Have you heard about the latest tempest in a teapot that took the internet by storm?
A woman went to the original yoga studio in New York that started the Bikram hot yoga craze in the ‘90s. She took a 90-minute class in a 105-degree room. About 20 minutes in, she had a sip of water. The instructor reminded the class that they weren’t supposed to drink until they did a specific pose that they would hit at the 30-minute mark. Feeling targeted, the woman left, made an angry video on TikTok and the instructor was fired.
What makes the occurrence interesting isn’t the happening itself but the reaction. People are outraged on all sides. The internet is, of course, used to being outraged. Some people were angry the woman was told not to drink. Others said that’s just how that form of yoga is taught. Others claimed she made up the incident to make a video for the internet.
Supposedly, working out in an oppressively hot room without water for 30 minutes “selectively forgoing water can strengthen discipline and improve flexibility, among other health benefits.” Bikram yoga is highly regimented, unlike the gentle, self-care version many people think of when they picture yoga. If you go in unprepared, you can be taken aback. And instructors believe new practitioners aren’t ready for it because they have a “very hard time [being] told what to do.”
While the internet is shouting about who is wrong and right, we have different concerns. If it were that hot outdoors, we would urge you to be careful and exercise indoors. Being hot increases the physiological strain of exercise. It can also force you to slow down and ease up on your work out.
“Heated workouts add intensity, but turning up the thermostat doesn’t automatically turn up your fitness gains — sweat smartly, not just profusely,” said Dr. Dominic King, a sports medicine physician at the Cleveland Clinic. “Regular exercise routines and mindful movement in comfortable environments can offer comparable, and more sustainable, health benefits.”
Spending prolonged periods in heat increases your risk for dehydration, heat stroke or exhaustion, fainting or increasing heart, lung or kidney problems. You should maintain hydration when you’re hot, drink plenty of fluid and listen to your body — being dizzy, nauseous, confused, tired or having a strangely elevated pulse are all signs of dehydration.
