Is Bikram Yoga Effective for Weight Loss?

All across the globe, many forms of yoga are currently practiced, with purported benefits including enhanced flexibility and functional range of motion, improved muscular strength, endurance, and stability, improved balance, increased caloric expenditure for weight loss, and improved mental or spiritual health. A recent article published in The Times of India looks into the overall effectiveness of a special type of yoga referred to as Bikram, or hot yoga, as it relates to weight loss and caloric expenditure. Bikram yoga is a specialized system that emphasizes a set series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises in a room heated to 105°F with a humidity of 40%; hence appropriately earning its nickname - hot yoga. Bikram Choudhury from the Yoga College of India claims that using a heated studio facilitates optimal stretching potential and injury prevention, while reducing musculoskeletal stress and tension. He also claims the system helps to stretch the lungs for enhanced oxygen absorption. Bikram yoga is also purported to enhance the circulatory system and promote release of bacteria or toxins from various organs via compression of body segments and joints during the specialized poses. Some individuals swear by this system and make claims that one can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour. Unfortunately, some of the purported claims are not reflected in research nor have any logical physiological merit (e.g. detoxification of organs due to compressive and stretching actions). The claim that the system can allow for a participant to burn 1,000 calories is highly improbable, regardless of perceived intensity. One must realize that an activity that makes one sweat profusely does not necessarily burn a lot of calories. Sweating is a thermoregulatory process that does not increase fat or caloric expenditure in and of itself, but does however ensure a loss of blood plasma and cellular water. Heightened heart rates encountered during Bikram yoga are promoted by the hot environment which causes the heart to work harder to regulate temperature while in a dehydrated state. According to fitness expert Marcia Heaner, exercising in this type of environment may actually be unsafe for some individuals. It appears that you may get an intense workout of a sort, but individuals who have difficulty regulating temperature adequately (e.g. individuals with high levels of body fat, obese) need to be careful and remain aware that the caloric expenditure is not likely as great as anecdotal claims. (The Times of India, 2010)