Bikram hot yoga is a form of yoga that was developed by the multimillionaire Indian yoga guru, Bikram Choudhury. This system of yoga is one that was popularized in the 1970s. Called hot yoga for a good reason, sessions take place inside of a room that has been heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity rating of 40 percent. The entire purpose of Bikram Yoga is the achievement of general well-being that also includes injury prevention, tension relief, stress relief, and deeper stretching capabilities. This system of hot yoga is also claimed to both restore as well as stimulate health to all of the body's organs, joints and muscles.

While Bikram Yoga may not immediately be associated with the relief of stress due to the conditions under which you perform the exercises--a hot room, significant humidity, one-and-a-half hours of strenuous stretching poses--many people who have practiced this type of yoga experience benefits. They experience lower heart rates, better nights of sleep, lower blood pressure and also lowered cholesterol levels. Contrary to what you may expect, the strenuous exercises result in a reduction of stress. The following factors contribute to making Bikram Yoga the stress-reducer that it is:

Toxin release is a big contributor as to why you will experience a reduction in stress from Bikram Yoga. The classes for this system of yoga are especially designed to last one-and-a-half hours so that your system can be cleansed from toxins as much as possible. For instance, your lymphatic system will be flushed, and your bloodstream will be flushed from toxins too, as you sweat during your whole workout in 105 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. You lose your capacity for stress during the time you are flushing these toxins from your body because hormones that are caused by stress, such as cortisol, are flushed out of your body at the same time. While you are expelling all of these harmful substances from your body during Bikram Yoga, you will also be replenishing your system with lots of fresh water that you are made to drink during, before and also after the workout.

The controlled exercises of proper breathing, called kapalbhati and pranayama, reduce your chances to feel stressed as they encourage you to release tension. This also has the added benefit of clearing your mind, making it sharper for better and more focused thinking. You will additionally learn how to meditate while you do your yoga exercises, further equipping you with the skills needed to lower stress.

Bikram Yoga teaches that each yoga pose seamlessly flows into the next one, and when it does, this acts as a release for stress and tension. Each time you do a pose you flush your body anew by stimulating the pressure points throughout your body, and thereby relaxing yourself to the point where you release additional stress.