Hot yoga is a style of yoga that is practiced in a heated environment. Some often hear "hot yoga" and immediately think of Bikram yoga, but that's not the only type of hot yoga that exists. Bikram yoga was developed by yoga master Bikram Choudhury, founder of the Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills. However, only classes endorsed by Choudhury are able to use the name Bikram Yoga.

Traditionally, hot yoga is practiced in a heated room. Ideally, the room will be heated to between 95 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit (35 and 40.5 degrees Celsius) with 40 percent humidity. Classes last approximately 90 minutes and consist of a series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises.

The reasons behind the intense heat in a hot yoga session are twofold. First, excessive sweating is believed to be a method of cleansing the body of toxins. Second, the increased heat in the muscles is thought to improve flexibility.

Hot yoga is fairly widespread and popular, but it's also controversial. Practitioners could suffer from dizziness, dehydration or heat stroke during a hot yoga class. Some experts feel that regular participants are risking injury if they push themselves too hard.

Those interested in trying hot yoga should remember to bring their own yoga mat because of the excessive sweating that the practice involves. Second, it's necessary to drink plenty of water before a hot yoga session because of the risk of dehydration.

More Yoga Terms Defined from That's Fit:
Ashtanga Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Kundalini Yoga
Power Yoga
Prenatal Yoga
Strengthen With Yoga
Vinyasa Yoga
Yoga Benefits
Yoga Journal
Yoga for Weight Loss
Flow Yoga

It's becoming much more well-known that athletes rely on a variety of workouts to stay in top shape -- we're always hearing about how they incorporate strength training and Pilates. Well, the workout that's gotten tennis champ Andy Murray into his best shape ever is Bikram yoga.

Murray has really seemed to come into his own recently, making it to the US Open final by beating Wimbledon champ Rafael Nadal. He lost to Roger Federer, but the performance still brought the 21-year-old to number four in the world -- not too shabby!

He attends Hot Bikram Yoga in Fulham, West London, where he's joined by Olympic athletes as well as professional soccer and tennis players. It makes sense that the athletic elite would be drawn to Bikram -- the founder of Hot Bikram Yoga explains that it's a 'holistic workout,' stretching participants mentally and physically, all while giving them a cardiovascular workout. Besides all that, it can help prevent and even treat injuries -- good news for those pro athletes! Have you ever tried Bikram?

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I've always regarded yoga as a non-competitive practice. A serene room where fellow yogis can roll out their mat, release their worries and stretch, twist and align their bodies within their personal comfort zone. Sure, I've noticed the girl in the corner who can metamorphose into a pretzel, but I don't aspire to be her. I simply want to work hard to feel good, and perhaps bring my nose to my knee.

But Bikram Choudhury, the leader of Bikram yoga -- aka hot yoga -- is lobbying to make yoga asanas competitive at the Olympic-level. At this point, he's only had an initial meeting with the International Olympic Committee. A four-time winner of the National India Yoga Championship, he has plugged American yogis into competition via the Bishnu Charan Ghosh Cup, a global competition with finals held in Los Angeles.

Interestingly, competitive yoga may be an unknown to many Americans, but it's been popular in India for over 2,000 years. Yogis perform seven asanas (postures) before a panel of judges ranking across alignment, grace, stability, confidence, balance and presence. Would you like to see yogis bow down for a gold medal in a future Olympic Games? Give us your vote in the poll below!

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It's easy to step into a gym for the first time and feel somewhat intimidated. There are a bunch of people you don't know (many of which may be more fit than you), countless machines that look like torture devices, and a language being spoken that is oftentimes difficult to follow.

With regard to the last of those factors, I've started offering a virtual classroom here on that's fit that I call "Gym Lingo." Although much of what is covered may be old hat to some of you, others will benefit from this crash course on gym speak and will have you fitting in with the locals in no time.

The bell has rung. Please find a seat...

For this week's edition of Gym Lingo, we're going to take a look at some popular group exercise classes that many gyms offer their members. Some of these are pretty common, while others are a little lesser known. Here are just a few to help you along with your gym vocab.

Spinning. This is an aerobic exercise that takes place on a specially designed stationary bicycle called a spinning bike (no one ever claimed that gyms were the birthplace of originality). As you pedal, an instructor creates a visualization of an outdoor cycling workout, all while pulse-pounding music plays over a booming sound system.

Cardio Boxing. Designed, to some degree, after the workout boxers follow when training for a fight, this class offers the same cardiovascular benefits without having to ever square off against an opponent.

Bosu. A bosu ball looks like an exercise ball that has been cut in half and then stabilized on a firm platform. There are a variety of group classes that utilize the bosu; cardio work, strength training, core/balance building, and sports performance conditioning can all be performed in bosu group settings.

Bikram Yoga. Ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%, Bikram yoga classes are guided by a yogi's specific dialogue. This style of yoga including 26 postures and two breathing exercises, and classes last approximately 90-minutes.

There are several other types of group classes that gyms offer, but these are certainly among the more common and popular. If you have any others that you'd like to add, please be my guest and add them in the comments section below.

Hopefully this helps you the next (or first) time you go to the gym.

Class dismissed.

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I admit to falling for a few late night infomercials. There was the coral calcium (total joke) and a near-buy of a rechargeable kitchen vacuum (still brooming it). But the set of pilates CDs were the most dangerous -- I injured my back for a year after lying on my stomach and doing a swimming/kicking motion with legs and arms outstretched. My body does not like the bow position, hasn't since I was a kid, and twang -- the back did not heal until I got pregnant a year later. Pregnancy was always healing to my previous injuries.

Though not very common, overdoing yoga poses can cause serious injuries. Last year, 4,459 Americans reported a yoga injury. One orthopaedic has noted an increasing number of yoga injuries, with Baby Boomers at high risk due to their 'get fit fast' mentality. Rotator cuffs are especially vulnerable to a yoga fan.

I learned a second lesson in a Bikram yoga class last year. With my anti-bow back, I was extremely careful bending slightly backward after the half moon position. Even after taking it slowly, I stretched a bit too far and felt some pain during and after class. I can't imagine the damage I'd have done if I went into that backwards bend with total disregard for my back. New to yoga? Increase your flexibility gradually, while your body and mind soak up the benefits.

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When I signed up for my first yoga class four years ago, I opted for the simple 'beginner' class and didn't pay much attention to the other offerings. But once I'd jumped the hurdle from normal person to yogi, it was hard to ignore the number of classes out there with 'yoga' in the title. And, as I drifted from gym to gym, studio to studio, I realized just how many styles there were. I also realized that the type of yoga I was accustomed to was quite different from others that I had assumed were the same.

Considering Yoga's immense popularity, it's not surprising that you'll find several sub-types. Different styles of yoga appeal to different goals -- for some, yoga is a means to getting fit, for some it improves their flexibility and for some, it's a way to calm the mind and meditate through movement. But whatever your motivation, yoga will benefit you in one way or another -- of that I am sure.