Search "Bikram yoga" today and you will notice something odd: half the studios that teach the exact same 90-minute, 26-posture, heated sequence no longer use the word "Bikram" at all. They call it "26 and 2" instead. If you have wondered whether that is a rebrand, a legal requirement, or a completely different practice, the short answer is none of those exactly, and the full explanation says a lot about where this style of yoga is actually headed.

What Is 26 and 2 Yoga?

26 and 2 yoga is a fixed sequence of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, practised in the same order, in the same 90-minute window, in a room heated to roughly 40 degrees Celsius with 40% humidity. It is the same sequence most people know as "Bikram yoga," named after Bikram Choudhury, the teacher who popularised it in the United States in the 1970s.

"26 and 2" is simply a description of what happens in the room: 26 postures, 2 breathing exercises, performed in a scripted order every single time. Unlike vinyasa or power yoga, where the sequence changes class to class, this format never varies. That consistency is the entire point. It lets a practitioner track real progress, because the ninetieth class is measured against the exact same 26 postures as the first.

The name shift away from "Bikram" is not cosmetic. Two things happened. First, a 2015 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling settled a long legal question: the sequence of postures itself cannot be copyrighted, because a sequence of physical movements designed to improve health is an idea, not a protectable expression. Studios and teacher trainers were legally free to teach the same 26 postures without licensing the "Bikram" name or method. Second, serious and public allegations against Bikram Choudhury personally, later documented in a Netflix film, made most studios and training schools want distance from his name specifically, while keeping the practice he had popularised. "26 and 2" became the neutral, descriptive term the community settled on, and it is the term YogaFX International Yoga Teacher Training Academy uses for exactly that reason: it names the method, not the man.

The Science Behind 26 and 2 Yoga

Because the sequence has stayed fixed for decades, it is one of the more studied styles of yoga, which is unusual in a field where most research has to define its own protocol from scratch. A 2025 systematic review covering 43 studies and 942 participants found consistent improvements in flexibility, bone density markers, and general well-being across practitioners who trained regularly in the heated 26-posture format (Willmott et al., 2025).

The mental health data is arguably more striking than the physical data. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found an average 60% reduction in depression symptoms among participants who completed an 8-week course of the practice, with 44% reaching full remission (Nyer et al., Harvard MGH, 2023). That is not a claim YogaFX makes lightly, and it is not a claim that this practice cures depression. It is a specific, measured clinical result from a specific 8-week protocol, and it may help explain why so many people who arrive skeptical about a 90-minute class in a hot room end up staying for years.

On the physical side, a University of Wisconsin study measured energy expenditure at 333 kilocalories per 90-minute class for women and 460 for men, with heart rate sustained at roughly 80% of maximum for most of the session (Porcari et al., 2014). A separate study recorded a 20% increase in posterior chain strength after consistent practice, alongside measurable gains in flexibility and shifts in body composition (Tracy & Hart, 2013). None of this replaces medical advice, and anyone with a cardiovascular condition, a pregnancy, or a heat-sensitivity issue should talk to a doctor before starting a heated practice. But for a healthy adult wondering whether the heat is doing anything beyond making the room uncomfortable, the research says yes, consistently.

The Complete 26 and 2 Sequence

Every 26 and 2 class opens and closes with a breathing exercise, and the 24 postures in between are always practised in the same order, each one done twice. Below is the full sequence, in order, with the muscle group or system each posture primarily targets. This is the reference version taught in Mr. Ian Terry's classes. A full pose-by-pose breakdown with hold times and modifications is its own separate topic, but this gives you the complete map of what a class actually covers.

