Is hot yoga good for your heart? For healthy adults it probably is, in modest ways. Small trials link regular classes to better artery function and a real cardio workload. The studies are small, though, and the heat adds strain. If you are a UK man over 40, check your blood pressure before your first class.
Mr. Ian Terry, E-RYT 500, has more than 12,000 teaching hours behind him. He tells every new student the same thing: the room is not the risk, but ignoring your own numbers is. This guide answers is hot yoga good for your heart with those numbers, the UK checks that produce them, and the research behind the claims.
It is general information, not medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before starting if you have any heart or blood pressure concern.
Is Hot Yoga Good for Your Heart? The Short Answer for UK Men
Think of hot yoga as exercise first and heat second. A 90-minute class at 40°C raises your heart rate for a long stretch, so it counts as cardio. That is why the answer to "is hot yoga good for your heart?" usually comes back as a cautious yes.
Here is what that yes covers, and what it does not:
- It covers healthy adults who practise regularly and build up slowly over a few weeks.
- It may help artery function and, in one small pilot, blood pressure in adults whose readings were already raised.
- It does not cover anyone with a diagnosed heart condition, uncontrolled blood pressure or unexplained dizzy spells. For them the heat changes the question.
Put another way, is hot yoga good for your heart in the same way a regular walk or cycle is? Probably, yes, and that is a respectable result.
So the honest headline is this. Hot yoga looks like a decent form of exercise that gives exercise-sized results. Nobody has shown it prevents heart disease, and nobody has shown it beats a brisk walk. Our wider guide, is hot yoga good for you, covers the pros, cons and real dangers beyond the heart.
What Researchers Have Actually Measured
Most of the heart research on hot yoga comes from one group in Texas led by Dr. Stacy Hunter. Their trials used the same fixed sequence of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises that most hot studios teach today. That consistency helps, because the results apply to the class you will actually find.
Arteries and blood pressure
In the Bikram Yoga Heart Study (Hunter et al., Experimental Physiology, 2018), sedentary adults aged 40 to 60 practised for 12 weeks. One group trained at 40.5°C and another at 23°C. Artery widening improved in both rooms, and the hot room showed no clear extra gain. As a result, the postures and the regular habit may matter more than the thermostat.
Blood pressure results are mixed. In healthy adults it barely moved. A small 2019 pilot reported at an American Heart Association meeting followed 10 unmedicated adults with raised readings. After 12 weeks their 24-hour pressure fell from about 126/82 to 121/79 mmHg. That is a modest drop from a tiny sample, so treat it as a signal and not as proof.
Bikram yoga and blood pressure: same sequence, new name
You will also see this topic searched as bikram yoga and blood pressure. Nearly every trial above used the same fixed sequence, now often taught as Original Hot 26&2 Yoga. Hot yoga blood pressure results therefore apply to the class you will find in most UK studios, whatever the name on the door.
The wider evidence base
A 2025 systematic review by Willmott and colleagues, published in Sports Medicine – Open, pooled 43 hot yoga studies. It found signs of better body composition, blood fats and artery function. It also called for larger, better-controlled trials. In short, the direction looks good, but the evidence is early.
There is a caution in the same review. It describes rare case reports of cardiac events after hot yoga, including a sudden cardiac arrest in a 35-year-old woman and a heart attack in a 53-year-old man. The authors stress that the direct causes are unclear, because underlying conditions were not ruled out. That is exactly why a pre-class check matters.
| Question you might ask | What the research says | How much weight to give it |
|---|---|---|
| Does it lower blood pressure in healthy people? | Little or no change in healthy adults over 8 weeks (Hunter, 2013 trial). | Small trial, no control group. Low weight. |
| Does it help when blood pressure is already raised? | Pilot of 10 adults: 24-hour reading fell from about 126/82 to 121/79 mmHg (Hunter, 2019). | Tiny sample, conference abstract. Promising only. |
| Is a hot room better for arteries than a room-temperature one? | Artery widening improved at 23°C and tended to improve at 40.5°C, with no real difference (Hunter, 2018). | Randomised but small. Moderate weight. |
| Is it safe for people with heart disease? | No trials in people with diagnosed heart disease. Case reports of cardiac events exist (Willmott, 2025). | Unknown. Ask your cardiologist. |
Is Hot Yoga Good for Your Heart Rate? What 90 Minutes at 40°C Does
Long-term results are one half of the story. The other half is what happens inside the class. A University of Wisconsin-La Crosse team (Quandt, Porcari and colleagues) put heart rate and core temperature sensors on 20 regular practitioners. They did a standard 90-minute class at about 105°F with 40% humidity.
