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October 25, 2023

For this study, researchers wanted to dig into the mental health benefits of hot yoga. The study lasted for eight weeks, in which 80 participants were split into two groups: one group that did 90 minutes of Bikram yoga twice a week, and a control group that did not do hot yoga.

As a refresher, Bikram yoga is a style of yoga practiced in a 105°F room that consists of the same 26 postures and two pranayama sequences every time. Nowadays, since the denouncement of Bikram’s founder, Bikram Choudhary, many studios no longer call the style “Bikram” yoga, though the practice remains. (The studio where I teach, and others, now refer to this style of yoga as “Hot 26+2.”)

Following the eight weeks of the study, participants taking the classes had attended 10.3 classes on average—and that was enough to see a difference in depressive symptoms. Namely, the participants who had done hot yoga had a significantly greater reduction in depressive symptoms than those who didn’t.

Over half of the participants doing yoga actually saw a 50% or greater decrease, which is a pretty notable percentage. 44% of them even showed such a decrease that they were considered in remission from depression. And lastly, some of the participants who only made it into class once a week still saw the benefit of decreased depressive symptoms.

As the study’s lead author, Maren Nyer, Ph.D., explains in a news release, “Yoga and heat-based interventions could potentially change the course for treatment for patients with depression by providing a non-medication–based approach with additional physical benefits as a bonus.”

While the study authors note that more research needs to be done to compare the benefits of heated versus non-heated yoga when it comes to depression, here’s where I’ll offer my anecdotal take.

I’ve been practicing yoga since 2011 and hot yoga, specifically, since 2017. I got certified as a Vinyasa yoga teacher in 2018, and am wrapping up a hot yoga teacher training next month. In the midst of all that, I have also had my fair share of mental health struggles as I’ve navigated early adulthood, moving to new cities, the pandemic, an admittedly turbulent menstrual cycle, etc.

Through all of that, yoga has been one of the only things that gives me some semblance of peace and stillness, and while I haven’t participated in any scientific research to back up my claims, I have seen firsthand how much the practice benefits myself and others.

I’d say any style of yoga is worthwhile if you’re experiencing depressive symptoms, but when it comes to hot yoga, it definitely has a certain edge. The heat and humidity require you to push yourself past mental barriers, tap into your inner strength and resilience, learn to be in your body and stay with the sensations even when they’re challenging—and all of that makes one’s mind calmer while simultaneously more mindful and present.

I also believe that the repetitive, meditative style of the hot sequence promotes nervous system regulation, because the body loves routine, and you always know what to expect in a hot yoga class. Research has found that hot yoga may “induce cardiovascular and cellular changes, along with neural benefits and modulation of stress hormones.”

In short: I can back up the results of this study with lived experience, and it would not be a stretch to say hot yoga has been the best thing I’ve found for my mental health.