Hot yoga myths, sorted
Hot 26 is our most argued-about class, so let us sort the folklore from the physiology.
Myth one: sweating is detoxing. It is not. Your liver and kidneys do the detoxing and they do not take requests. Sweating is cooling. What the heat actually does is let muscles lengthen more comfortably and earlier in class, which is why the same posture feels different in a warm room.
Myth two: hotter is better. Our room runs 95F with managed humidity, not the 105F you may have met elsewhere. Past a point, extra heat stops helping your tissues and starts taxing your heart rate for no benefit. We want you working on your standing bow, not your survival instincts.
Myth three: it burns triple the calories. The mirror-room legend says 1,000 calories a class. Reality lands well under half that for most bodies. Come for the focus and the after-feeling, not the arithmetic.
Myth four: you should not drink water during class. Drink your water. Small sips, whenever you like.
What is true: the heat builds a particular kind of concentration. Same 26 postures, same order, every time, which means your progress is visible week to week with nowhere to hide and nothing to memorize.
Bring a towel, a big bottle, and eat light beforehand. Then come tell us we were wrong about the calories. People do.