Is hot yoga good for your heart when the room hits 40°C?
The men in the group averaged about 80% of their predicted maximum heart rate and peaked at 92%. The women averaged 72% and peaked at 85%. Core temperature climbed all class long, and 7 of the 20 went above 103°F. Nobody showed signs of heat illness, but the authors still suggested hydration and gradual acclimatisation for newcomers.
For a man in his forties, 80% of maximum heart rate is hard work. You are standing on one mat, so it feels deceptively calm. That mix is the reason hot yoga can be good for your heart and also the reason it deserves respect. If you want a posture-by-posture view of the effort, our guide to hot yoga for men versus women compares calories and heart rate by sex.
Hot Yoga Blood Pressure: Check Yours the UK Way Before You Start
Is hot yoga good for your heart if you do not know your numbers? Hard to say. Many men in their forties and fifties have not had their blood pressure measured for years. That gap matters more than the choice of studio. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so a number is the only way to know.
The NHS guidance on high blood pressure says a reading of 140/90 or higher in a clinic counts as high. At home the line is 135/85. Both numbers are measured in millimetres of mercury, and the top figure is the pressure when your heart beats. The NHS also says many pharmacies offer free checks if you are 40 or over.
The NHS Health Check
There is a second route in England. The NHS Health Check is a free check-up for adults aged 40 to 74 who do not already have certain conditions. You should be invited every 5 years by your GP or local council. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes, which is shorter than a single class.
| Where to check | Who it suits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy | Men aged 40 or over who have not been checked for a while | The NHS says many pharmacies offer free checks. Some may charge, so ask first. |
| GP surgery | Anyone with dizzy spells, a family history of heart problems or a previous high reading | Measured by a professional, so the 140/90 clinic threshold applies. |
| NHS Health Check | Adults aged 40 to 74 in England without certain existing conditions | Free, about 20 to 30 minutes, offered every 5 years. |
| Home monitor | Men who want to track their own trend over weeks | The NHS threshold at home is 135/85, so do not compare it with clinic numbers. |
Before you book: what to do with your number
If your reading comes back high, do not book the class yet. Take the number to your GP, and let them decide what is sensible. If it comes back normal, you have a baseline to compare against after eight weeks of practice.
Is Hot Yoga Good for Your Heart If You Have a Condition? Ask a GP First
Is hot yoga good for your heart for everyone? No. Hot yoga suits many people, but a few situations need a medical go-ahead. Our guide on whether men can do hot yoga covers the full health-check list. For the heart specifically, talk to your doctor if any of these apply:
- A diagnosed heart condition, such as heart failure, an arrhythmia, a valve problem or a past heart attack.
- Blood pressure that is high and not yet controlled, or regular dizzy spells when you stand up.
- Medication that affects heat or fluid balance, for example blood pressure tablets or diuretics.
- A family history of early heart disease, especially if you have never had a check yourself.
After a heart attack
People who have recovered from a heart attack often ask whether they can return to the hot room. That decision belongs to your cardiologist or cardiac rehab team, not to a blog or a studio. If they agree, start with a shorter or cooler class first. Our guide to the risks and side effects of hot yoga explains the heat side in more detail.
Warning signs: stop and sit down
Stop, sit down and tell the teacher if you notice chest pain, a racing or irregular heartbeat, confusion, a severe headache or nausea. Cramps and light-headedness are early signs the heat is too much today. Chest pain needs urgent medical help, so call emergency services instead of waiting it out.
How to Practise So Hot Yoga Is Good for Your Heart
So, is hot yoga good for your heart over the long run? Only if you keep going. If your doctor gives the green light, copy the dose researchers tested. That way your routine matches the evidence and not a guess. The trials mostly used three classes a week for 8 to 12 weeks, which is a useful target.
- Start with one or two classes a week. Build towards three over a month, because your body needs time to adapt to the heat.
- Give it at least 8 weeks. Artery changes in the Hunter trials showed up after 8 to 12 weeks, not after a few classes.
- Measure at home on the same mornings. A simple monitor and a notebook show your own trend, which beats any study average.
- Drink before, during and after class. Sip steadily instead of gulping a litre at the end.
