HOT YOGA
As a Hot or Not® yoga studio owner, I did extensive research when selecting the heaters for my studio. Most studios use medium wave infrared heaters or electrically sourced heat, as these are cheaper options which heat a room faster.
Far infrared heaters are pricier, and they take longer to heat. Practitioners won’t feel a strong heat source, or see red coils from electrical heating sources. Think of it as being on Earth vs. on Venus. Earth is life forming and healing, whereas Venus is radiated and microwaved, desolate and destructive.
Hot Yoga has become a serious addiction, and 5-7% of people who came to my studio would grow irritated if the room wasn’t 100 degrees F. They wanted it HOTTER, FASTER. That doesn’t sound very “yogic,” now does it?
Unlike traditionally used convection heaters which heat the air that’s right next to the heater itself, infrared heaters radiate out their waves, warming the objects in its path. Convection is a wasteful method of heating a room, as the air it heats simply expands and rises to the ceiling, before cooling and completely dissipating. Because infrared panels heat the room’s objects and not the air, the heat they produce is more consistent and constant, leading to a more pleasant, thoroughly heated-through feel that’s generally more comfortable.
Far infrared is fantastic because it is a light wave that helps your own body to warm up faster, from the inside out, not a toxic external heat source that is depleting and addiction forming. If you’re a consistent practitioner, far infrared is far healthier than the other options available; find out what kind of heaters your hot yoga studio uses!
We are seeing significant rises in early onset of glaucoma and cataracts in hot yoga practitioners, as early as in their thirties and forties! The most common eye disease associated with near-infrared radiation is cataracts. Prolonged exposure to IR radiation causes a gradual but irreversible opacity of the lens. Even low-level IR absorption can cause symptoms such as redness of the eye, swelling, or hemorrhaging.
Front Public Health released research findings providing evidence that higher temperature and low relative humidity may be associated with developing cataracts. Cataracts caused by near‐infrared radiation have been noted historically in glassblowers and furnace workers, but we are seeing rises in younger generations with a wider spectrum of occupations. Could hot yoga be the link?
SAUNAS
I also researched buying a sauna for my studio and my home, and the conundrum continued! Infrared heat saunas are more cost effective, but sitting directly next to carbon, ceramic infrared heaters is actually toxic, as they are near infrared.
On the flip side, the traditional steam saunas with hot rocks tend to be electrical sources, with high wattage causing high EMF due to the need for high electrical output.
In my opinion, the absolute best sauna is going to come from a wood burning stove source. Which brings us to another current trend, Sweat tents and sweat boxes! Sweat tents have to use waterproof fabrics in order to be preserved. All waterproof fabrics are highly toxic and gas off harmful forever chemicals, especially when heated!
So, infrared is radiant, electric heaters emit high EMF’s and waterproof fabrics release forever chemical gasses. It all comes back to nature, and nothing beats the pure and natural elements of water, air, earth and fire.
PLASTIC LEGGINGS & CONTAMINATED WATER
In 2022, the Center for Environmental Health, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group based in California, tested sports bras, leggings, athletic shirts and other activewear and found high levels of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in those sold by Athleta, Lululemon, Alo, PINK, The North Face, Nike and Patagonia, among other brands. Our clothing contains BPA, PFAS and other dangerous substances – but we still know little about their cumulative impact. What about young hot yoga practitioners wearing such toxic materials while heating their body and sweating, trapping and potentially infusing those chemicals INTO the body instead OUT.
A 2018 Harvard study found that after the introduction of the uniforms, the number of flight attendants with multiple chemical sensitivity, sore throats, cough, shortness of breath, itchy skin, rashes and hives, itchy eyes, loss of voice, and blurred vision had all more or less doubled. “This study found a relationship between health complaints and the introduction of new uniforms,” the study’s authors concluded.
Thousands of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, exist since the first ones were invented in the 1940s to prevent stains and sticking. PFAS chemicals are used in nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing and firefighting foam. Their manufacture and persistence in products have contaminated drinking water nationwide. Also known as “forever chemicals,” these substances do not break down in the environment and can accumulate in our bodies over time.
Tie in that after a hot yoga session, practitioners drink more water, known to contain high levels of forever chemicals. The very practice of wellness may actually be making us sick!
ELECTRIC CARS & ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS
Electric vehicles (EVs) are all the rage. They are touted as a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles. The United States government has passed numerous legislative actions to phase out gas-powered vehicles and make sure that, within the near term, all vehicles are electric. The common belief is that electric vehicles are more environmentally friendly and, in general, a safer form of energy. However, neither are true. Currently the gold standard for all major electronic products, EV’s included, are batteries which are made of lithium-ion. Much like Robert Oppenheimer warning the government of the atomic bomb dangers, the inventor of lithium-ion himself, John Goodenough, after receiving the Nobel Prize, warned the world of the dangerous of lithium-ion batteries. Exposure to ionic lithium, which is present in both anode material and electrolyte salts, has both acute and chronic health effects on the central nervous system.
Environ Sci Technol released a research study indicating that rechargeable lithium based batteries associated with portable electronic products are potential sources of hazardous metal pollutants in the environment. These metal pollutants can adversely impact environmental quality and human health, particularly in regions of the world that lack infrastructure for solid waste collection, sorting, and recycling. This is why the state of California has to add warning labels to products, such as this one:
WARNING: Lithium-ion batteries and products that contain lithium-ion batteries can expose you to chemicals including cobalt lithium nickel oxide, and nickel, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Younger generations tend to sleep next to their devices moreso than older generations, and have exposure to electronic products at an earlier age. All of the factors listed above could significantly be contributing to the rise of cancers in younger people, including Kate Middleton.