While hot yoga can be any kind of yoga, many people have heard of a type of hot yoga called Bikram, which is a specific set of yoga poses done ...SkiptomaincontentFitnessWorkoutsShapeUpRunningYogaFoodHealthyEatingNutritionWeightLossRecipesCookingHealthMentalHealthSexual&ReproductiveHealthPregnancy&MotherhoodSleepLoveSexRelationshipsWeddingsSingleLifeBreakupsBeautyMakeupHairFashionNailsSkinCultureCareerMoneyTravelEntertainmentTechnologyFamilySportsPoliticsI’mafitnesseditorwhohasnevertakenahotyogaclass.Istillcan’tdecideifthat’simpressiveorshameful,sinceit’smyjobtotrynewworkouts.It’snotthatIdon’tlikeyoga—IreallyenjoytakingaVinyasafloworapoweryogaclasseverynowandthen.ButthereasonI’veavoidedhotyogathusfarinmylifeandcareer,nomatterhowmuchpraiseforthepracticeIhearfromeveryonearoundme,isbecausejustthinkingaboutexercisingin105degreesmakesmesweatyanduncomfortable.Let’stalkreallyquicklyaboutwhathotyogaactuallymeans.“Hotusuallymeansover100degrees.Heatedisusuallysomewhereinthelowtomid-90s,”JessicaMatthews,M.S.,ayogainstructor,AmericanCouncilonExercisespokeswoman,andACE-certifiedpersonaltrainerandhealthcoach,tellsSELF.Whilehotyogacanbeanykindofyoga,manypeoplehaveheardofatypeofhotyogacalledBikram,whichisaspecificsetofyogaposesdoneinaheatedroom.“ThoughIseethetermsinterchangedoften,typicallywhenyousayhot,youmeanaBikramorBikram-likeclass.HeatedismorelikeapowerVinyasa[class].”FounderBikramChoudhurystartedBikramyogain1972inSanFrancisco.ChoudhurytaughtyogainJapanandusedspaceheaterstowarmupthecoldroom.Hebelievedthatheatmadeiteasierforstudentstostretch,andmadethemfeelmoreeuphoricaftertheirpractice—sohemadeitanintegralpartoftheyogaschoolhestartedwhenhemovedtotheU.S.inthe'70s.YoucannowfindBikramstudiosworldwide.In2013,newsbrokethataformerstudenthadaccusedChoudhuryofsexualharassment,discrimination,anddefamation,accordingtoTheNewYorkTimes.By2016,sixmorewomenhadfiledlawsuitsaccusinghimofsexualmisconduct.HefiledforbankruptcyinNovember2017afterrackingup$16.7millioninlegaljudgments,Reutersreporte