Benefits of Hot Yoga
Increased Flexibility
Stretching when your muscles are warm — as you do in hot yoga — improves flexibility in your muscles and increases range of motion in your joints. A March 2013 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that after eight weeks, Bikram yoga participants had better flexibility in their shoulders, lower back, and hamstrings compared to the control group. Flexibility makes certain yoga poses easier to get into, especially ones that require deep stretching. Yoga also strengthens your muscles.
Greater Lung Capacity
Because yoga concentrates on breathing techniques and staying mindful of your breaths, you train your lungs to retain more air. Taking regular, deep breaths allows more oxygen to enter your bloodstream, keeps your lungs healthy and increases your lung capacity, which tends to decrease with age. Pranayama, a specific type of yoga breathing exercise, focuses on controlling your breath for a certain length of time. It involves abdominal, thoracic, and clavicular breathing that trains you to increase oxygen intake.
Burns Calories
A standard yoga class can burn anywhere from 180 to 460 calories, depending on the intensity and duration of the class and how much you weigh. Colorado State University researchers found hot yoga practitioners were at the top of that range: Women burned around 330 calories during a 90-minute class, while men burned around 460 calories (due to being generally larger in size). You sweat a lot more in a hot studio, which means your body must work harder to regulate your temperature and your heart must circulate more blood. That means burning more calories than you would in a traditional yoga class without heat.
Boosts Heart Health
Working out in a hot room is no doubt a physical challenge. Your heart, lungs, and muscles work harder, thus giving your respiration, heart rate, and metabolism a boost. One April 2019 study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that one session of hot yoga gets your heart pumping at a similar rate as a brisk walk (3.5 mph).
Improves Skin Health
Increased sweat improves circulation and increases oxygen-rich blood to your skin cells, providing you with a post-yoga glow. Sweating from exercise can actually reverse signs of age related skin effects on a cellular level. The positive impact means your skin can produce more collagen and better hydration.
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