Hot Yoga

Hot yoga, or Bikram Yoga, was developed by Bikram Choudhry. Hot Yoga consists of a series of 26 asanas, and two pranayama (control of the breath) excercises, each of which is performed twice during the 90 minute class that is held in a room heated to 100 degrees.

Performing the yoga postures in that heat for 90 minutes causes participants to sweat profusely, which helps rid the body of toxins and makes the muscles more supple and flexible.

While participating in hot yoga, women often wear exercise shorts and a jog bra. You can also find capris, unitards, and tank tops that are created from fabric that will wick moisture away from the skin, so that when you sweat, your clothing does not become soaked and hang down from the weight of the water.

You can purchase official Bikram Yoga clothing and accessories from the Bikram yoga online store, and many other online yoga retailers. They offer the hot yoga mat, which is designed for hot yoga. It has absorbent cotton material on one side, and a sticky mat on the other side to help it adhere to the floor. The cotton side absorbs perspiration and provides a comfortable surface to work on.

Because Hot Yoga is so, well, hot you can find a hot yoga studio in most larger cities. If you do a search on the Internet you can find a Bikram Yoga class finder. It is worth noting that there has been a bit of controversy about the use of the terms "Hot Yoga," and "Bikram Yoga." Bikram Choudhury was involved in a lawsuit over his attempt to copyright his style of yoga that consists of 26 poses done in a heated room. He sued for the right to prevent others from using his methods and calling their classes "Bikram Yoga" unless they were certified by his yoga college. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Choudhury remains shrouded in controversy.

Hot Yoga, or Bikram Yoga instructors must be trained by Bikram himself. He conducts teacher trainings at the llikai Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. The accelerated training program lasts for nine intense weeks from September to November.

Prior to applying for the hot yoga instructor training program, applicants must have at lease six months of continuous Bikram Yoga practice at an affiliated yoga studio taught by a certified Bikram Yoga teacher. You must also submit a written recommendation from your yoga teacher that speaks to your readiness and preparation for the intense training. You must be physically fit enough to attend two yoga classes per day along with classes, lectures, posture clinics and time to memorize the Bikram Yoga dialogue.