Benefits of Infrared Hot Yoga and Inferno Pilates

An 8-week randomised controlled study found that participants in heated yoga classes experienced significant improvements in flexibility, particularly in the shoulders, lower back and hamstrings (Campbell, 2015; summarised by Nike UK, 2024, and Tracy and Hart, 2013). Heat allows muscles to lengthen more easily, reducing stiffness and increasing range of motion, a key reason practitioners report feeling “lighter” after sessions.

A 2023 six-week randomised controlled trial of 290 participants found that hot yoga led to increased life satisfaction, mindfulness and peace of mind, alongside improved general health scores (Fuller et al., Journal of Mental Health, 2023). This combination of heat and mindful movement appears to amplify the stress-reducing benefits that yoga is already known for. Harvard Health Publishing, 2017 also cites that two studies of Bikram yoga in heated rooms found that over eight weeks, yoga reduced depression symptoms.

Similarly, the findings from a controlled trial on the benefits of heated yoga on a randomised group of eighty medically healthy participants, with moderate-to-severe depression, ‘support strong acceptability and subjective improvement in depressive symptoms in depressed individuals’ (Nyer et al, 2024).

Practitioners often describe a “cleansed” feeling after heated sessions. Studies confirm that sweat loss during hot yoga can exceed 1–1.5 litres per class (ARU, 2022), reflecting increased circulation and metabolic activation. While “detoxification” is often used loosely, and further studies are required, the process of using heat in fitness certainly promotes hydration awareness and cardiovascular conditioning.