Hot topic in yoga: Does heat help?
Rita Watson/ Providence Journal/ March 19, 2012
Yoga. The word that should mean relaxation still challenges me. And the concept of hot yoga conjures up visions of a giant Petri dish growing toxins or germs being released in a room full of sweltering bodies. With friends both for and against, I talked with a trusted yoga expert.
Licensed clinician Katherine McHugh, Cape Cod Center for Well-Being, LLC, said: “If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. The highest aim of yoga is to bring alignment, integration, and union of mind, body and spirit.”
With hot yoga the room temperature is set at 95 to 100 degrees and even 105 degrees Fahrenheit with one of the most widely talked, Bikram Yoga. Created by Bikram Choudhury, it is a series of 26 postures performed twice during a 90-minute class that also includes two breathing exercises.
McHugh said, “Bikram Yoga [and all yoga] can benefit the body by improving circulation, lung capacity, and metabolism as well as the mind by improving focus and attention. Yoga can also improve balance, strength and flexibility.”
She added: “Yoga is a personal journey. Many have come to accept the idea that our thoughts and actions are intimately connected to the outside world. However, yoga asana [postures], breath [pranayama] and meditation can realign us with our deepest selves. Directed practice, such as hot yoga, encourages a body, mind, spirit connection.”
As for hot yoga releasing toxins? There is scant evidence for this — although you might sweat out lots of alcohol if you were on the drinking binge. Toxins in the body are released daily through the work of our liver and kidneys.
Additionally one should be mindful of some of the side effects of the body temperature rising to over 105 degrees Fahrenheit. These include confusion, nausea, and dizziness. Water drinks fortified with potassium or sodium are considered vital.
Yoga has become both revered and feared. A new book is a cautionary read: “The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards” by William J. Broad. Despite the chapter focusing on rare injuries, scientific research is pointing to the benefits. In November 2010, the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine reported a “12-week yoga intervention” in which findings after brain scans noted “greater improvements in mood and anxiety than a metabolically matched walking exercise.” Studies at major teaching centers continue.
With the core of yoga focused on relaxation, ironically there is a movement afloat to put yoga into the Olympics. A national yoga championship is the brain child of Rajashree Choudhury, wife of the hot yoga innovator.
As for scientific documentation regarding the benefits of hot yoga over other practices — despite the passion of proponents — the jury is still out.
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Rita Watson, MPH, ( www.ritawatson.com ) is a regular contributor to The Providence Journal and a relationship columnist for its All About You section.