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.