Hot yoga men vs women looks different once you count who walks in. At YogaFX, the number of men applying to train grew from 1 in 2021 to 17 in 2024, about a quarter of all applicants. Inside the room, a 2015 study found that men’s heart rates and core temperatures ran higher than women’s.
Hot Yoga Men vs Women: Who Applies to Train, Year by Year
How the hot yoga men vs women applicant numbers changed
Everyone who applies to train with Mr. Ian Terry fills in an enrolment form. We read those forms to see who is arriving, and the picture changed fast between 2021 and 2024. One table shows it best.
| Year | Men who applied | Men as a share of applicants | Male share compared with 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 7% | Baseline |
| 2022 | 10 | 28% | 4 times higher |
| 2023 | 12 | 23% | 3.3 times higher |
| 2024 | 17 | 25% | 3.6 times higher |
As a result, the count of men went from one to seventeen. The share jumped from 7% to 28% in a single year, then settled at 23% and 25%. In 2025 the share was 13%, which is lower than the peak but still above 2021.
How to read the applicant data
Be careful with these numbers. We are a specialist academy, so a handful of applicants can move a percentage by several points. The shape matters more than any single year: a step up in 2022 that held for three years. For the wider data set, read our Rise of Men in the Hot Room report. For a first-class view, see our answer on whether men can do hot yoga.
Why Men and Women Give Different Reasons for Applying
The same forms ask why people choose YogaFX. We coded the answers for 41 men and 158 women. The table shows where the reasons agree and where they split.
| Reason given on the form | Men (41) | Women (158) | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wants to teach or share the practice | 59% | 69% | Teaching is the main goal for both |
| Wants to improve their own practice and postures | 34% | 20% | Men more often come to master the postures |
| Names Mr. Ian as a reason | 29% | 20% | Men follow the teacher |
| Health, flexibility, posture or healthy ageing | 29% | 34% | A close match, slightly higher for women |
| Wants personal attention before enrolling | 20% | 15% | The phone call matters a little more to men |
| Describes a career change | 10% | 5% | Men are twice as likely to say it |
| Mentions the short, intensive format | 5% | 24% | Women value the six days far more |
For example, teaching is the shared goal. 59% of men and 69% of women want to teach or share the practice. So the story of hot yoga men vs women at YogaFX is not two separate groups. It is two groups heading for the front of the same room, and that is why the hot yoga men vs women question is really a question about one shared class.
Where the reasons split
The splits are more interesting than the match. Three of them stand out:
- Format matters more to women. 24% of women mention the short, intensive format, against 5% of men.
- Men come for the postures and the teacher. 34% of men want to improve their own practice, against 20% of women, and 29% name Mr. Ian as a reason, against 20%.
- Careers show up more in men’s forms. 10% of men describe a career change, against 5% of women.
A fixed sequence may explain part of the first split. Because the 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises come in the same order every class, a student can track progress posture by posture. That is the kind of measurable path many men describe. One male applicant in 2024 put his whole goal in five words: “Want to get more guys into yoga.”
Hot Yoga Men vs Women Inside the Room: What the 2015 Study Found
Applicant numbers show who walks in, so the hot yoga men vs women picture starts there. A 2015 study shows what the heat does once they are there. Emily Quandt, John Porcari and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse ran it, and the American Council on Exercise sponsored the work. The ACE summary of the study is public, and it lists the paper for the Gundersen Medical Journal.
Hot yoga men vs women: the study design and results
Twenty healthy volunteers took part: 7 men and 13 women, aged 28 to 67. Each took a 90-minute Bikram class in a room heated to 105°F (about 40°C) with 40% humidity. That is close to the room our trainees practise in, which runs at 40°C and 40% humidity with natural tropical heat.
| Measure | Men (7) | Women (13) | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average heart rate, as % of predicted maximum | About 80% | 72% | Men worked closer to their ceiling across the class |
| Highest heart rate, as % of predicted maximum | 92% | 85% | The hardest postures pushed men nearer the limit |
| Average highest core temperature | 103.2°F (±0.78) | 102.0°F (±0.92) | Men stored more heat by the end of class |
The ACE write-up says the men’s averages and peaks were significantly higher than the women’s. It adds that 7 of the 20 volunteers passed 103°F, and that one man reached 104.1°F by the end of class. None of them showed signs or symptoms of heat intolerance.
What the hot yoga men vs women gap does not prove
Read the results with care. Only seven men took part, and the study measured a single class. A small study like this cannot separate sex from body size, fitness or years of practice. So the hot yoga men vs women result does not show that men can’t cope with heat, or that women are safe by default. It describes an average gap in one small group.
For you, the useful point is simple: the heat load builds for everybody. Our guide on whether hot yoga is good for your heart explains the heart side. Our piece on whether hot yoga is harder for men covers what male trainees report in week one.
Why Women Still Outnumber Men on the Mat
The national picture matches what you see in most studios. In the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, 23.3% of women and 10.3% of men said they had practised yoga in the past 12 months, according to the CDC’s NCHS Data Brief 501. That makes women more than twice as likely to practise.
That is a survey of everyday practice, not of teacher training applicants, so the two sets of numbers are not directly comparable. Even so, they point the same way: men are the minority in most yoga rooms. At YogaFX that minority has grown since 2021. The hot room may be one reason. Men who tell us they want measurable progress, a fixed sequence and a real physical challenge often find the format appealing.
