But practising your postures in a heated room will do that to you - and it's all good.

There are several different types of hot yoga, each with a different yogi lineage, but they all have similar benefits and intentions.

Chris and Kylie Bingham run hot power-yoga classes at their Minnamurra studio, The Yoga Hut, in a room heated to 29 degrees. This is slightly cooler than a Bikram Yoga class, another popular style of hot yoga, where the room is generally heated to a temperature of 40.5 degrees with 40 per cent humidity.

Kylie says there are many physical benefits to practising hot yoga, including less chance of injury because your body is warm and supple, freer movement, and boosting your heart rate without putting too much strain on your heart like other forms of vigorous aerobic activity do. The sweat also opens your pores, so your skin gets a healthy glow too.

Other yogis have suggested hot yoga can boost your immunity and kickstart your metabolism, but Kylie and Chris say the most important benefit is not physical.

The heat is a tool to mentally challenge practitioners, to get them to face up to something they might not be comfortable with, they say.

"The heat is challenging. You come in here and you're confronted. People have fears around it, so the heat becomes a real teacher in itself to breathE and calm yourself," Kylie says.

It can be hard for people to ignore the beads of sweat running down their body, but Kylie points out that the body regulates its temperature, so there are generally no physical dangers of practising yoga in the heat - the roadblock is all in their head.

It can also be a reason for people to get out of bed on a cold winter morning, because they know a warm room awaits them, instead of fighting the elements outside or facing an air-conditioned gym.

A typical hot power-yoga class goes for 90 minutes and follows a dynamic vinyasa sequence, a flowing set of postures linked with the breath, usually based around a sun salutation.

In that time, Kylie and Chris encourage people to stay in the present moment and to not be distracted by the heat or the need for water.

If people do get overwhelmed by the temperature, they are encouraged not to huff and puff and complain, but to take a moment to revert to "child's pose" and to take a small sip of water.

Though the most immediate results from hot yoga are physical, Chris says continued practice helps people appreciate its more spiritual side.