FITNESS
Hot Topic By Bern Le Roux
From Ayurvedic steam baths to Finnish sauna rooms, Mayan temescal and North American sweat lodge ceremonies, sweating for health has long been used in many cultures around the globe. When it comes to using heat in yoga, there seems to be a lack of ancient or traditional knowledge. The closest historical link has been made to panchagni tapas - an ancient ritual in which heat is used to test resolve and increase willpower in participants. This original form of ‘hot yoga’ was an ascetic practice, and an example of a common ritual in India known as asagni hotra, or fire sacrifice - hotly debated (excuse the pun) and often frowned upon today in India.
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ot yoga has been around for some time, but how much do we really know about it? And why practise yoga in a heated room in the first place? When most people think about hot yoga, they immediately think of Bikram Yoga – the 26 static postures and two breathing exercises brought to the West by a man who quickly fell from his celebrity-built pedestal after repeated sexual abuse allegations (we’ve all seen the Netflix documentary). Although this healing practice and style of yoga continues (rightfully redubbed Hot 26), there are other styles and ancient rituals that use heat to cultivate healing and transformative environments.
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HISTORY OF HOT YOGA The physical practice of yoga, or asana (there are many limbs to yoga apart from just the physical aspect), can be traced back to its roots in the Northern reaches of India. The average annual temperatures in Rishikesh range between 19˚C (in January) and 33˚C (in September), with some months reaching highs of up to 38˚C and 40˚C. Coupled with high humidity, the heat in this part of the world, regardless of the time of day or style of yoga, is naturally going to create a fair amount of perspiration. Therefore, the logical progression for yoga studios around the world is to heat their studios to stimulate this type of environment.
This disconnect from tradition may be viewed as a bastardisation of yoga. However, what if removing these boundaries makes yoga more accessible, more far-reaching, and able to help more people around the world, both mentally and physically? This disconnect also does not mean that there are no benefits to hot yoga. BENEFITS OF HOT YOGA Increased circulation and increased flow of lymph fluid through the body are the obvious benefits, but more recently there’s been ongoing scientific research on dermcidin, a natural antibiotic released when you sweat, as a treatment of superbugs. According to Yoga International, dermcidin is “most
