8 Benefits of Hot Yoga?
When I first started hot yoga 6 years ago, I was looking for a way to loose weight and tone up, and that was it. I mean, I didn’t need or want anything else thank you - just help me improve my beach body or at least my beach body underneath my coverup.
However, what I didn’t anticipate was all the added bonuses and benefits that came with a regular hot yoga practice.
And the results and the benefits could be felt even after the first class.
Here are some of the reasons why you should add hot yoga to your life.
What is Hot yoga?
Hot yoga is done in a room heated to 27 to 41 degrees with 40 percent humidity. (The rooms at City Hot Yoga are heated to 39 degrees)
Hot yoga include a variety of poses designed to work your body from head to toe, working your cardiovascular system and toning, strengthening and increasing flexibility over your entire body.
The 8 Top Benefits of Hot Yoga
Hot yoga can provide relaxation of the mind and improve physical fitness.
A heated environment can make the practice of yoga more challenging, but some of the benefits may be worth it, especially if you’re looking to make progress in one of the areas outlined below.
Improves flexibility
You may already know that stretching after you warm up your muscles is safer than stretching cold muscles.So, it follows that an environment like a hot yoga studio can make yoga poses easier and more effective. The heat allows you to stretch a little further and achieve a greater range of motion.
One study found that after 8 weeks, hot yoga participants had greater flexibility in their low back, shoulders, and hamstrings than the control group.
2. Burns more calories
A 160-pound person can burn around 193 calories an hour with traditional yoga. Turning up the heat can help you burn even more calories.
According to researchers at Colorado State University, the calorie burn can be as high as 460 for men and 330 for women during a hot yoga session.
3. Nourishes the skin
Sweating, and a lot of if, is one of the main objectives of hot yoga. One of the benefits of sweating in a warm environment is that it can improve circulation, bringing oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to skin cells. This, in turn, may help to nourish your skin from the inside.
4. Builds bone density
Supporting your weight during a yoga pose can help build bond density. This is especially important for older adults and premenopausal women, as bone density declines as you age. A 2014 study of women who participated in hot yoga over a 5-year period found that premenopausal women had increased bone density in their neck, hips, and lower back. This lead the authors of the study to believe that yoga may be an effective option for reducing the risk of osteoporosis in women.
5. Reduces stress
Many people turn to yoga as a natural way to deal with stress. A 2018 study of stressed, physically inactive adults found that a 16-week program of hot yoga significantly reduced the participants’ stress levels.At the same time, it improved their health-related quality of life, as well as their self-efficacy — the belief that you have control over your behavior and social environment.
6. Eases depression
Yoga is well known as a technique to help you relax and improve your mood. According to the American Psychology Association, it may also be a helpful therapy for reducing the symptoms of depression. A 2018 Review of 23 different studies that focused on yoga as a treatment for depression concluded that yoga is an effective way to reduce depressive symptoms.
7. Provides a cardiovascular boost
Striking different yoga poses in high heat can give your heart, lungs, and muscles a more challenging workout than doing the same poses in a lower temperature.According to a 2014 study, just one session of hot yoga is enough to get your heart pumping at the same rate as a brisk walk
(6 kilometres miles per hour). Hot yoga also revs up your respiration and metabolism.
8. Reduces blood glucose levels
While any type of exercise can help burn energy and reduce circulating levels of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream, hot yoga may be an especially helpful tool for people at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. A 2013 study found that a short-term hot yoga program improved glucose tolerance in older adults with obesity, but it had less of an effect on young, lean adults.