- Rest whenever you need to. Sitting or lying down in the room is always allowed.
Expect the first fortnight to feel harder than the weeks after it. Is hot yoga good for your heart in week one? Not especially, because your body is still adapting. Many people find the same class feels calmer by week three. Steady repetition, not one heroic session, is what turns the hot room into a habit that is good for your heart.
Hot yoga versus a brisk walk
The NHS suggests at least 150 minutes of exercise a week to help manage blood pressure. A hot class is one way to reach that total, and three 90-minute sessions would cover it. Our guide on hot yoga as a cardio workout shows how its heart rate zones compare.
Still, is hot yoga good for your heart compared with a brisk walk? Roughly level, and the walk is free. Choose hot yoga if you enjoy it, because the exercise you keep doing is the one that helps your heart. If you want to know how a class compares as a workout, how hot yoga stacks up against a gym session is worth a look.
Why Students Keep Showing Up
In their own words
Studies ask "is hot yoga good for your heart?" Our graduates describe the other reason people return: how they feel in the room and who they meet there. These are word-for-word excerpts from video reviews recorded at the end of YogaFX teacher trainings.
“I came for healing. I found family, community, inspiration. I found new dreams for myself.”
Rachel, YouTube review, 2024
“I’m really proud of all of us… And then Mr. Ian’s words, it’s been great.”
Laura, YouTube review, 2024
“I’m thanking you for your motivation, inspiration, your kindness, your love, your heart, everything.”
Rani, YouTube review, 2023
You can watch Laura’s full review below.
From Student to Teacher: A Heart-Aware Path from the UK
Teachers are often the first person a worried student asks "is hot yoga good for your heart?", so a good one needs to explain the heat honestly.
Mr. Ian Terry, E-RYT 500, trained for five years with the founder of the method, and since 2017 YogaFX has trained more than 1,500 graduates from 80+ countries. He keeps the class structure fixed so every student knows what comes next in the heat.
For UK applicants the practical question is cost and time off work. Training in Bali is one route. Our comparison of yoga teacher training in Bali versus the UK sets out what to weigh up, and you can see how a hybrid format fits around a job.
The Bali MasterClass
The next step is the 6-day Bikram Hot 26&2 Yoga Teacher Training MasterClass, a hybrid course with pre-course online study and an intensive in Bali. The next batch checks in on Sunday 24 January 2027 and checks out on Friday 29 January 2027 at Soham Wellness Center in Seminyak. It leads to Yoga Alliance RYT 200-Hour and Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour International Yoga Certification.
The Early Bird price is US$1,899, down from US$1,999, with payment plans from US$250 a month. Prices are in US dollars, so check the exchange rate for pounds on the day you pay.
If you want the wider research round-up first, this guide to hot yoga, heart health and blood pressure research goes through the trials in more depth.
FAQ
Is hot yoga bad for your heart and blood pressure?
For most healthy adults, no. Trials of 8 to 16 weeks found neutral or positive effects on arteries and blood pressure. However, a 2025 review noted rare case reports of cardiac events. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure or take related medication, ask your GP before you book a class.
Does hot yoga increase blood pressure?
Not in the one study that measured it posture by posture. A small 2019 pilot in Chile followed 16 experienced women and found systolic pressure never rose significantly above resting levels, while diastolic pressure fell by about 10%. That is only one small study, so it cannot predict your own response.
Can you do hot yoga with low blood pressure?
Possibly, but take care. Heat widens blood vessels, and the Chilean pilot saw diastolic pressure drop during class. That can make you light-headed when you stand up quickly. Tell your teacher, hydrate well and rise slowly from the floor. Check with your GP first if you already get dizzy spells.
Is hot yoga good for your heart after 40?
It may be. The Bikram Yoga Heart Study enrolled sedentary adults aged 40 to 60 and found artery widening improved after 12 weeks. That is encouraging but small. Start with one or two classes a week, get a blood pressure reading from a pharmacy or GP first, and rest whenever you need to.
Is yoga good after a heart attack?
That decision belongs to your cardiologist or cardiac rehab team. There is no research on hot yoga in people with heart disease, so nobody can promise it is safe. Gentle room-temperature yoga is often used alongside rehab, but only with clearance from your own medical team first.
Still have questions? Message Mr. Ian and the YogaFX team on WhatsApp and we will answer them personally.
