So You're Considering Hot Yoga

There’s been a lot of hype lately about the health benefits of hot yoga. We hear it can do everything from ease our stress to help us lose weight and detoxify our bodies.

So I was intrigued when, at a recent family dinner, my uncle said he was a fan. “We do it all the time. We love it,” he said of himself and his partner.

“What’s so great about it?” I wondered aloud.

“Well, besides feeling oddly invigorated and lowering my blood pressure, it also levels out my emotions,” he said. “So what loomed so large before class no longer seems so daunting after.”

I was sold.

Our uncles are pushing 60, but they both look and move like they’re at least 15 years younger—they are long and lean and have better posture than anyone I know. My sister and I made eye contact and a silent pact; if they could do it, we could do it.

A few days later, I got a call. “I did it!” my sister yelled into the phone. “It was amazing.”

I’m not going to lie. I was pissed. First, she beat me to the punch, even though I’m the one who soldiers through 45-minute Peloton rides and hourlong Beach Body routines regularly while she calls her 7-minute toning videos “workouts.” Second, for some reason, I was really anxious about this and she just went and did it without agonizing about it like I was.

I made another pact—this time with myself. I was going to overcome my fear of being stuck in a scorching room for an hour and trust that millions of enthusiasts couldn’t be wrong. I would try it.

I went straight to Facebook, where I do most of my crowd-sourcing. I gathered recommendations and registered for a class.

Excited to finally be there, I walked up to the studio door and gave it a tug. When I tell you the stench that attacked me almost knocked me over, I am not exaggerating. I hadn’t even set foot in the entry vestibule and all I wanted to do was turn around and run. There was a staircase immediately in front of me—rubber-covered steps with little puddles all over the place. It sort of looked like what you’d expect at the entryway of the locker room from an indoor pool. Except that wasn’t water all over the floor. I took a deep, stinky breath and ascended the stairs.

As I made my way up the narrow staircase, a man at the top started to make his way down. He had just finished class. How did I know? He was soaking wet. Like SOAKED. Dripping. Drenched. I hit reverse and began walking backward down the steps out of fear that our bodies might touch—there was just so much moisture pouring off of him.

I finally made it into the lobby where I stuck my jacket in a cubby and made for the ladies room. That’s when I was asked to please remove my shoes.

“Take them off?”

I mean, I knew I’d be expected to be barefoot in the actual studio, but there was body fluid everywhere! The greeter at the desk must have read my expression because he said, “Sorry, no shoes anywhere but this lobby.” Ew.

Athlete’s foot be damned, I was going to be brave and do it. When in Rome … and when they already have your money …

It was go time. I was escorted into the studio, charmingly referred to as the “torture chamber” on the official website, BikramYoga.com, and given a spot at the back of the room. “It’s coolest over here,” the greeter told me, which sounded perfect because even with the door and windows wide open, it was already pretty darn hot. Bikram yoga requires a minimum of 105 degrees and 40% humidity in which you will perform 26 postures, each one done twice, that will “systematically work every part of the body, to give all the internal organs, all the veins, all the ligaments, and all the muscles everything they need to maintain optimum health and maximum function,” according to the site. Also, according to founder Bikram Choudhury (who, incidentally, has been accused of sexual misconduct and rape, and has settled many civil suits in the millions of dollars range), “you will not get the intended benefits until it is done [one] hundred percent correct.”

Hmmmm. I gut checked that one with Lisa Bondy, a certified yoga instructor of more than 16 years and teacher at Northwell Health’s Center for Wellness and Integrated Medicine. “People find healing in many different forms,” she says. “I know several people who have really worked stuff out through Bikram yoga.” But was it because they did everything exactly by the books? “Probably not.” 

“I know some people who just love it, but it’s not for everyone,” Bondy says. Does she practice it on her own? “No, it’s not for me,” she confessed. “I love to sweat, but more organically, say as a result of my own effort, not forced. As opposed to feeling blissed out, I found that I was very aggravated afterwards.” Her explanation: “Yoga is about the breath. Due to the heat, I felt like I was without breath. Not being able to breathe was disturbing to me. I felt like I needed a yoga class after that yoga class.”

Once class began, things got really weird. The instructor closed the windows and door, and before we even began, sweat started pouring out of me. I knew to hydrate well ahead of time, but I had no idea how much liquid I was capable of producing.

From there, my memory is a little foggy. I know we did a series of poses, which under normal circumstances would not be considered terribly hard. I recently had wrist surgery and was concerned about the strain on my wrist from my body weight as I went through the poses, but these were so different from the Vinyasa-style yoga that I’m used to—we never did a pose that required the use of my wrist. Not a single downward dog!

We stood up and stretched, we sat down and stretched, we lay down, we stood again. I’m pretty sure the instructor was speaking in tongues because most of the time, I had no idea what he was saying.

And before I knew it, it was over.

Now that I’ve had some time to reflect on my experience, I still feel confused about hot yoga. I mean, what’s the point? Is the goal to endure the heat? Build strength? Burn calories? (When I asked a woman in the lobby what she liked about the class, she had to think for a few beats. “I guess I like that I burn 600 calories in an hour.” But high caloric burn rate is a common misconception: A 2014 study found that men burned an average of about 460 calories in one 90-minute session and women burned only about 330. (That’s similar to the amount you would burn during an afternoon walk with your dog.) And our session was only 60 minutes. Sorry, lady.

So are there actual health benefits to hot yoga? “Whatever you do that makes you feel good is a benefit,” says Bondy. “But there are also drawbacks.”

For one, exercising in that kind of heat could potentially be dangerous. According to a 2015 study conducted by the American Council on Exercise, participants’ body temperatures reached as high as 103 degrees in many cases, coming very close to the 104-degree threshold considered dangerous to humans.

“A body temperature over 103 degrees can have serious repercussions, and most physicians point out that such temperatures veer into dangerous territory,” explains Dr. Penny Stern, a preventive and occupational medicine specialist at Northwell. “Elevated body temperature can cause heat cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke, which can be life-threatening.”

According to Dr. Stern, anyone with existing health problems, such as heart disease, lung issues, or diabetes, should get their doctor’s consent before beginning any exercise program, but especially something as extreme as hot yoga. “Many people who practice hot yoga report symptoms associated with heat intolerance because of dehydration. Other concerns have to do with specific elements of the practice—for example, the way participants are often encouraged to go way beyond their comfort levels, which can lead to injury,” she says. “The key is to engage in exercise safely and at a level appropriate to your level of fitness.”

If you dare try hot yoga, be sure to hydrate well ahead of your class. Also wear loose, lightweight clothing that allows your skin to breathe, and take it slow. These precautions will help ward off heat stroke. And, Dr. Stern adds, “If you feel lightheaded or uncomfortable, take a break.” 

Bottom line: I like to earn my sweat. So while I’m glad I conquered a fear, I am also very happy to never do hot yoga again. I’d rather run a few miles, go for a hike, get a root canal. Whatever. But my sister, my uncles, and millions of others swear by it. So, to each their own, I guess.
 

• Meet Dr. Penny Stern, preventive medicine specialist.
• Visit our Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine for classes that offer a holistic approach to physical, mental and spiritual health.