Hot yoga is a kind of yoga performed under hot and humid conditions. It is also known as Bikram yoga. Bikram Choudhury, a famous Indian yoga teacher, is the founder of this form of yoga, which is now used to describe any kind of yoga that uses heat to increase the body’s flexibility in the poses.

The idea of hot yoga is that in colder weather, hot yoga often seeks to replicate the heat and humidity of India where yoga originated.

Hot yoga is performed in a series of 26 hatha postures selected and developed by Choudhury.

Millions have practiced this kind of yoga and proved that those 26 postures scientifically work great with every part of the body including internal organs, veins, ligaments and all muscles; it helps maintain the finest health and highest function.

Each of the 26 moves takes care of a different part of the body and all of them work together to achieve the maximum benefit of the whole body. The postures require lengthy, forceful and well-controlled contractions of all major muscle groups. The demanding nature of the poses and the heat are designed to raise the heart rate and tire the body’s muscles.

Only those with a certificate from one of the affiliated Bikram Yoga Studios can conduct hot yoga classes. Hot yoga is very similar to Bikram yoga with small tweaks. We spoke to Raheema Khan, freelance hot yoga teacher, to learn more about hot yoga.

“I have set up my studio in a manner to match the one we studied in. It has the proper heating temperature that helps the body and the postures greatly.There, they used to call their studios the Torture Chambers,” she said. “The studio has a temperature of 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit. This high temperature promotes profuse sweating and makes the body very warm,” she added.

Many in Saudi Arabia don’t understand yoga and that it can change the construction of the body from the inside out, according to Khan. “Before working on the change, you need to have the proper heat that will help soften the body and make it flexible to enable it to reshape,” she said. “This kind of yoga makes you sweat and flush all the toxins out of the body from the pores that open up to extract the dirt and sweat,” she added. Khan’s classes last for 90 minutes.

“We are constantly exposed to different kinds of chemicals every day through environmental pollution, cosmetics, pesticides, household cleaners and of course food preservatives,” she said. “You should minimize your exposure to chemicals in foods, cosmetics and cleaners, however, there are some things that you cannot control and for those we should find a way to make them leave your body. Toxins leave the body by urine, feces and sweat, so hot yoga helps very well with that,” she added.

According to Khan, it is essential for her clients to have their own yoga mat and a special mat towel. “When you are in a hot yoga class, it is very important to have your own towels and mat for hygiene purposes. You sweat so much because of the heat and it would be a nightmare if you don’t because you would be sweating all over the mat and the towel,” she said. “I also make sure to have chilled water and fresh sliced fruits ready to help women get their balance back,” she added.

Khan recommends women to drink plenty of water before and after hot yoga so they are not dehydrated. “I also advice them to eat a full balanced meal at least two hours before the class. It would be great if women arrived 10 to 15 minutes earlier so that they can lay down and relax in the heat before we start moving,” she added.

Pregnant women, girls under 15 and those who suffer from asthma are not allowed to practice hot yoga for it can raise the core body temperature. “If you have heart disease, problems with dehydration or heat intolerance, or have had heat-related illness (such as heatstroke) in the past, it is probably best to skip hot yoga,” said Khan.

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