What Hot Yoga Men vs Women Numbers Mean for a Mixed Room
Most cohorts at YogaFX mix men and women, and everyone learns the same spoken dialogue. Mr. Ian Terry, E-RYT 500, has more than 12,000 teaching hours behind him. He spent five years, from 2014 to 2019, training with the founder of the Bikram Hot 26&2 method. Since 2017 he has trained more than 1,500 graduates from over 80 countries.
What a trainee teacher learns
He teaches the same method to everyone, but he watches different people differently. That is the skill behind the hot yoga men vs women numbers. Here is what a trainee teacher learns to do:
- Read bodies, not labels. A study average describes a group. The student in the third row is one person with one history.
- Make rest normal. Sitting out a posture or lying down to recover keeps students safe, so the teacher says it out loud.
- Watch the newest students first. They have not built up to the heat yet, so they may find it harder than the regulars.
- Talk about water before class. Hydration starts in the hours before the heat, not in the room.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, take medication that affects heart rate or hydration, are pregnant, or have a history of heat illness, consult a healthcare professional before you start hot yoga.
How to Practise Safely: Hot Yoga Men vs Women Share the Same Rules
The hot yoga men vs women research does not give one sex a pass. Because heat builds through the whole class, the safety habits are the same for everyone. Some matter a little more for larger bodies, since a bigger body makes more heat and has proportionally less skin to lose it.
Before class
- Drink water through the day. A litre in the last five minutes does not count as hydration.
- Eat lightly. A heavy meal in the two hours before class tends to feel worse in a warm room.
- Choose a spot near the door. Your first few classes are easier when stepping out is simple.
During class
Rest is part of the method, not a failure. For example, the pauses between floor postures let your breathing settle, so use them. Instead of chasing the deepest version of a posture in week one, hold a modest version and stay with your breath. If you feel dizzy, get a headache, or notice cramps, lie down at once. These are early signs, and they come before heat illness.
Men and women alike should also expect an adjustment period. Your first couple of weeks in the heat are a time to settle in, not a test. As a result, a calm first month usually leads to a stronger second one.
After class
Cool down slowly, drink water, and eat something simple. If you take medication that affects heart rate or fluids, or you have a history of heat illness, speak to your doctor before you begin. That advice applies to every student in the room.
What Trainees Say About Training Together
We can’t split every review by sex, and we won’t guess. These three Google reviews do show what men and women both tell us about the six days: change, growth and community.
“The experience was unraveling, beautiful and transformational. Thank you Mr Ian and the YogaFX team”
Malini, Google review, 2025
“Realize I am becoming the person I longed to be for so long.”
Andrea, Google review, 2019
“YogaFX is so much more than just a yoga school, it’s a community that helps bring fantastic people together.”
Hoda, Google review, 2019
In total, YogaFX students have left 150 Google reviews, 50 Yoga Alliance reviews and 357 YouTube video testimonials. Read a handful before you decide, whichever school you choose.
Training in Bali: What the Six Days Look Like for Men and Women
The YogaFX Bikram Hot 26&2 Yoga Teacher Training MasterClass is a 6-day hybrid. You finish an online pre-course first, then travel to Bali for the in-person intensive. Men and women train in the same room, hear the same dialogue and graduate with the same certificates.
- Next intake: check-in Sunday 24 January 2027, check-out Friday 29 January 2027, at Soham Wellness Center in Seminyak.
- Certification: Yoga Alliance RYT 200 plus the Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour International Yoga Certification.
- Price: US$1,899 Early Bird, against a normal price of US$1,999. Instalments start at US$250 a month, interest free.
- Capacity: there is no cap on the number of trainees.
- Led by: Mr. Ian Terry, E-RYT 500, Master Trainer of the Republic of Indonesia Yogasana Sports Federation.
If you want the format in full, read our inside look at the 6-day intensive. For the physiology behind the question, a sister article looks at how sex differences show up in Bikram research in more depth.
The next step is small. Message the team with your questions about heat, fitness or teaching. You don’t have to decide today.
FAQ
Is hot yoga harder for men than women, according to the research?
In one 2015 study, men’s average heart rate reached about 80% of predicted maximum, against 72% for women, and men’s average highest core temperature was 103.2°F against 102.0°F. Only seven men took part, so treat it as a pattern in a small group, not a rule for every body.
Can men do hot yoga?
Yes, and more men are doing it every year. Men made up 25% of YogaFX teacher training applicants in 2024, up from 7% in 2021. The same 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises suit men and women. Start with a medical check, build up slowly, drink water through the day, and rest whenever you need to.
Who does more yoga, men or women?
Women do. In the CDC’s 2022 survey, 23.3% of US women and 10.3% of US men had practised yoga in the past 12 months. At YogaFX, men were 25% of teacher training applicants in 2024. The two figures measure different groups, so don’t compare them directly.
Why do men and women apply for yoga teacher training?
Both mostly want to teach: 59% of men and 69% of women in our forms. Men more often want to improve their own postures (34% against 20%) and name Mr. Ian as a reason (29% against 20%). Women more often mention the short, intensive format (24% against 5%).
Is hot yoga safe for both men and women?
Many healthy adults practise hot yoga safely, but the heat is a real load for everyone. In the 2015 study, 7 of 20 volunteers passed 103°F. Build up gradually, drink water through the day, rest when you need to, and see a doctor first if you have a heart condition or take medication.
Still have questions? Message Mr. Ian and the YogaFX team on WhatsApp and we will answer them personally, whatever your starting point.
