Bikram Choudhury founder of Bikram Yoga and Hot Yoga. It is a type of hatha yoga. People practice this yoga in a studio.
Bikram Yoga studio offers Yoga room heated to 105 F (41 degrees C). The studio maintains a humidity level of 40 percent.
A traditional hot yoga class lasts 90 minutes. It includes 26 postures and two breathing exercises. These help improve circulation, regulate blood pressure, and boost fitness.
Bikram yoga studios follow the same teaching style in every session. This helps students build consistency and improve their yoga skills. The heated space allows for greater flexibility, allowing yoga postures to strengthen muscles more effectively and securely.
People often call hot yoga Bikram Yoga. It includes a set routine of 26 poses and two breathing exercises. People perform these in a room heated to about 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat improves flexibility and circulation as well as sweat elimination through sweat.
Following are 26 postures, with their detailed descriptions and their benefits:
2 Breathing Exercises in Hot Yoga Positions
1. Pranayama Deep Breathing (Standing)
How to: Sit up straight. Position your fingers beneath your chin. Lift your elbows. Inhale through your nose.. Exhale through your lips while extending your elbows.
Benefits: Warms up body and lungs, helps to expand lungs as well as improves circulation. It also helps prepare muscles for training.
2. Kapalbhati Breathing (Blowing in Firm Pose)
Method: In Vajrasana (kneeling) and then forcefully exhale through the nose, then passively breathe in.
Benefits: Detoxifies lungs, increases abdominal strength, improves digestion.
The 26 Hot Yoga Positions Yoga Pose
Standing Series of Hot Yoga Positions
1. Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
The focus is Flexibility in the spine
The benefits: Improves the core’s strength, posture and and tones abdominal.
2. Hands to Feet Pose (Pada Hastasana)
In Focus: Hamstrings
Benefits: Increases spine flexibility and improves brain circulation.
3. Awkward Pose (Utkatasana)
Concentration: Hips and thighs
The benefits: Improves leg strength, balance and and tones lower body.
4. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
Concentration: Hips and shoulders
The benefits: Enhances joint flexibility and circulation.
5. Standing Head to Knee (Dandayamana-Janushirasana)
The focus is Strength and balance
Advantages Enhances the concentration and strengthens legs and core.
6. Standing Bow Pulling Pose (Dandayamana-Dhanurasana)
The focus is Balance and backbend
The benefits: Increases flexibility, posture and open shoulders, and increases flexibility.
7. Balancing Stick (Tuladandasana)
Concentration: Strength throughout the body
Advantages It strengthens the heart and increases focus and coordination.
8. Standing Separate Leg Stretching (Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimottanasana)
The focus is Hamstrings
Benefits: Stretches legs, improves circulation to the brain.
9. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
The focus is on The spine and the hips
Advantages Increases digestive efficiency, improves leg strength, and increases flexibility.
10. Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee (Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana)
Concentration: Balance and hamstrings
The benefits: stimulates the abdominal organs and increases flexibility.
11. Tree Pose (Tadasana variation of Bikram)
Concentration: The Balance
Advantages Improves leg strength, posture, and focus.
12. Toe Stand (Padangustasana)
Concentration: Ankle and knee muscle
Advantages Increases the balance and improves joint strength.
Floor Series of Hot Yoga Positions
13. Dead Body Pose (Savasana)
Concentration: Relaxation
Benefits: Lowers heart rate and combines the benefits of postures.
14. Wind Removing Pose (Pavanamuktasana)
Focus: Digestion
Benefits: Relieves gas, massages abdominal organs.
15. Sit Up (Part of Bikram sequence)
Concentration: Core
Benefits: Strengthens abdomen, moves between poses.
16. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Focus: Spine
Benefits: Strengthens lower back, improves flexibility.
17. Locust Pose (Salabhasana)
Focus: Back strength
Benefits: Strengthens spine and glutes.
18. Full Locust Pose
The focus is Arms and upper back
The benefits: Strengthens shoulder muscles, improves posture.
19. Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
Focus: Backbend
Benefits: Stimulates digestive organs, improves spine flexibility.
20. Fixed Firm Pose (Supta Vajrasana)
Concentration: Ankles and knees
Advantages Enhances knee flexibility and assists digestion.
21. Half Tortoise Pose (Ardha Kurmasana)
The focus is on Hips and shoulders
The benefits: Lowers strain, and stretches the spine.
22. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
The focus is Deep back bend
Advantages Improves the posture, opens chest.
23. Rabbit Pose (Sasankasana)
The focus is The flexion of the spine
The benefits: The stretching back improves brain circulation.
24. From Head to Knee and Stretching Pose (Janushirasana)
Focus: Hamstrings
Benefits: Improves digestion, stretches lower back.
25. Spine Twisting Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
Focus: Spine rotation
Benefits: Detoxifies organs, increases spinal mobility.
26. Final Blowing in Firm Pose (Kapalbhati)
Focus: Cleansing breath
Benefits: Detoxifies body, strengthens abs.
Benefits of Hot Yoga Positions – Bikram Yoga Pose
Increases flexibility (heat aids muscles in stretching without risk)
Hot yoga can increase flexibility because the heated environment helps warm the muscles more quickly. When muscles are warm, they become more flexible. This helps them stretch more easily, allowing for better movement in different poses. Improved blood circulation in the heat also supports muscle function and reduces stiffness.
However, while heat makes stretching feel easier, it does not eliminate the risk of injury. Practicing with proper alignment, controlled movements, and mindful awareness is still essential to stretch safely and effectively.
Burns calories
Hot yoga is a great way to burn calories. You keep moving and engage your muscles in a warm room. The heat boosts the heart rate and increases circulation, which increases the energy level throughout the practice.
Holding poses for long periods builds muscle and strength, while moving between poses keeps your body active. Based on the intensity and weight, a class can generate between 300 and 600 calories. But, the amount of calories burned varies depending on the individual. The principal benefits of yoga are balance, flexibility as well as stress reduction and overall physical fitness.
Strengthens muscles
Hot yoga helps strengthen muscles by making the body hold and switch between tough poses. These poses challenge many muscle groups at once. A lot of poses utilize the body’s weight to resist, which builds strength in core, legs, arms and back. Intentionally holding positions for long time periods improves endurance and balancing poses help strengthen muscles to stabilize joints.
health. The warm environment permits muscles to move freely and encourages deeper engagement. With regular practice, you can improve muscle tone, stability, and strength throughout your whole body.
Improves cardiovascular endurance
The benefits of yoga are that it improves cardiovascular endurance by increasing the heart rate throughout the class. The heat makes the heart work harder. It helps control the body’s temperature and keeps blood flowing.
Moving continuously between positions and holds for a long time keep the cardiovascular system active. As time passes, this continuous exercise can build up the heart and increase endurance overall.
As endurance improves with age, the body gets better at delivering oxygen to muscles during exercise. Regular exercise can therefore lead to more healthy heart health as well as general fitness.
Reduces stress
The benefits of yoga include reducing stress by combining physical activity with controlled breathing and focus. The series of poses helps people be mindful. It allows them to focus on the present, not on outside worries.
A steady, deep breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system which helps to relax and reduce stress hormones. Physical exercise releases endorphins.
These are natural chemicals that improve mood and create a feeling of happiness. In addition, the warm surroundings can make you feel calm and peaceful. Together, these elements promote mental peace, emotional harmony and general stress reduction.
Improves focus and balance
Hot yoga helps improve concentration and balance by demanding constant attention to the body and mind throughout every pose. Many poses need you to stand on one leg or hold tough positions. These help strengthen stabilizing muscles and improve coordination.
To stay steady, students should focus on their breathing. They should also find a steady point to look at, known as Drishti. Focusing on this in a mindful way minimizes distractions and increases mental focus.
With time, consistent training improves proprioception, the body’s sense of space’s position. This results in greater physical stability and overall concentration both on and off the mat.
About the Author
