Who wouldn’t want to take all the healthy benefits of yoga and light a fire under it? That is exactly what you do when you join millions of Americans in dusting off that earthy attire and joining a Bikram yoga, or “hot” yoga, class to experience the fastest growing health trend in America. Bikram yoga is yoga designed to be practiced in a heated room so you sweat through your pain and the stresses of everyday life.

What is Bikram, or Hot, Yoga?

Hot Yoga is done in a room heated between 100 and 115 degrees and usually kept at 60 percent humidity, depending on each studios individual policy. Although, as should be expected, you have to be in good physical health to participate in hot yoga. Hot yoga is not for everyone. Even the founder of hot yoga, Choudhury Bikram affectionately refers to his studio as his “torture chamber,” and for good reason.

The Mental and Physical Health Benefits

Despite the sweat and sometimes light-headedness that comes from this extreme workout, the benefits to your physical and mental health are just too plentiful to ignore. First, the issue on everyone’s mind these days. Birkram yoga can help with weight loss! Your body burns fat more effectively when it is warm. Body fat may be redistributed and burned as energy during the class. Also, your metabolism speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids. It is common to lose inches from those problem areas in a very short time while taking a hot yoga class.

The heat produces a much easier stretch because warm muscles are suppler and more malleable, therefore allowing for greater range of movement in joints, muscles, ligaments and other structures in the body. The cardiovascular system gets a very thorough workout. Capillaries dilate more in the heat bringing oxygen more efficiently into the tissues, muscles, glands and organs and helping in the expelling of waste. The long term effects of hot yoga are also too good to pass up. For instance, muscles and connective tissue become more elastic and allow for greater flexibility with less chance of injury and improved resolution of injury. Sweating leads to detoxification through the skin - which is the body's largest eliminating organ. Just as when your body raises its temperature to fight infection, the raised temperature in the room will assist in improving T-cell function and the proper functioning of your immune system.

Quite possibly the most important plus are the mental health benefits. You can enjoy greater willpower through discipline, self control, concentration and determination. Also, the effects on the stress in your life and how you manage it are incredible. You will learn techniques to control reaction to the stressful stimulants that are encountered throughout the day.

Birkram, or Hot, Yoga is one of the most popular practices for physical and mental well-being in our society today, and for good reason. For a great total body workout that can be performed on all levels, give Birkram Yoga a shot. It’s yoga-just kicked up a notch!

The Downside of Hot Yoga

However, as with any physical activity, hot yoga is not for everyone. The room is extremely hot and ridiculously humid. There have been numerous yoga-related injuries reported from doctors and hospitals since the increase in popularity of hot yoga. In an interview, Dr. Robert Gotlin, director of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation at the Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan said, “Heat increases one's metabolic rate, and by warming you up, it allows you to stretch more, but once you stretch a muscle beyond 20 or 25 percent of its resting length, you begin to damage a muscle." Postures that require extreme bending of the knees -- squats and sitting backward on folded legs, for example -- are the most likely to cause tears in knee cartilage.

Prevent Injury during Yoga and Hot Yoga

Even though there is a risk of injury in any physical activity, there are always preventative measures that can be taken. First, and most important, find a qualified instructor. There is not one agency that oversees safety and certification of yoga instructors at this time; however the next best thing is to check the registry of the Yoga Alliance. The Yoga Alliance is a non-profit list of registered schools and yoga instructors. Registered teachers must show that they have met the Alliance’s standards for 200 or 500 hours. The thing to keep in mind is that not all instructors are qualified to teach yoga and even if they are certified, some certification programs are not very thorough.

Secondly, Remember that yoga is not a sport of competition. If you push your body beyond what it can do just to keep up with someone else, you can seriously injure yourself. This is how many reported yoga injuries happen. That is also another reason to find a good, qualified instructor. A well-trained instructor can assist you in finding a modified pose if your body cannot fully attain the correct pose. Be sure to listen to your body for clues and it will tell you where the limits are.

Moving at Your Own Pace-the Most Effective Prevention

It is necessary to move slowly with any type of yoga. If you have never done it before, be sure to move through the poses cautiously and pay attention to the instruction given so that you don not pose incorrectly. This can put strain on joints and muscles and you may not know it. Don’t move up to that intermediate class too quickly. It is essential that you progress slowly for your body to get the full benefit from the stretches and to gain the flexibility it takes to move up to the next level.

Finally, Set your own small goals for each class and concentrate on working towards them. Do not be swayed by what your instructor or classmate says you should be able to do. You joined a yoga class for your own health and enjoyment. Don’t be pushed into anything your body isn’t ready for. This is a no fail road to a yoga injury. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If you are unsure about a pose or position, ask the instructor before or after class, but do not perform that pose until you are certain it is being done correctly. Obviously, inform your instructor if you have had any prior injuries, medical conditions, or limitations of any kind. This is especially important for hot yoga. There are some medical conditions that should not be mixed with 115 degrees and difficult poses!

Most importantly, if it’s not for you then it’s not for you. Hot yoga is an activity purely intended for physical and mental well-being. If for any reason you are not comfortable doing hot yoga, just stick to traditional yoga instead.