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Faizan
Bikram yoga is a trademarked type of hot yoga, developed by Bikram Choudhury, that always consists of the same 26 Hatha yoga poses. The room must be heated to 105 F with a humidity level of 40 percent, and the session lasts 90 minutes. While you’ll find lots of people praising hot yoga, it’s questionable whether it’s safe for pregnant women.
Difficulty
The whole point of hot yoga is that it’s demanding and challenging. The poses are often difficult and done for an extended period of time, which requires extensive concentration, focus and strength. Mind you, much of the same can be said about any type of yoga. However, the hot yoga environment takes things to a new level. Bikram refers to official certified studios as “Torture Chambers,” which doesn’t sound much like a place for pregnant women.
Heat
Let’s face it, 105 F is pretty hot. And withstanding it for 90 minutes is a challenge for even the most fit. But pregnant women are advised not to even take baths that are hotter than 100 F. “Anything hotter can damage your baby's developing cells, and though you can cool off by sweating, your baby can't,” explains OB-Gyn Catherine Lynch, M.D. Hot yoga can also cause heat-related illnesses, and the Mayo Clinic’s Edward R. Laskowski, M.D., advises pregnant women or anyone with heart disease or heat intolerance to skip this type of workout.
Dehydration
Some of the most common side effects of hot yoga are dizziness, nausea and headaches brought on by dehydration. Bikram officially recommends that students double their normal recommended water intake when practicing Bikram yoga; that’s up to 4 liters a day. At the same time, he recommends that you don’t eat at least an hour before class. But those precautions aren’t a surefire guarantee that you’ll avoid suffering. For pregnant women, clearly dizziness is not a good thing due to the risk of falling or fainting; if you're pregnant, you generally have enough challenges with nausea without voluntarily adding to the mix.
Options
Bikram yoga does offer an official Pregnancy Yoga Workshop, led by Rajashree Choudhury, geared to help students and teachers alike understand the special considerations. And Bikram yoga instructor Jennifer Lobo, co-owner of Bikram Yoga NYC, taught yoga throughout her pregnancy and has had numerous pregnant students -- but all of them were long-time yoga practitioners. “We never recommend a woman starts doing Bikram yoga when she is already pregnant,” Lobo explains. The good news is you can get many of the same benefits -- including increasing strength and flexibility while reducing stress -- without the heat-related dangers by practicing other types of yoga. Just avoid poses on your belly or back, and deep twists or bends. Practice standing positions near a wall to give added stability.
Difficulty
The whole point of hot yoga is that it’s demanding and challenging. The poses are often difficult and done for an extended period of time, which requires extensive concentration, focus and strength. Mind you, much of the same can be said about any type of yoga. However, the hot yoga environment takes things to a new level. Bikram refers to official certified studios as “Torture Chambers,” which doesn’t sound much like a place for pregnant women.
Heat
Let’s face it, 105 F is pretty hot. And withstanding it for 90 minutes is a challenge for even the most fit. But pregnant women are advised not to even take baths that are hotter than 100 F. “Anything hotter can damage your baby's developing cells, and though you can cool off by sweating, your baby can't,” explains OB-Gyn Catherine Lynch, M.D. Hot yoga can also cause heat-related illnesses, and the Mayo Clinic’s Edward R. Laskowski, M.D., advises pregnant women or anyone with heart disease or heat intolerance to skip this type of workout.
Dehydration
Some of the most common side effects of hot yoga are dizziness, nausea and headaches brought on by dehydration. Bikram officially recommends that students double their normal recommended water intake when practicing Bikram yoga; that’s up to 4 liters a day. At the same time, he recommends that you don’t eat at least an hour before class. But those precautions aren’t a surefire guarantee that you’ll avoid suffering. For pregnant women, clearly dizziness is not a good thing due to the risk of falling or fainting; if you're pregnant, you generally have enough challenges with nausea without voluntarily adding to the mix.
Options
Bikram yoga does offer an official Pregnancy Yoga Workshop, led by Rajashree Choudhury, geared to help students and teachers alike understand the special considerations. And Bikram yoga instructor Jennifer Lobo, co-owner of Bikram Yoga NYC, taught yoga throughout her pregnancy and has had numerous pregnant students -- but all of them were long-time yoga practitioners. “We never recommend a woman starts doing Bikram yoga when she is already pregnant,” Lobo explains. The good news is you can get many of the same benefits -- including increasing strength and flexibility while reducing stress -- without the heat-related dangers by practicing other types of yoga. Just avoid poses on your belly or back, and deep twists or bends. Practice standing positions near a wall to give added stability.
Posted in: Yoga & Meditation
