So is Hot Yoga Really Safe? Who should be avoiding hot classes?
Elevated temperatures are in almost every studio right now, and the debate on hot yoga is still going strong, despite the cloud of controversy surrounding Bikram Yoga. The majority of people can practice hot yoga perfectly safely, but we thought we’d give you some info to help you see whether you might have an unpleasant experience with it.
This sounds a little obvious, but if you don’t like heat, you’ll hate hot yoga! There are no significant health benefits that make it worth powering through a hot session when half an hour on a Spanish beach has you craving AirCon! The more you’re thinking about what an ordeal the class is, the less you’re learning and benefiting.
Heavy hot yoga sessions can leave you feeling nauseous! Some people come out of hot yoga feeling the opposite of what most people call the ‘yoga high’. They feel nauseous, which can stop them from rehydrating properly. Coupled with an empty stomach, tiredness and dehydration symptoms you have classic heat exhaustion.
You Should Probably Avoid Hot Yoga if:
- You’ve had heat stroke before
- You have low blood pressure
- You’re elderly or recovering from injuries
- You’ve never done yoga before
- You have a heart condition
- You’re looking for a detox (you won’t ‘sweat out’ toxins doing hot yoga, it’s just simple biology)
- You’re squeamish about other people sweating heavily
- You have skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema
Needless to say, these points aren’t doctrine, and it’s always going to be the student themselves that decides what’s best for them. For the majority, hot yoga should be perfectly safe, but you need to keep in mind any dangers that come with extreme heat.
Stay safe everyone!
