Hot Yoga is a relatively modern practice with its roots in the teachings of traditional Hatha Yoga, popularized in the 1970s by Indian yoga master Bikram Choudhury. This specific style of yoga, also known as Bikram Yoga, was developed with the aim of replicating India's climatic conditions by practicing yoga in a room heated to around 40°C with high humidity. This idea was based on the belief that heat would enable the body to soften more quickly, promote perspiration andeliminate toxins, while preparing the body and mind for a physically and mentally purifying experience.

The concept of Hot Yoga as practiced today has, however, diversified over time, sometimes departing from the strict framework of the 26 postures of Bikram Yoga. Although Bikram Choudhury is often associated with the origin of this practice, Hot Yoga as a discipline today encompasses a variety of styles, all of which take place in a heated room, but may include different sequences, such as Vinyasa Flow,Ashtanga or Power Yoga. This concept of yoga practiced in high heat has developed rapidly in the West, particularly in the USA, thanks to the promise of weight loss,improved flexibility and an intensely purifying experience.

The underlying philosophy of Hot Yoga is largely inspired by the ancient texts of Hatha Yoga and yogic practices aimed at purifying the body to awaken the inner energy (prana) and open the energy channels (nadis). In traditional yoga, heat is often perceived as a purifying element, and practicing in warm environments aligns with the principles of tapas, one of the Niyamas of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Tapas literally means inner warmth, and refers to discipline,sustained effort and the will to transform body and mind. By increasing body heat, Hot Yoga accelerates this purification process, creating a framework forself-discipline and personal transformation.

Hot Yoga has also been influenced by elements of Western culture, where the physical and aesthetic aspects of yoga have taken on greater importance. In the 1990s and 2000s, many yoga studios began offering variations of Hot Yoga, in response to the growing demand for a more dynamic and intense form of yoga. Influential figures such as Baron Baptiste contributed to the expansion of Power Yoga into a heated environment, moving the practice towards a more athletic, cardio style, while retaining the traditional benefits of yoga.

Despite the controversy surrounding the figure of Bikram Choudhury in the 2010s, Hot Yoga has continued to spread around the world, gaining popularity in major metropolises and attracting a diverse audience, from beginners seeking detoxification to athletes looking to improve their flexibility and endurance. Today, Hot Yoga is no longer confined to Bikram Yoga, and has become a multi-style discipline, offering a variety of sequences and intensities, always in a heated room, allowing practitioners to benefit from perspiration, muscular relaxation and the physical benefits of a warm environment.

The practice of Hot Yoga represents a modern evolution of the teachings of Hatha Yoga, fused with the contemporary needs of an active lifestyle, while remaining true to the idea that heat and physical exertion helpawaken latentpotentials of body and mind. To this day, Hot Yoga remains one of the most popular styles in Western countries, attracting practitioners seeking physical challenge, deep purification andenergetic balance in a hot, intensive setting.

This enrichment of Hot Yoga's origins shows how this practice, both modern and rooted in ancient yoga traditions, has evolved into a method of purification, transformation and balance that meets the physical and mental needs of today's society.