A guide to Bikram yoga

Anyone who follows the celeb circuit will have heard of Bikram yoga – everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow, Andy Murray to Coleen Rooney are all said to have dabbled in this practice which sees participants bust out asanas in rooms heated to temperatures of up to 40.5C or higher. That’s like a really, really hot beach holiday. One so hot you can’t even stand on the sand.

So why the suffering? Well, devotees claim the swealtering temperatures leave them more flexible, stronger, and also held them shed a load of weight fast. The jury’s out on that, as studies have thrown up mixed results.

This practice was devised and named after Bikram Choudhury, who began his own yoga journey in Calcutta at the age of four.

There are plenty of places around the UK offering classes if you fancy working up a sweat.