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In general, there are many types of yoga. And, almost all yogic techniques are used as supportive therapy to address physical and mental conditions, such as pain, injury, tension, or trauma.

One type of yoga that is getting popular these days is hot yoga. Typically known as Bikram yoga, this is an exceptional workout at its core. It is performed in a heated studio and involves a great deal of dynamic poses to improve balance, flexibility, strength, stamina, and focus. Due to its nature and qualities, it is recommended by many physicians as part of a healthy lifestyle.

One of the greatest benefits of hot yoga is that it helps you manage stress. So, how does this hot yogic style drastically reduce your stress levels during each session and let you regain control of your life?

1. It frees up trapped energy that causes stress.

Sometimes, emotional energy gets stuck and stagnates in your joints, organs, tissues, and other parts of your body. As it intensifies, it will eventually cause a great deal of stress. By performing hot yoga, certain movements will help release such energy, while making you feel good at the same time. In fact, simple poses, like the Reclining Goddess, go a long way in helping you free up those stored emotions.

2. It allows you to be compassionate to your body.

In essence, this type of yoga involves a series of exercises that are designed to let you express compassion towards yourself. After all, the first yoga sutra teaches people to be kind to themselves and to others. Now, unlike high-intensity exercises that can be hard on you, hot yoga promotes kindness and positivity, which are feelings that you will definitely need to relieve stress.

3. It helps release the stress hormone, cortisol, from the body.

Due to its nature, Bikram will make you sweat a lot every session. And, with the sweat goes not only the toxins that you might have inside your body, but the excess amounts of stress hormones (cortisol) as well! Basically, too much of this hormone will lock you into fight-or-flight mode. To calm your mind and body down, you need to release this hormone or you will find yourself under a lot of stress most of the time.

4. It triggers the release of “feel good” hormones in the brain.

While it releases the stress hormone, hot yoga also triggers your brain to produce “feel good” hormones, such as endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. As their moniker suggest, these hormones are responsible for giving you to have a happy mentality. Now, if you are happy, then there would be no room for stress to ruin your life.

5. It relieves anxiety.

It can be easy for you to become overwhelmed and anxious most of the time, especially when you have a busy daily schedule. As you may already know, anxiety and stress go hand in hand. In fact, both of these conditions are the main causes of that feeling of imbalance you experience from time to time. With regular hot yoga practice, you will be able to gradually eliminate anxiety and stress, giving you back that state of physical and mental balance. As a result, you can maintain a better and stable mood.

6. It releases tension.

Like other forms of yoga, Bikram also involves the two basic breathing exercises, known as kapalbhati and pranayama. In principle, these breathing exercises encourage you to concentrate and release tension, thus reducing stress in the process.

Start Practicing Hot Yoga Now!

There are lots of things that you need to know about yoga, especially if you are just starting out. For Bikram, it is also performed to prevent stress from taking over your life. So, if you are often beat up by the hustle and bustle of your daily activities, it might be best for you to start practicing this form of yoga on a regular basis.