Supplements to Use When Sweating at Bikram

When you do Bikram yoga, you exercise in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with 40 percent humidity. Due to the high heat, you will sweat a lot and will need to stay well hydrated. Supplements and fortified water can replenish water and minerals that are lost during a Bikram class, but most people can stay properly hydrated by simply drinking water, nutritionist Monica Reinagel tells NPR.

  1. Supplements for Hydration

    • Sodium and potassium are the key minerals that you lose during any strenuous exercise. Bikram Yoga's official website suggests drinking 64 to 80 ounces more than the recommended 64 daily ounces of water throughout the course of the day. It also suggest taking a combination salt and potassium supplement about a half hour before class. The pills are available in most drugstores in 300 milligram tablets. According to Bikram, the pills can help those especially who are new to the hot yoga practice, whose bodies are still adjusting to the heat.

    Fortified Drinks

    • There are a dizzying number of sports drinks and fortified beverages on the market, touted as the perfect way to replenish electrolytes lost during heavy exercise like Bikram yoga. If you favor a drink that has these in them, go ahead and indulge, but remember they are often high in calories. Coconut water is natural drink that packs a potassium and sodium punch, and it has the advantage of being low in calories. While neither beverage is necessary, according to Reinagel, they are both electrolyte boosters that may have the placebo effect of rejuvenating you after the long sweat of a Bikram class.

    Bikram's Own Products

    • In 2012, Bikram Choudhury, owner and founder of Bikram Yoga, launched his own line of products called Bikram Balance. The powdered drink, in original and berry flavors, is touted as replacing electrolytes and rebalancing your acid and alkaline levels. When speaking about the products to the India West website, he said he was happy that yoga students now have "a scientifically-backed whole food nutritional powder to naturally restore electrolytes, improve performance and enhance muscle development." The Bikram Balance website suggests you have a serving first thing in the morning, and then either before, during or after an exercise class.

    Avoiding Heatstroke

    • Hydration, whether through supplements, fortified drinks or plain water, is very important while doing Bikram yoga to steer clear of heatstroke. Symptoms of heat stroke include dizziness, nausea, cold skin, headache, muscle cramps, rapid pulse and fatigue, according to the Mayo Clinic. While practicing Bikram yoga if you feel any of these symptoms, stop immediately, move to a cooler place and drink fluids and seek medical attention.