Original hot yoga is the 26 and 2 class: 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, done in the same order for 90 minutes in a room at about 40°C and 40% humidity. So when you ask what is 26 and 2 yoga, the answer is the original hot yoga sequence, the one many people still call Bikram.
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That is the short answer. The longer one matters if you are choosing a class, comparing studios, or wondering why the old name has vanished from so many timetables. This guide explains the label, the method, the science and what a first class feels like in Bali.
What Is 26 and 2 Yoga? Original Hot Yoga in Plain Words
The name is a description, not a brand. In every class there are 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, taught in a scripted order that never changes. You will not hear music, and the teacher does not demonstrate. Instead, a spoken dialogue talks you through each posture.
That fixed format is why people call it original hot yoga. Nothing has been shortened, remixed or turned into a flow. A class in Bali follows the same script as a class in London or Sydney, so the ninetieth class is measured against exactly the same test as the first.
A studio that offers the original format keeps four things in place:
- The same order. A standing series first, then a floor series, with breathing at the start and the end.
- The full 90 minutes. Shorter classes exist, but they cut holds or rush the postures.
- The heat. About 40°C and 40% humidity, held for the whole class.
- The dialogue. A spoken script, with no music and no demonstration. Our guide to the 26 and 2 dialogue explains how it works.
If one of those is missing, the class may still be good. It just isn't the original format, and you should know that before you compare prices. Wondering how tough it will be? It is demanding, but it gets easier with practice.
Original Hot Yoga vs Bikram: Same Class, Different Name
Physically, original hot yoga and Bikram yoga are the same class. The difference is the name and the lineage. The posture order, the 90 minutes, the heat and the dialogue are identical. A studio that says "original hot yoga" is not teaching a diluted version.
Two things pushed the old name aside. First, a 2015 Ninth Circuit ruling held that the sequence is an idea, process or system designed to improve health, so it cannot be copyrighted. Second, serious public allegations against the founder led many teachers to separate the method from the man.
As a result, studios settled on plain descriptions: original hot yoga, Hot 26 and 26 and 2. If you want to see how these labels look on a studio timetable, this guide to how UK studios use the original hot yoga label walks through it. We also decode the other names in Hot 26 vs Hot Hatha vs Bikram.
| What you compare | Original hot yoga (26 and 2) | Bikram yoga | General hot yoga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sequence | Fixed: 26 postures, 2 breathing exercises | Same fixed sequence | Varies by teacher and class |
| Class length | 90 minutes | 90 minutes | Usually 45 to 75 minutes |
| Room heat | About 40°C, 40% humidity | About 40°C, 40% humidity | Often cooler, set by the studio |
| Music and demonstration | None, a spoken dialogue instead | None, a spoken dialogue instead | Usually music and a visible teacher |
| What the name tells you | The method is unchanged | The older name for the same class | Only that the room is heated |
The last column is where most confusion starts. "Hot yoga" only tells you about the thermostat. Many classes under that label are heated vinyasa, which feels very different. Heated vinyasa changes every class, while the original format never does.
The Original Hot Yoga Sequence, Series by Series
Instead of a long list, it helps to see the class in four parts. Each part has a job, and the order is deliberate. The standing series warms the body and builds balance. Then the floor series works the spine, and the closing breath settles the system.
| Part of the class | Postures in order | What it mainly works |
|---|---|---|
| Opening breath | Standing Deep Breathing (Pranayama) | Lung capacity and a calm start |
| Standing series | Half Moon with Hands to Feet, Awkward, Eagle, Standing Head to Knee, Standing Bow Pulling, Balancing Stick, Standing Separate Leg Stretching, Triangle, Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee, Tree, Toe Stand | Balance, legs, hips, shoulders and focus |
| Floor series | Dead Body, Wind Removing, Sit-Up, Cobra, Locust, Full Locust, Bow, Fixed Firm, Half Tortoise, Camel, Rabbit, Head to Knee with Stretching, Spine Twisting | Spine strength and mobility, core, digestion |
| Closing breath | Blowing in Firm Pose (Kapalbhati) | Abdominal wall and a steady finish |
Every posture is done twice in the class, which is why the standing series feels long. Want the full detail on each one? See why every posture comes in this exact order, or use the full list of 26 and 2 yoga poses.
You can also try the pose personalizer from our teacher training site. It suggests a posture to focus on, based on your experience, flexibility and goals.
What an Original Hot Yoga Class Feels Like in Bali
Imagine walking into the room at the YogaFX studio in Seminyak or Canggu. The air is thick and warm. Nobody's chatting. The teacher begins the dialogue, and within a minute you are standing with your hands at your heart, starting the first breathing exercise.
One detail sets Bali apart. Most studios worldwide use electric heaters to reach 40°C. Our studios use the natural tropical climate instead. The target is the same 40°C and 40% humidity, but the heat arrives differently. Students often say it feels heavier and more enveloping than dry heater heat.
For a first class, keep it simple:
- Hydrate early. Drink water through the day, not just in the hour before class.
- Eat lightly. A small meal about two hours before is plenty.
- Rest when you need to. Sitting out a posture is normal, and teachers expect it.
- Pace against the heat. Compare yourself with your last class, never with the person beside you.
Both Bali studios run daily classes from 06:00 to 22:00, so you can pick a time that suits you. Searching for a class elsewhere? The checks above work in any city. Anyone with a heart condition, pregnancy or heat sensitivity should talk to a healthcare professional before starting a heated practice.
A three-minute check at the studio door
Because anyone can use the label, watch and listen before you pay for a block of classes. A few signs tell you quickly whether a class is the original format:
- Listen to the teacher. In the original format, the same scripted words are spoken for each posture, with no music underneath.
