Bikram yoga history runs through three teachers: Bishnu Ghosh in Calcutta, Bikram Choudhury in Los Angeles, and Mr. Ian Terry, E-RYT 500, who trained alongside the founder for five years, from 2014 to 2019. YogaFX in Bali teaches that same 26&2 lineage today. This guide shows how each link shaped the training.
We wrote this as a companion to a longer record. If you want the court dates, the filing records and the biography, read the full legal and timeline record of Bikram yoga history. Here we follow a different question: how does a method born in Calcutta end up in a Bali training room, and what should a trainee expect from it?
Bikram Yoga History as a Chain of Five Links
Bikram yoga history is easier to follow as a chain than as a biography, because every link passed something specific to the next one. The graphic below shows five of them, from a Calcutta college to a graduating class in Bali.
Notice how short the chain is. Only three people stand between the first college and a YogaFX trainee, so the lessons travelled through very few hands. Short chains are rare in Bikram yoga history, and that closeness is why the lineage matters when you choose a school.
Bikram Yoga History, Link One: Bishnu Ghosh and the Calcutta College
Bikram yoga history starts about fifty years before anyone used the name. Bishnu Charan Ghosh was born in 1903 and was the younger brother of Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi. In 1923, at age twenty, he opened the College of Physical Education in Calcutta (Wikipedia entry on Ghosh).
Ghosh was a physical culturist, not a guru in the devotional sense. He cared about strength, mobility and recovery, so his students used Hatha postures as training and as therapy. He died in 1970. Two things from his college shaped everything that followed:
- The postures. The Hatha postures that later formed the 26&2 sequence came out of this school.
- A physical aim. The goal was a body that worked better, with strength, mobility and recovery first.
That physical outlook explains why a Hot 26&2 class feels more like training than ceremony. It also explains why teacher training here focuses on alignment and clear instruction.
Bikram Yoga History, Link Two: Los Angeles and the Fixed 26&2 Class
Bikram Choudhury was born in Calcutta in 1944 and began teaching in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. Ghosh’s college supplied the postures. The class we now call Hot 26&2 took its fixed form in California.
That fixed form was the real innovation, because it made the class repeatable. Every class follows the same plan:
- 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, always in the same order.
- 90 minutes in a heated room, at about 40°C and 40% humidity.
- A scripted dialogue instead of demonstration or music, so the instruction stays the same from teacher to teacher.
Because the words are fixed, a newly certified teacher can run a complete class from day one. That is why the method spread so fast. It is also why serious teacher training spends so many hours on delivering the dialogue clearly.
The founder’s later years included civil lawsuits and public controversy. That period is on the public record, and our companion timeline covers it. Here we only note that a method and its founder can be judged separately.
Is Bikram Yoga Copyrighted? What the 2015 Ruling Decided
No. The sequence of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises isn’t protected by copyright in the United States. On October 8, 2015, the Ninth Circuit decided Bikram’s Yoga College of India v. Evolation Yoga, 803 F.3d 1032. The court wrote that the sequence is “an idea, process, or system designed to improve health.” You can read the full opinion yourself.
US copyright law excludes ideas, processes and systems. It protects how something is expressed, such as a published book, and not the method inside it. So the sequence itself sits outside copyright, while the exact wording of a published text can still be protected.
Any honest Bikram yoga history has to cover the courtroom, because that ruling changed what teachers can do. For a teacher, that means you should write your own class notes and your own words. Copying someone else’s printed text is a different matter from teaching the postures. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is Bikram Yoga Trademarked? Why It Depends on Your Country
Copyright covers creative works. A trademark covers a name or a logo. The 2015 ruling dealt with copyright only, so it says nothing about who may use the word “Bikram” in your country.
