Practicing hot yoga is good or not is currently a very controversial issue. In fact, according to many studies, if practiced correctly, hot yoga still gives the body a lot of benefits.
Practicing yoga in a hot room can be comforting, especially if you live in a cold climate. If you have ever tried it, you will understand the feeling of sweat “dropping like rain” and the obvious change in the body compared to other types of yoga. However, is this a sign that hot yoga has as many benefits as many people say? Let’s see the sharing below with easyhealthylive.com to understand more about the benefits of hot yoga.
Hot yoga and heart health
The biggest benefit that hot yoga brings to the practitioner is that this type of yoga can burn more calories than other types of yoga. A study published in the journal Experimental Physiology divided a group of healthy adults between the ages of 40 and 60 into 3 groups:
- Group 1 practiced yoga 3 times a week for 12 weeks at a temperature of 40.5°C
- Group 2 practiced yoga 3 times/week for 12 weeks at room temperature 23°C
- Group 3 did not practice yoga.
The study focused on the participants’ cardiovascular health and concluded that the two yoga groups achieved similar health benefits, despite practicing in different settings.
Another study funded by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) recruited 20 healthy volunteers between the ages of 19 and 44. The volunteers took part in a regular yoga class at room temperature and a Identical classes are held in a heated gym. At the end, the researchers measured the participants’ heart rate and body temperature.
The results showed no significant difference in heart rate or body temperature between the regular yoga class and the hot yoga class (although the hot yoga practitioners sweat a lot).
In general, although practicing hot yoga makes sweat “drizzle like rain”, but this does not seem to bring many benefits to heart health.
Although practicing hot yoga makes sweat “drizzle like rain”, it does not seem to bring many outstanding benefits for heart health.
Does hot yoga make the body more supple and flexible?
Any type of hot yoga, be it Bikram yoga or other styles of yoga, can give the body a feeling of relaxation and fulfillment. If done correctly (provide enough water for the body and do not force yourself to exercise too much), hot yoga still brings a lot of health benefits.
However, hot yoga is very easy to push the body to the limit without even knowing it. In an article published in the New York Times, a number of medical experts interviewed about the benefits of hot yoga for flexibility and body flexibility. Experts say that when talking about flexibility, we need to remember this will include two factors: flexibility of muscles and flexibility of joints and ligaments. Heat increases the metabolic rate, and as the body heats up, the muscles can become more stretched. However, if the muscle is stretched more than 20-25% of its rest time, the muscle can be damaged.
When it comes to joints and ligaments, although ligaments are flexible, they don’t receive much blood. Ligaments have the function of stabilizing joints, if ligaments are stretched, they will not be able to bounce back like muscles, which leads to instability of the joint.
Is sweating a way to expel toxins from the body?
Hot yoga doesn’t actually release toxins as much as we think, but water instead
After a hot yoga session, you will feel the sweat “dropping like rain”. But is this any good? The main component of sweat is water and a small amount of urea, lactic acid and minerals, but in fact, there are not as many toxins as many people think. And in fact, the elimination of toxins will be done by the kidneys, liver and colon, not through sweat. Therefore, hot yoga doesn’t actually release toxins as much as we think, but instead releases water. Therefore, to avoid dehydration, people who practice hot yoga need to replenish water regularly.
Hot yoga still brings a lot of health benefits. If you like hot yoga, keep practicing. It will relax you and give you the same amazing health benefits as other yoga exercises.
During exercise, remember to drink enough water, listen to your body, don’t push yourself, and rest immediately if you feel uncomfortable or unwell. Hot yoga has many other types such as Bikram yoga, hot yin yoga, you can try to experience them all to choose the most suitable type of hot yoga.
And don’t forget to download easyhealthylive.com to your device, connect with our yoga teacher for detailed instructions on hot yoga techniques.
Reference source:
The Truth About Hot Yoga (Explained by Science) https://www.doyou.com/the-truth-about-hot-yoga-explained-by-science-79921/ Accessed: 5/10/2020
John Alen was born in 1971 and is a doctor in the healthcare and psychology fields with many years of experience. He is currently working at easyhealthylive.com, a leading health and psychology blog. Having studied at Y1 National Medical University named after IM Sechenov, John Alen is using his knowledge and experience to help improve the physical and mental health of people in the United States.