- Read the timetable. A 60-minute slot cannot hold the full sequence at the right pace.
- Look at the room. Mirrors, a thermometer or humidity reading, and a calm, quiet start are good signs.
- Ask about training. A good studio will tell you where its teachers certified.
Who Original Hot Yoga Suits, and Who Should Wait
The fixed format suits some people very well and others less so. A fair look at both sides helps you decide, because the heat and the length are real demands on the body, not just marketing.
It tends to suit you if
- You like structure, and you want to see your own progress against the same sequence each week.
- You prefer a teacher's voice to a playlist, and you want a practice that builds focus as well as flexibility.
- You enjoy a long, steady challenge more than a fast-changing flow.
Talk to a professional first if
- You are pregnant, or you have a heart condition or high blood pressure.
- You often feel faint in hot weather, or you are managing any medical condition.
Even then, many people practise safely with advice and sensible rests. Tell the teacher before class so they can keep an eye on you. In your first week, choose two or three classes rather than six, and let your body adapt to the room. That pattern matters more than any single posture.
What the Research Says About Original Hot Yoga
Because the sequence is fixed, researchers can study the same class each time. That makes original hot yoga one of the more measurable styles. Here is what three studies found, and what they do not prove.
Mood and depression
In an 8-week trial led by Massachusetts General Hospital, 59.3% of adults in the heated yoga group cut their depression symptoms by half or more. In the waitlist group, only 6.3% did (Nyer et al., 2023, reported by the Harvard Gazette). That doesn't make yoga a treatment. It suggests the practice may help alongside proper care.
Body and well-being
A 2025 systematic review pulled together 43 studies and 942 participants. It reported gains in flexibility, bone density markers and general well-being among people who practised the heated 26-posture format regularly (Willmott et al., 2025, Systematic review of Bikram yoga research).
Effort and calorie burn
A University of Wisconsin team measured a 90-minute class at about 333 kilocalories for women and 460 for men, with heart rate near 80% of maximum (Porcari et al., 2014). Our calorie guide unpacks those numbers.
Keep the limits in mind. Most studies are small, and none of them shows that heated yoga beats unheated yoga. Consult a healthcare professional before starting if you have a medical condition. Heat affects everyone differently, so treat these figures as averages from study groups, not promises for your own body. For an evidence-graded view of each claim, read the benefits and honest limits of 26 and 2 yoga.
What Students Say After Training in the Original Method
The practice is one thing. Learning to teach it is another. Here is how three YogaFX students described their experience, in their own words.
- Carol, YouTube review, 2025: she had always loved Bikram yoga, and when she looked for a teacher training she knew it had to be that method. She thanked Mr. Ian for encouraging her to come.
- Siobhan, Google review, 2025: "Ian helped us internally grow and look at ourselves." She added that "his knowledge of Bikram yoga is amazing."
- Eliroas, Google review, 2023: "this is not only Yoga Teacher Training, this is a life coaching."
You can hear Carol tell it herself in the video below.
There are 150 Google reviews, 50 Yoga Alliance reviews and 357 student video testimonials on YouTube. You can read them all before you decide.
How Mr. Ian Terry Teaches Original Hot Yoga at YogaFX
Mr. Ian Terry, E-RYT 500, trained for five years, from 2014 to 2019, with the founder of the Bikram Hot 26&2 method. Since then he has taught more than 12,000 hours and trained over 1,500 graduates from more than 80 countries. He founded YogaFX in Bali in 2017.
That history matters for a naming question like this one. The best answer to "is this still the real thing" comes from a teacher who learned the sequence before the labels changed and has taught it unaltered ever since.
Teacher training in Bali
If you want to teach it yourself, the 26 and 2 Yoga Teacher Training is a 6-day hybrid. You prepare online first, then join an in-person intensive in Bali. Graduates leave with a Yoga Alliance RYT 200-Hour certificate and a Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour International Yoga Certification.
The next batch checks in on Sunday 24 January 2027 and checks out on Friday 29 January 2027, at Soham Wellness Center in Seminyak. See the course dates and pricing for the latest details. Not sure you're ready? Take the two-minute readiness quiz, and the YogaFX team will follow up with you.
FAQ
What does 26 and 2 mean in original hot yoga?
It describes the class itself: 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, always taught in the same order. Pranayama opens the class and Kapalbhati closes it. The whole sequence runs 90 minutes in a room heated to about 40°C, so every class works as the same test.
Why do studios say original hot yoga instead of Bikram?
The sequence did not change, but the labelling did. A 2015 US appeals court ruled that nobody can copyright the sequence, and many studios wanted distance from the founder personally. Original hot yoga, Hot 26 and 26 and 2 describe the same fixed class without using his name.
What temperature is an original hot yoga class?
The target is about 40°C (104°F) with around 40% humidity for the full 90 minutes. Many studios reach it with electric heaters. In Bali, the YogaFX studios in Seminyak and Canggu use the natural tropical climate, which students often describe as a heavier, wetter heat.
Can a complete beginner try original hot yoga?
Yes. Every posture has an easier version, and most first-timers rest or skip parts of their first class. Drink water through the day, eat lightly beforehand, and pace yourself against the heat, not the person beside you. Check with a doctor first if you are pregnant or have a heart condition.
How long does it take to get used to hot yoga?
Most people say the first two or three classes feel the hardest, because the body is still learning to handle the heat. After that, the room feels more manageable. Coming two or three times in your first week helps, and resting whenever you need to is part of the practice.
Still have questions? Message Mr. Ian and the YogaFX team on WhatsApp via our contact page and we will answer them personally.
Consult a healthcare professional before beginning any heated yoga practice, particularly if you are pregnant, have a cardiovascular condition, or are sensitive to heat.