Bikram yoga history includes trademark filings too, and our companion timeline lists the dates. Trademark law is national, and registers change over time. A search in one country tells you nothing about another. So before you put a name on a lease, a sign or a website, check the register where you plan to teach. A trademark lawyer can run that search properly.
| Topic | What it covers | What the record shows | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copyright | Creative expression, such as a published book or written script | The Ninth Circuit held in 2015 that the 26&2 sequence is a system, outside copyright | The sequence is not protected in the US; the wording of a published text can be |
| Trademark | Names, logos and brand marks | Rules and registers differ by country and change over time | Search the register where you teach before naming a studio or course |
| Your certificate | Which school trained you, and to what standard | Each school sets its own standard | At YogaFX you graduate with a Yoga Alliance RYT 200 and a Bikram Hot 26&2 certificate |
Bikram Yoga History, Link Three: Mr. Ian Terry Inside the Lineage
Mr. Ian Terry trained alongside the founder of the Bikram Hot 26&2 method for five years, from 2014 to 2019. He holds the E-RYT 500 designation, has taught for more than 12,000 hours, and has called Bali home for more than a decade. He founded YogaFX in 2017. You can read more on Mr. Ian’s teacher page.
Few people can tell Bikram yoga history from the inside, and Mr. Ian is one of them. Those years covered alignment clinics and dialogue training. As a result, he built a deep grasp of the mechanics and the pacing of the original method. That is the knowledge a trainee meets on day one in Bali.
“There can be no greater investment than the one that you make in your health, because without it, nothing else matters.”
Mr. Ian Terry, YogaFX
Mr. Ian then designed a hybrid model for people who can’t leave their lives for months. Students study online first, and then come to Bali for an intensive. The aim is to protect the precise delivery of the original method while fitting a real schedule.
Bikram Yoga History in the YogaFX Classroom: What Stays and What Changes
A lineage is only useful if you can see what it changes in practice. The table below follows the chain one link at a time and shows what reaches a trainee in Bali.
| Link in the chain | Years | What they added | What reaches a YogaFX trainee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishnu Ghosh | College opened 1923; died 1970 | A physical culture college built around Hatha postures | The postures and the physical aim |
| Bikram Choudhury | Early 1970s onward | The fixed 26&2 class: set order, 90 minutes, heat, scripted dialogue | The sequence and the dialogue structure |
| Mr. Ian Terry | 2014 to 2019 with the founder; YogaFX since 2017 | Alignment clinics, dialogue training and 12,000+ teaching hours | Daily feedback from a teacher who trained inside the lineage |
| A YogaFX trainee | Six days in Bali, after online study | The hybrid MasterClass built for working adults | Two certificates: Yoga Alliance RYT 200 and Bikram Hot 26&2 |
Three things stay the same from the original method:
- The sequence. The 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises keep their order.
- The format. The class runs 90 minutes in a heated room.
- The dialogue. Trainees learn to deliver the script clearly, word for word.
What changes is the way you learn it. Instead of a months-long residency, you study online first and then train in person for six days. If you want to see how other trainings in this tradition compare, our Original Hot Yoga Association report sets them side by side.
What Research Says About the Method Behind Bikram Yoga History
Researchers studied the class, not the history. Bikram yoga history is a story about people, while research tests what the class does to a body. Two sources matter most here.
A randomised trial led by Nyer and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2023, PubMed ID 37883245) tested heated yoga over 8 weeks. In the yoga group, 59% of adults with depressive symptoms saw those symptoms fall by half or more. In the waitlist group, only 6.3% did.
A 2025 systematic review by Willmott and colleagues (PMC ID PMC12488547) pooled 43 studies and 942 participants. It looked at Bikram yoga and reported findings on flexibility, bone density and well-being.
Both findings need care. Research suggests heated yoga may help some people, but it does not prove the class works for everyone. Heat isn’t right for every body. If you have a health condition, a heart problem or you are pregnant, talk to a healthcare professional before you start hot yoga.
What Trainees Say About the Lineage
History matters to a trainee only if it shows up in the room. Here is what three recent graduates wrote or said about Mr. Ian and the training.
“Mr Ian has expert advice and studied under many great yogis. His knowledge of the subject matter speaks volumes.”
