The practice reduced pain along with depression and anxiety. Research on benefits of heated yoga for chronic pain is limited, even though many studies have shown pain-reducing benefits for traditional yoga.Ī study published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found yoga benefited people with chronic low back pain more than traditional exercise. Some people prefer the discipline of Bikram–and the extreme heat–while others seek the gentle detoxification and free-flowing ambience of a traditional heated yoga class. As in traditional yoga classes, the instructor’s personality flavors the hour, with personalized music selections, themes, and sequencing of postures. Temperatures usually range between 80 and 100 degrees. Some studios merely bump the temperature to create balmy exercise conditions while others might crank the heater so practitioners really work up a sweat. Hot yoga, on the other hand, involves a regular vinyasa or hatha yoga class that takes place in a heated room. There’s no music and the instructor’s dialogue follows a prescribed speech. These schools frequently offer only Bikram yoga without supplementing their schedules with additional types. The practice involves completing the set of postures and two breathing exercises in a specific order at a specific temperature–105 degrees with 40% humidity. Only licensed Bikram yoga schools may offer classes under the trademarked name. Indian born and trained yogi Bikram Choudhury opened the first Bikram yoga school in California in 1974. While yoga is an ancient practice rooted in India, Bikram yoga has more modern roots.

The short answer: Bikram yoga refers to a specific set of 26 postures while hot yoga is normal yoga, just in a heated room.Īre you ready to sweat? Studio temperatures for Bikram and hot yoga range from 90 to 105 degrees. What’s the difference between Bikram and hoy yoga? Then you see some funny yoga called Bikram while others just call themselves hot. Stretching in a heated room enhances flexibility and aids detoxification, studios promise. So you’ve seen the signs around town or read articles on the internet about the benefits of hot yoga.

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