environments.

At present, "hot yoga" can refer to the 26-posture sequence taught by a Bikram method teacher, or yoga, yoga-inspired fitness or stretching done in a heated environment.

Types

Bikram yoga

Bikram Yoga was the first style of hot yoga, taught and practiced in Japan since the late 1960s and the United States since the early 1970s. It was created by Bikram Choudhury from the Ghosh lineage of therapeutic hatha yoga. It is practiced in a room at 105 °F (41 °C) with 40% humidity. The class consists of the same 26 postures with 2 different breathing techniques and lasts for 90 minutes. It is taught by teachers trained personally by Bikram Choudhury or one of his senior teachers.

From a young age, Choudhury was raised and coached in Calcutta, India, by Paramahansa Yogananda's brother, Bishnu Ghosh. For many years Mr. Choudhury assisted in the clinic of Ghosh's College of Physical Education and learned how specific postures were prescribed for specific medical conditions. In the late 1960s, he was sent by Bishnu Ghosh to teach yoga in Japan and shortly thereafter was brought to the United States. His techniques were synthesized into Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class, a therapeutic hatha yoga class made up of 26 beginner postures and 2 breathing exercises.

Choudhury began teaching in Los Angeles in 1972 and - with the assistance of Rajashree Choudhury and Emmy Cleaves - began training teachers in the mid 1990s. Bikram Yoga continues to be instructed in its original form at yoga schools independently owned by lineage-trained teachers around the world. Numerous research studies on Bikram Yoga have demonstrated its health benefits - including improved insulin resistance, healthier cholesterol levels, and reductions in depression and anxiety.

Forrest yoga

Forrest Yoga is a modern style developed by Ana T. Forrest, from hatha Yoga. This specific style focuses on holding poses for a longer duration of time. The repetition of 20 specific poses accentuates the stretch equally on each side of the body. This yoga emphasizes the connection between your emotions and your physical being. Being practiced in a hot environment helps deepen the stretch without causing trauma to the body.[citation needed]

Power yoga

Power Yoga focuses on a fitness based Vinyasa styling. This encompasses the benefits of both Ashtanga and Vinyasa, including the building of internal heat, increase of stamina and flexibility, as well as reducing your body’s stress. This class is more personalized by teachers, for they will design their own sequence of postures. Students use this time to synchronize their breathing and movements.

Precautions

Since hot yoga's rise to fame, it has become a popular way to stay in shape and increase flexibility, however, it is not for everyone. Some schools of thought believe that pregnant women in particular should avoid practicing yoga in extremely warm or humid conditions, unborn babies don't have the ability to sweat, allowing them to cool down. Overheating could jeopardize the health of a growing baby. [3]

However, findings in the field of exercise physiology do not lead to a necessary prohibition against yoga or exercise in heat. The only known problems with fetal development occur when pregnant women have prolonged high fever during the first trimester. Heat-acclimated women do not generally experience this rise in body temperature and can usually continue their pre-pregnancy level of activity, with mindfulness and attention to body temperature and exertion.

Rajashree's Pregnancy Yoga. a specific prenatal sequence developed in conjunction with medical professionals and recommended by physicians - has been practiced by pregnant women around the world since the 1980s. Pregnant women with at least 6 months of a near-daily Bikram Yoga practice are advised to practice the pregnancy series outside of the heated room during the first trimester, as a risk of neural tube defects is increased when pregnant women have repeated and prolonged high body temperature. However, for the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, those with a pre-pregnancy Bikram yoga practice of at least 6 months may generally return to the hot room for Rajashree's Pregnancy Yoga[4], taking care to rest when necessary and have access to cool air if necessary.

Notes

  1. ^ "First Experience - Powerflow Yoga". Powerflow Yoga. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  2. ^ Clark, DPT, Danielle. "What is the Real Buzz behind Hot Yoga and Bikram Yoga?". Boston Sports Medicine. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  3. ^ https://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-safe-to-do-yoga-during-pregnancy_5699.bc Retrieved 15 October 2017
  4. ^ Choudhury, Rajashree (2015). Rajashree's Pregnancy Yoga. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1514263777.