Hot yoga is having a hot moment in Hollywood! Whenever celebrities reveal the secrets to their beach bodies, it seems that the vigorous group class is often at the top of the list.
Hailey Bieber, Jordin Sparks and Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski have all told Us Weekly they do the stretch sessions as a regular part of their fitness regimens — and there are plenty more stars in the same wellness boat.
There are various forms of hot yoga — most notably Bikram yoga — but they all have one thing in common: a heated room. In a hot yoga class, the temperature is usually brought up to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of the benefits: Higher temperatures encourage deeper stretching, more flexibility and plenty of sweat.
“I like hot yoga, because obviously it feels great to sweat,” Jennifer Aniston and Kate Beckinsale’s yoga guru Mandy Ingber has told Us Weekly. She warns it’s not for everyone, including people who are pregnant or have heart problems, but the sweating aspect is ideal. “That’s actually a tip. Sweat five times a week,” she added. “If it’s not through exercise, then definitely a sauna or something, but definitely sweating is important. For that, hot yoga is amazing. I think it shows amazing results.”
The pro continued, “I think throwing those heaters on and sweating enhances everything. Obviously it increases the metabolism, it gets the heart rate up, and you sweat and it shows you results. It leans you out.” And, say some, gives you glowing skin.
Tons of stars agree. Former pro baseball player Alex Rodriguez even made the intense stretching regimen part of his plan to lose 6.5 pounds in a weekend to fit into his pink Versace jacket for the Met Gala 2019!
“I have to do yoga in the morning, yoga at night, go running in Central Park. Make sure I fit in this pink outfit,” he joked in a video ahead of the event, later revealing it was a heated yoga class he hoped would help melt the pounds away.
Meghan Markle, for her part, has always been an advocate for hot yoga, calling it one of her favorite forms of exercise.
Scroll through to see these super-fit stars and more who love to hit the hot yoga mat: