Researchers are warning that hugely popular hot yoga classes during pregnancy should be avoided. “Hot yoga” has nothing to do with the shapeliness of the participants or the positions they hold. It is about the temperature of the room, such as for Bikram yoga, which is practiced at 35 – 40 degrees Celsius, or 95 – 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers with the Motherisk program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto published their comments in the Canadian Family Physician journal.
“With the increased risk of neural tube defects and possibly of other malformations among fetuses exposed to excessive heat, pregnant women should avoid practising hot yoga during pregnancy… This is a concern because hyperthermia is a known environmental teratogen (something that can change the normal growth of a fetus) in both animal models and humans.”
The researchers are quick to point out that regular yoga, practiced at normal temperatures is perfectly fine for pregnant women. In summary:
Yoga >> good.
Heat >> bad.
Original source – Hot yoga and pregnancy a dangerous mix, doctors warn.
