Hot yoga is one of the most popular forms of yoga in the United States. There are hot yoga studios throughout the country and it is well-known for its health benefits.
If you’re not able to get to a hot yoga studio, however, you can make some adjustments to your home to bring a hot yoga studio to you.
In this article, we will introduce several ideas for doing hot yoga at home. Let’s get started!
What Is Hot Yoga?
Before we dive into how to do hot yoga at home, let’s take the time to define exactly what hot yoga is. Hot yoga doesn’t differ too much from regular yoga sessions.
Depending on the yoga teacher, different poses can be used and the practice can be undertaken in quiet reflection or with loud music playing.
The main characteristic of hot yoga is that it is performed under hot conditions. The temperature of the yoga studio is set higher than it would be normally to make the room feel hotter.
There are no firm rules about the temperature as it is left to the instructor’s discretion. However, the typical temperature is between 80 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (27 and 38 degrees centigrade).
Are Hot Yoga And Bikram Yoga The Same?
You may see these two terms used interchangeably and although they share similarities, they are not the same.
Bikram yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury and follows a very strict set of rules. In Bikram yoga, the room temperature is set to exactly 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees centigrade) and should have a humidity of 40 percent.
The class should always follow the same routine as well. There are 26 poses and two breathing exercises that should be completed in every Bikram yoga class.
Tips For Doing Hot Yoga At Home
There are several ways you can set up your home yoga space for a hot yoga session. A lot of these suggestions depend on your budget and exactly how high you want your temperature to be.
Many of these suggestions work well in tandem with others. For example, wearing extra layers on its own may not make things hot enough, but combine that with an extra heater and you’ll get a very hot workout!
Turn Up The Heat
The easiest way to do hot yoga at home is simply to turn up the heating system you already have.
Depending on your heating system, however, you may not be able to get the extremely high temperatures that some hot yoga practitioners prefer, but you will be able to get the sweat flowing.
Wear More Layers
It’s important when you practice yoga that your clothing isn’t restrictive. You should be able to move freely without your clothing getting in the way. That doesn’t mean that you can’t wear a couple of layers, however.
Consider wearing comfy sweatpants over leggings or an oversized sweater over your shirt. If you’re doing hot yoga at home, you don’t need to worry about your clothing blocking your form from your instructor, after all!
Purchase A Portable Heater
There are many different types of heaters you can purchase that will help you to increase the temperature in your home. We especially recommend infrared heaters as these are silent and portable so you can set up your yoga space wherever you need.
If you’re working on a budget, blow heaters are an option as well. However, these can be quite noisy and may distract you from your practice. Ceramic heaters are another good option as they generally run quietly as well.
Install Additional Heating
If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated yoga space at home and have the budget, you can install permanent heating that is similar to some of the systems used in yoga studios.
The best options are either infrared ceramic panels in the ceiling or gas fan heaters. The former of these are silent but they will heat your head before the rest of your body and some people dislike them for this reason.
Gas heaters are often used by hot yoga studios. They heat the air evenly and it’s easy to control their temperature.
They do come with a hefty price tag though and are very large in size, so they may not be practical for many home yoga studios.
Inflatable Domes
One of the great advantages that yoga has over many other forms of exercise is that it’s very compact. You really don’t need much space or equipment to get a good yoga workout and this makes inflatable domes a possibility.
You can run through your yoga inside one of these domes and all of the heat will be trapped inside. You’ll only need a small heat source to really get the temperature high.
However, if you do choose this option, make sure that you have adequate ventilation and don’t choose a heater that gives off fumes.
Purchase A Humidifier
Humidity is an important factor in hot yoga as well. Although there is no fixed value for humidity in hot yoga, many studios aim for 40 percent humidity as this helps you to sweat and breathe comfortably.
There are many different types of humidifiers available on the market at all budget points. However, if your budget is set at zero, there are a few options available to you that don’t involve spending money.
Hanging wet (but clean!) clothes in your room as you practice hot yoga will get some humidity into the air. You can also run some hot water, such as a bath or shower, for 20 minutes before you begin and then practice your hot yoga in the bathroom.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we introduced hot yoga and how to replicate a hot yoga studio at home. We included ideas for all budget points so hopefully there is something here for you.
I created this website to help newcomers to yoga and enthusiasts alike, and to share our common passions for yoga.
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