Bikram yoga’s about as hot as it gets as thousands of fitness-conscious North Americans flock to more than 600 specialty studios to practice this unique form of Hatha yoga, developed by Bikram Choudhury in 1974.

Static in nature and design, hot yoga consists of 26 set poses and two breathing postures performed in a heated mirrored room.

“Static and repetitive practice allows you to perform a posture to your best ability and then return to the neutral position, observing and measuring quality and progress one posture at a time. The mirrors allow you to see yourself so you can adjust physical misalignments,” says Marilyn Barnett, owner of Yoga Connection Tribeca in New York City and author of Hot Yoga: Energizing, Rejuvenating, Healing (available at Amazon.com).

Both novices and experienced students of yoga can derive benefits from the Bikram method, which was devised to improve overall health and fitness through the cumulative effect of one pose building on another over the course of each sweaty 90-minute session.

“Heat is used to promote muscular relaxation, facilitate the release and lengthening of tight muscles and provide cardiovascular conditioning and detoxification benefits,” says Barnett.

Reduced stress, improved strength and flexibility, weight loss, and enhanced quality of life are among the benefits, according to disciples, who are drawn from every age and level of fitness. People suffering from chronic diseases, such as arthritis, thyroid disorders and diabetes, report significant symptom relief with regular practice — at least three times per week for best results.

“The series emphasizes strength and stability of the spine and legs. There’s no weight bearing on the arms or full body inversions. It’s very physically oriented. There’s no chanting or spiritual talk in the class format. It attracts people looking to improve themselves physically. The postures are very accessible to body types and are easily modified for people with physical limitations,” says Barnett.

Hot Stuff

“The heat is probably the biggest challenge and yet I believe it plays a very important part in the transformative quality of Bikram yoga. Heating steel or glass before bending or molding allows for the shape to be changed, transforming the object into something visibly different with a new potential purpose. Heating the body and changing its shape brings the same transformative qualities to the mind, changing the view of one’s own potential,” says Barnett.

• External heat warms up the body — warm muscles are supple. Movement and stretching are easier and the risk of muscle strain reduced.
• The heat is designed to slow down movement, permitting a greater awareness of various opposing actions and allows you to work deeper into your muscles, tendons and ligaments without incurring injury.
• Students must be hydrated before class and sip water throughout, particularly if they’re perspiring profusely — fluid loss through sweating can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. The room must be properly vented with good air circulation.
• It’s important to seek out a reputable studio and instructor. Trained instructors — it costs $5,000 in tuition fees to become a teacher — know how to monitor the heat index, air flow, humidity and ventilation during Bikram sessions.

“When beginning, practice under the guidance of a knowledgeable instructor, and become knowledgeable about your body and the effects of heat so you can practice responsibly,” says Barnett. “When choosing a studio and an instructor, find one whose philosophy on alignment, modifications and temperature conditions is consistent with developing a safe and effective practice.”