Possible effects of hot yoga: An objective approach

Abstract

Over the years, Yoga has not only contributed to holistic health and well-being but has also spread worldwide as an academic discipline. At the same time, there has been regular experimentation and adaptation in the field of yoga by people from various parts of the world since the time it gained wide popularity, some of them being quite scientific in their orientation. Among them, hot yoga is a new trend in Hatha yoga practice, which involves exposure to ambient temperature to promote the health benefits through acclimatization. However, to date, influence of hot yoga on various health-related parameters and its effect on thermoregulatory mechanism are still under controversy. This study attempted to explore the possible ill effects of hyperthermia-induced physical activity on various regulatory mechanisms of health, which may be directed toward impaired body homeostasis. This study suggests that hot yoga cannot regulate comprehensive health at cellular level and may deviate from the traditional concept of yoga.

Keywords

• heat
• homeostasis
• hot yoga
• thermoregulation