Hey all - I have been on and off this forum for a few years now... so anyway - I am back - again.
I have seen a lot of you all talking about yoga. Have any of you tried Hot Yoga? I know it has a real name, but I can't remember it. I was thinking of trying it, but I am interested in a few first hand experiences. Have you ever seen anyone pass out from the heat?
Just curious.

Sorry never done the hot version, have heard of it though. I do not know if there is any danger of passing out from it, sorry.

It's called Bikram Yoga. There is a place here in Hollywood that does that... They say with a session like that you can burn anywhere from 500-1000 calories an hour.

I haven't tried it because i don't do well with "heat." I think it really depends how your body functions. I'm pretty sure it happens, since the room is heated anywhere from 90-100 degrees.

i've never tried it myself, but my friend teaches it and said people commonly throw up afterward!!! that was enough to ward me off

My friend's boyfriend is an addict. He goes every day. He has only been sick once afterwards, and it was because he hadn't been drinking any water at all that day like he usually does -- so it was basically dehydration. He blacked out and woke up a few minutes later while in the change room. Anyway, he swears by it. My friend went with him once and said it's okay, but very very hot and sweaty. Not my kind of thing

I don't understand how that makes you burn more actual calories--I would think that, just like anything else that just makes you hot, you're only losing water while you do it by sweating so much. If doing exercise in the heat were GOOD for you, then we'd all be doing our sit-ups in 100-degree gyms

I've actually heard that it's better to exercise in cooler temperatures because the coolr it is, the harder your body has to work to heat up, therefore, burning more calories. Just because you're sweating doesn't mean you're burning calories--just losing water. This is why those funky plastic suits some people wear while exercising (sauna suits, I think they've been called) don't really work, nor does just sitting in a sauna--though it would be nice if we could all just in a sauna and melt the pounds away

I think the heat is meant more for sweating away toxins out of your body in yoga.

where i have learnt with the opposite. a gym i went to at my old local town did not put the air conditioner on as it was believed to hinder your exercise. mainly i believe because if you are cold you can't get the full range of motion as well as if you are warm. not that the heater was on but you get what i mean.

i had a search online for some info on it and here is a short answer. the highlighted line is what i am trying to get across in my paragraph above

The recommended temperature is minimum 105F degrees and about 40% humidity.

The room is kept at this temperature or more for the following:

• Keeping the body from overheating (contrary to popular misconception)
• Protecting the muscles to allow for deeper stretching
• Detoxing the body (open pores to let toxins out)
• Thinning the blood to clear the circulatory system
• Increasing heart rate for better cardiovascular workout
• Improving strength by putting muscle tissue in optimal state for reorganization
• Reorganize the lipids (fat) in the muscular structure

And I just found a bunch of articles that say this is dangerous--in this hot of an environment, your muscles and tendons can stretch far beyond what they normally would, often resulting in injury because you can't feel the strain of your natural limits as well. One orthopedic doctor even said he typically sees at least 5 patients each week who come in with injuries from doing this.

The medical community seems pretty indecisive as to whether it's all good or bad, so I guess it's no surprise that we would be, too I did, however, find a lot of stuff about what a jerk this Bikram guy is and how his style can't even really be called "yoga" according to the Indian scientific definitions, so I don't think I would give him my money but then that's the business/marketing education in me, not the dieter

So yeah, heat will make you be able to stretch your muscles and tendons further, but that won't make you burn more calories. Here's what I was talking about:
"Exposure to cold temperature causes an increase in the BMR, so as to create the extra heat needed to maintain the body's internal temperature. A short exposure to hot temperature has little effect on the body's metabolism as it is compensated mainly by increased heat loss." (I would provide an author for this quote, but I actually found the same article on many different websites with no author listed).

So, I guess after doing some reading, my official stance/opinion would be that Hot Yoga (or Bikram or whatever you want to call it) will allow you to stretch further and sweat more, so if those are your goals, then there ya go. However, be careful not to overstretch and injure yourself, as you won't feel the same limits as you would in normal temperatures. If your goal is to burn more calories or lose more weight, this ain't gonna cut it

Personally, I don't enjoy sweating unless I'm working for it, so it's not for me, but I guess if you're a hot-weather person who doesn't mind sweating while sitting still, then have at it!

I don't think I could handle the heat...I have a tendency to pass out in similar conditions.

From what I know, you don't burn any more calories in a hot environment. It's kind of like that sweat suit theory though where people where extra clothing thinking they will sweat out more calories. Completely untrue.

I have heard about a SLIGHT increase in calories burned in a cool environment but you should always make sure your muscles are warmed up for activity before working out in any temperature.

There are a few schools/studios of Bikram Yoga in LA, I met a girl once who was apprenticing at one of the studios to be an instructor. To hear her talk you’d think sweating and stretching in a hot environment was the only way to release your body of all those evil toxins and whatever ails you . Sounded kind of like she’d been a bit brain washed.

My mom’s cousin teaches yoga privately in the Valley and she isn’t much of a fan of Bikram. She said she’s worked with a few clients that had actually hurt themselves pretty badly doing Bikram yoga.

So with this anecdotal evidence I can say I’ll stick with my regular Hatha yoga. But every person is different I guess so Bikram might just be the perfect thing for someone else.