#	Posture (English)	Sanskrit Name	Primary Focus
1	Standing Deep Breathing (Pranayama)	Pranayama	Lung capacity, warm-up
2	Half Moon Pose with Hands to Feet Pose	Ardha-Chandrasana / Pada-Hastasana	Spine, waistline
3	Awkward Pose	Utkatasana	Thighs, knees, ankles
4	Eagle Pose	Garurasana	Balance, joints, circulation
5	Standing Head to Knee Pose	Dandayamana-Janushirasana	Concentration, abdominal region
6	Standing Bow Pulling Pose	Dandayamana-Dhanurasana	Balance, spine flexibility
7	Balancing Stick Pose	Tuladandasana	Cardiovascular system, coordination
8	Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose	Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana	Hamstrings, sciatic nerves
9	Triangle Pose	Trikanasana	Nearly every muscle group at once
10	Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose	Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana	Digestion, spine
11	Tree Pose	Tadasana	Balance, hip joints
12	Toe Stand	Padangustasana	Balance, knee joints
13	Dead Body Pose	Savasana	Nervous system reset between segments
14	Wind Removing Pose	Pavanamuktasana	Digestion, lower spine
15	Sit-Up	N/A	Core, transition to floor series
16	Cobra Pose	Bhujangasana	Lower back strength
17	Locust Pose	Salabhasana	Lower back, upper legs
18	Full Locust Pose	Poorna-Salabhasana	Whole spine, arms
19	Bow Pose	Dhanurasana	Whole spine, abdominal organs
20	Fixed Firm Pose	Supta-Vajrasana	Knees, thighs, digestion
21	Half Tortoise Pose	Ardha-Kurmasana	Nervous system, lung capacity
22	Camel Pose	Ustrasana	Spine flexibility, chest opening
23	Rabbit Pose	Sasangasana	Spine mobility, thyroid region
24	Head to Knee Pose with Stretching	Janushirasana / Paschimotthanasana	Pancreas, digestive organs
25	Spine Twisting Pose	Ardha-Matsyendrasana	Spinal rotation, nervous system
26	Blowing in Firm Pose (Kapalbhati)	Kapalbhati Pranayama	Final detox breath, abdominal wall

Two of those 26 are breathing exercises, not postures, which is exactly where "26 and 2" gets its name: 26 total elements in the sequence, 2 of which are pranayama rather than asana. Everything in between is fixed. That rigidity feels strange to anyone coming from a vinyasa or power yoga background, where variety is part of the appeal, but it is the reason practitioners can genuinely measure progress class over class instead of guessing.

26 and 2 Yoga vs Other Styles

People searching for this practice often arrive with a specific style already in mind and are not sure if 26 and 2 is the same thing or something else entirely. Here is where it actually sits relative to the styles it gets confused with most often.

• 26 and 2 vs "hot yoga" generally. "Hot yoga" is an umbrella term for any class taught in a heated room. 26 and 2 is one specific style within that umbrella, with a fixed sequence and a fixed temperature. Many "hot yoga" studios teach a freeform vinyasa flow in heat, which is a genuinely different practice with different demands on the body.
• 26 and 2 vs Vinyasa. Vinyasa links movement to breath in a continuously varying sequence, often set to music, with no fixed room temperature. 26 and 2 has neither music nor demonstration, a scripted verbal dialogue instead, and the exact same 26 postures every class.
• 26 and 2 vs Hot Pilates. Hot Pilates borrows the heated room but uses Pilates-based core and resistance work rather than yoga postures. It is a different discipline that happens to share a thermostat setting, not a variant of 26 and 2.
• 26 and 2 vs "Bikram Yoga." Same sequence, same 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, same 90 minutes. The difference is naming and lineage, not the physical practice. A studio calling itself "26 and 2" is not teaching a diluted or altered version. It is teaching the same method under the name the wider community moved to after 2015 and 2019.

How YogaFX Teaches the Original 26 and 2 Method

Mr. Ian Terry, E-RYT 500, trained directly under Bikram Choudhury across five separate training events between 2012 and 2019, before the practice's naming shifted across the industry. He has since taught more than 12,000 hours and trained over 1,500 graduates from more than 80 countries through YogaFX International Yoga Teacher Training Academy in Bali. That lineage matters here specifically because this article is about a naming and identity question, and the most credible answer to "is this still the real thing" comes from someone who learned the sequence before the name changed and has taught it, unaltered, ever since.

