Some Like It Hot

Kelly Gonzalez
Busy Bodies Health and Fitness
Date Published: December 10, 2008

Some Like it Hot
The Benefits of Hot Tropical Yoga

In the past I have taken yoga classes as a way to relax, cross train, and force myself to stretch out tightly bound muscles, but it wasn’t until I came to Australia and started regularly practicing hot tropical yoga that I began to reap the full benefits of the yoga discipline.

Yoga is just that, a complete discipline. It incorporates body, mind, and spirit. In my first class I didn’t know what to expect. I only guessed that I was going to sweat a lot, because I felt my body getting excessively warm just sitting in a relaxed position. The room heats up to about 95-100 degrees. It’s hotter than the most humid day in early August at the beach.

I had no idea just how intense and challenging the class was going to be. We began by interlocking all 10 fingers under our chin with our elbows touching as we breathed in rhythmically as a class and tilted our heads back to release the stale air from the lungs. Breathing deeper each breathe, your body warms up and energizes. After the first pranayama breathing exercise we moved on to complete the standing series, then the balancing series, spinal series, floor series of exercises, and finally the last breathing exercise before relaxing in shirshasana, lying completely still and letting the body recover, and the mind let go.

This form of yoga is called Bikram yoga. It was developed by yoga master Bikram Choudhury, and is widely practiced around the world today. It consists of 26 poses. Each pose is done twice in a 90- minute session in a heated room.
Hot tropical yoga isn’t your average gym yoga class. It’s a full body workout. Michelle Baldwin, owner of Hot Tropical Yoga in Coolangatta, Australia says that it is “designed to work every tendon, ligament, and muscle in the body. It gets the heart rate up and then calms you down.”

The benefits of hot tropical yoga are astounding. Not only does it work every system of the body, improve heart and lung function, promote flexibility, and prevent illness and injury, but it also aids in weight loss by scorching calories, toning, and strengthening muscles. On average 650-1200 calories are burned in a single hot tropical yoga class. That’s like running 6-8 miles!

The key to the calorie burn is the intensity of the postures as well as the heat. Warm muscles burn fat more effectively, and strength is gained because proteins in the muscles are used more efficiently under hotter temperatures. The cardiovascular system is taxed under the heat and the heart rate soars, sizzling calories. By sweating, you remove the toxins from the body, and improve the circulatory system, and immune system. The heat causes your capillaries to dilate, which allows more oxygen to muscles, tissues, glands, and organs, which aids in the removal of waste.

All of these wonderful benefits of hot tropical yoga leaves your body feeling cleaner, improves the look of your skin and hair, improves digestion, and the biggest benefit that I’ve received- aids in mental clarity, improved concentration, and stress relief.
The poses require focus and concentration. Michelle calls it “an open eye meditation.” She says, “the poses flow with intensity and focus, you concentrate only on yourself in the mirror, and block out all other distractions. By keeping your eyes open, continuing yogi breathing through your nose and keeping your mind calm, you are left feeling awake and energized.”

I am currently in the midst of completing a 12 day detox with Michelle at the Hot Tropical Yoga studio, tagged the “Twelve days of Christmas.” It is a challenge open to all members that require you to complete one hot yoga class every day for 12 days. Luckily, there are various classes offered daily so I can fit it into my schedule. I’m almost half way done and I definitely feel great. I’ve noticed that despite my regular strength training and running workouts, the additional daily yoga has kept my body strong, flexible, and healthy. I no longer have the tightness in my neck and shoulders, or the tightness in the bottom of my feet from regular running.

The mental benefits are amazing. The focus from the yoga class carries over to my daily activities. I do things slower now, not rushing just to finish. I don’t stress myself out over trivial matters. I’ve been feeling calmer, sleeping better, and simply just happier.

According to Michelle, “you get out of yoga what you put into it. “ A regular hot yoga practice consists of performing 3-5 classes each week. After about 10 days or so you will really start to feel the benefits. The important thing is to get out there and try something new. The first few classes may leave you outside your comfort zone, you may feel achy, maybe even a bit nauseous from the backward bends and heat. If you stick with it the hot yoga can improve your health and state of mind.