Konrad, Google review, 2025
“Mr Ian and his team created something that is so much more than a yoga course.”
Katalin, Google review, 2026
“It was the most challenging course I’ve ever done in my life, but I’m so thankful that I’ve achieved it and that I’ve done it with Ian’s help.”
Adam, YouTube review, 2024
YogaFX has 150 Google reviews, 50 Yoga Alliance reviews and 357 YouTube video testimonials.
Which Link in Bikram Yoga History Matters Most to You?
Different readers care about different parts of the story. Use this short guide to decide which link deserves your attention before you apply.
- You want a teaching career. Focus on link three. The dialogue is what you will deliver every week, so a teacher who trained inside the lineage helps you deliver it cleanly.
- You are a serious practitioner. Focus on link two. The fixed sequence gives you a stable benchmark, because every class asks the same things of your body.
- You live in or near Bali. Focus on the last link. A six-day intensive fits a work calendar far better than a long residency.
- You worry about the founder’s past. Read the companion timeline first. Then judge the method and the man separately, as the research does.
None of these answers is right for everyone. The point of knowing the chain is that you can ask a school direct questions about where its training comes from.
How the Lineage Shapes the 6-Day Bali Training
Why teach from a lineage instead of a trend? Because Bikram yoga history shows what a fixed class gives you: a clear standard to teach to. The Bikram yoga history above explains why the course looks the way it does. Everything in it protects the original method while fitting a working adult’s calendar. Here is the format at a glance:
- Format. A hybrid course with an online pre-course and a six-day intensive in Bali. Read the hybrid format breakdown for a day-by-day view.
- Next batch. Check-in Sunday, January 24, 2027, and check-out Friday, January 29, 2027, at Soham Wellness Center in Seminyak.
- Certificates. A Yoga Alliance RYT 200 plus the Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour International Yoga Certification.
- Price. US$1,899 Early Bird, with a standard price of US$1,999. Instalments start from US$250 per month, interest free.
For the full programme, see our Bikram yoga teacher training overview. If you would rather talk first, Mr. Ian speaks with every student before enrolment.
Want to hear it from the source? Message Mr. Ian and the YogaFX team on WhatsApp and we will answer your questions personally.
Bikram Yoga History FAQ: Copyright, Trademark and Names
Is Bikram yoga the same as hot yoga?
Not quite. Hot yoga is any yoga class in a heated room. Bikram yoga is one fixed class: 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, 90 minutes, and a scripted dialogue. Many teachers now call that same class Hot 26&2, so the name changed while the sequence stayed the same.
Is Bikram yoga copyrighted?
In the United States, no. In 2015 the Ninth Circuit held that the 26 and 2 sequence is an idea, process or system, which copyright law does not protect. The exact wording of a published book can still be protected. This is general information, not legal advice, so ask a lawyer about your case.
Is Bikram yoga trademarked?
It depends on the country and the date, because trademark law is national and registers change. The 2015 court ruling covered copyright, not trademarks. Before you name a studio or a course, search the trademark register where you plan to teach, and ask a trademark lawyer if the stakes are high.
What is Bikram yoga called now?
Many studios and teachers call it Hot 26&2, 26 and 2 yoga or original hot yoga. The class itself is the same: 26 postures, 2 breathing exercises, 90 minutes, a heated room and a scripted dialogue. Names vary by studio, so ask what the class contains instead of trusting the label.
Is this training official Bikram Choudhury teacher training?
No. YogaFX is independent training, not official Bikram Choudhury Teacher Training. Mr. Ian Terry trained alongside the founder for five years, from 2014 to 2019, and now teaches the Hot 26&2 method through his own academy in Bali. Graduates receive a Yoga Alliance RYT 200 and the YogaFX Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour certification.
Still have questions? Message Mr. Ian and the YogaFX team on WhatsApp and we will answer them personally. Mr. Ian speaks with every student before enrolment, so you can ask about the lineage, the dialogue, the dates or the certificates.