One detail that separates the Bali experience from most 26 and 2 studios elsewhere: the heat is not artificial. Most studios worldwide run electric heaters to hit their target temperature. YogaFX's Seminyak and Canggu studios use Bali's natural tropical heat and humidity, which practitioners consistently describe as a heavier, more enveloping heat than the dry electric-heater version common in colder climates. It is the same 40 degrees Celsius and 40% humidity target, reached differently. Anyone searching "26 and 2 yoga near me" while in Bali will find both studios run daily drop-in classes taught to this exact standard, rather than a freeform heated flow taught under the same label.

For those who want to go beyond practising the sequence and actually teach it, YogaFX runs a 6-day intensive 26 and 2 Yoga Teacher Training in Bali, structured as a hybrid: self-paced online preparation followed by an in-person intensive, capped at 19 students per cohort so Mr. Ian can work directly with each trainee. Graduates leave with dual certification, a Yoga Alliance RYT 200 and a Bikram Hot 26&2 certification, which matters in an industry where most competing programmes issue only one credential. One graduate, a working nurse planning around shift rotations, has described the hybrid format as the only reason she was able to complete teacher training at all around a full-time job. That kind of scheduling flexibility, combined with training under someone who taught the sequence before the "26 and 2" name existed, is a specific combination almost no other programme offers.

You do not need to be pursuing certification to experience the practice first. Both Bali studios run daily drop-in classes for visitors and locals, and the full benefits breakdown and 400-plus verified reviews are worth reading before your first class, particularly if the heat is the part giving you second thoughts.

FAQ

What does "26 and 2" mean in yoga?

It refers to the exact structure of the class: 26 total elements in the sequence, made up of 24 postures plus 2 breathing exercises (Pranayama at the start and Kapalbhati at the end), always practised in the same fixed order over 90 minutes in a heated room.

Is 26 and 2 yoga the same as Bikram yoga?

Physically, yes, it is the identical 26-posture sequence. "26 and 2" became the more common name after a 2015 court ruling on the sequence's copyright status and separate concerns about Bikram Choudhury personally, prompting most studios and teacher trainers to describe the method rather than name it after him.

How hot is a 26 and 2 yoga class?

The traditional target is around 40 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) with 40% humidity, sustained for the full 90-minute class. At YogaFX's Bali studios, that heat comes from the natural tropical climate rather than electric heaters, which practitioners often describe as heavier than the dry heat used elsewhere.

Can beginners do 26 and 2 yoga?

Yes. The sequence includes modifications for nearly every posture, and most first-timers finish their first class having skipped or simplified several poses. Hydration beforehand and pacing yourself against the heat, not the person next to you, matter more in your first few classes than flexibility does.

Where can I find 26 and 2 yoga classes near me?

Availability varies widely by city, since many studios market heated vinyasa as "hot yoga" without teaching the fixed 26-posture sequence. In Bali, YogaFX's Seminyak and Canggu studios run daily drop-in classes teaching the original, unmodified sequence in natural tropical heat rather than electric heaters.

Can I complete 26 and 2 yoga teacher training online?

The theory and curriculum portion can be completed online at your own pace, but the practical teaching component, delivering the dialogue and being assessed on posture cueing, requires in-person training in a genuinely heated room. YogaFX's hybrid programme combines online preparation with a 6-day in-person intensive in Bali for exactly this reason.

Why is it not called Bikram yoga anymore?

Two separate reasons converged: a 2015 Ninth Circuit ruling confirmed the posture sequence itself could not be copyrighted, removing any legal requirement to license the "Bikram" name, and serious allegations against Bikram Choudhury personally made most of the community want to separate the method from his name specifically.

Consult a healthcare professional before beginning any heated yoga practice, particularly if you are pregnant, have a cardiovascular condition, or are sensitive to heat.