Hot yoga is a type of popular yoga that happens in a hot and humid room. Today, there are different varieties of hot yoga, classified according to the temperature and humidity, ranging from 90℉ to 108℉ (32℃ – 42℃).
Founded by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s, the first and “original” hot yoga called Bikram yoga is a formalized workout that goes through 26 poses, always in the same order, without variations. In Bikram yoga, the studios are heated to 105℉ (40.5℃), and the humidity is 40%.
Basically, hot yoga is based on the idea that the heat improves flexibility and enables better stretching, and in that way provides a chance for a better workout. But, some think and believe that heat boosts other health benefits as well, such as clearing the pores of the skin, boosting metabolism, speeding up weight loss, and detoxifying the body.
Different Types of Hot Yoga
But, for those who think and feel that Bikram yoga is too hot for them, there are a lot of different options on the hot yoga market. Here are some of the most popular with their respective temperatures.
Baptiste Power Vinyasa
Baptiste Power Vinyasa studios, with headquarters in Boston and spread out through at least 20 more USA states offer hot yoga heated to no more than 95℉ (35℃).
CorePower Yoga
The popular chain CorePower Yoga studio, on the other hand, offers a variety of different hot yogas, each with a different preferred temperature. For example, The CorePower Yoga 2 (C2) workout is done in a room heated between 93 and 98℉ (33℃ – 36.5℃). But, they also provide classes in studios heated up to 105℉ (40.5℃), similar to Bikram yoga.
Evolation Yoga
Evolation Yoga, co-founded by one of Bikram’s former instructors, Mark Drost, with yoga centers throughout the USA, South America, Australia, Asia, and Europe, also gives a variety of different levels of hot yoga. Aside from the basic Bikram hot yoga at 105℉, they offer a range of preferred temperatures from 75℉ to 90℉ (24℃ – 32℃).
Moksha Yoga
The Canadian-based franchise called Moksha or Modo Yoga retains the heat of their studios at 103℉ (39℃). Their classes last about 90 minutes (like the Bikram’s) and are always about the same 40 poses. But, for those short on time, there are abridged 60 to 75 minute versions.
Yoga to the People
The rapidly expanding chain of studios called Yoga to the People offers traditional Hot Yoga in heated studios at quite hot temperatures of 105℉ to 108℉ (40.5℃ and 42.℃).
Conclusion
There are many different types and varieties of hot yoga that come with various temperatures and levels of humidity. There’s no consensus about which one is the best for you in a general sense. So, think about your preferences and maybe have a nice talk with your doctor about which temperature and humidity level suits your body the most, look around the hot yoga market, and make a choice that you’ll enjoy the most.