Original hot yoga is the fixed class of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, taught in the same order for 90 minutes at about 40°C and 40% humidity. At YogaFX in Bali, trainees learn to teach it word for word, using Mr Ian Terry’s scripted dialogue and natural tropical heat.
That’s the short answer. The rest of this guide shows how we actually teach it, from the first breathing exercise to the last Savasana, so you can judge whether our training fits the way you want to teach.
What Original Hot Yoga Means in Our Bali Training Room
When we say original hot yoga, we’re describing a structure, not a style trend. Nothing in the class is added, removed or reordered. A student who walks into our Seminyak studio on Monday gets the same original hot yoga class as a student who walks in on Friday.
That sameness is the whole point. It gives every student a fixed test to measure progress against. It also gives every trainee a clear job: deliver the class exactly, and correct the room without changing the script.
Five fixed elements define the class we teach:
- The full sequence. 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, with Pranayama deep breathing opening the class and Kapalbhati closing it.
- The same order every time. A standing series comes first, then a floor series.
- The full 90 minutes. Long enough to hold each posture properly and rest between them.
- The heat. About 40°C with around 40% humidity.
- The dialogue. A scripted spoken instruction, with no music and no teacher demonstration.
Postures and breathing exercises, in the same order every class.
Class length, long enough to hold every posture properly.
Room heat, from natural tropical climate in our Bali studios.
Humidity in the room, which makes the heat feel heavier.
Off work, with check-in on Sunday and check-out on Friday.
Graduates from more than 80 countries since 2017.
If one of those elements is missing, the class can still be a good one. However, it isn’t the original format, and you should know that before you compare studios. Our own comparison of hot vinyasa and the fixed 26&2 explains why we certify the fixed class.
Looking at how the same label reads on a British timetable? The sister site has a useful guide to what the original hot yoga label promises in UK studios.
How We Teach the Sequence: Standing Series, Floor Series, Breathing
Trainees don’t learn 26 postures as a list. They learn the class as three connected parts, because that’s how a student experiences it. Each part asks the teacher for something different.
The table below shows what we train in each part. It reflects what we see in our own training room, not a general rule for every studio.
| Part of class | What the student feels | What the trainee learns to teach | Common error to correct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening breathing (Pranayama) | Calm, slow, full breaths while the body adjusts to the heat | Setting the pace and the tone in the first minutes | Shallow chest breathing and raised shoulders |
| Standing series | Balance, leg work and focus, with the heat building | Clear entry, hold and exit cues for each posture | Lifted heels, locked knees and held breath |
| Floor series | Folds, backbends and twists, with the body fully warm | Safe depth, steady breathing and rest between postures | Collapsed chest in backbends and strained necks |
| Closing breathing (Kapalbhati) | Quiet, cooling-down focus after 90 minutes | Closing the class calmly and on time | Rushing the last exercise to finish early |
Notice the pattern in the right-hand column. Most corrections are small. A teacher who knows the script can fix a lifted heel or a collapsed chest with one short instruction, without stopping the class.
Why the Order of Original Hot Yoga Matters
The standing series warms the legs, hips and spine first. Because the body is already working, the floor series then asks for deeper folds and backbends with more support. That’s why we never let trainees reorder postures, even when a student seems ready for the next one.
Our original hot yoga trainees also learn to read the room between postures. A short rest on the mat isn’t a pause in the class. It’s where the teacher watches breathing, checks faces and decides who needs a quieter cue.
What a Trainee Practises First in Original Hot Yoga
In the practical sessions, trainees begin with the easiest thing to get right and build from there:
- Voice and pace. Speaking clearly over a full room, at the speed of the class.
- Posture clinics. Spotting the most common error in each posture and naming the fix.
- Timing. Keeping the 90 minutes intact so nothing gets rushed at the end.
Learning the Dialogue Word for Word
The dialogue is the part of original hot yoga that new trainees fear most, and the part they’re proudest of by the end. It’s a spoken script that tells students exactly how to enter, hold and leave every posture. There’s no music behind it and no teacher demonstration. The words do the teaching.
Mr Ian Terry teaches the dialogue posture by posture, often with the script projected so trainees can follow along while a classmate holds the pose. Trainees then say it back to the room. Our original hot yoga teacher training page describes the format and dual certificate in more detail.
Three habits that make the script stick
- Say it aloud, not silently. A script that lives only in your head falls apart under heat and a full room.
- Learn one posture at a time. Each posture has its own rhythm, so we build the class in small, tested pieces.
- Teach it to a real person early. A classmate’s feedback finds gaps that private study never will.
Because the pre-course material for original hot yoga arrives online before you fly, you can start the dialogue at home. Then the days in Bali go to delivery, timing and correction instead of first-time memorising.
Teaching Heat the Natural Way in Bali
The class runs at about 40°C with around 40% humidity. In our Bali studios, that heat comes from the tropical climate, not from electric heaters. Trainees who arrive from cold countries often say the humid air feels heavier at first. Many then add that it feels gentler on the breath than a dry, heater-driven room.
Either way, the teacher’s job is the same: keep students safe in the heat. That means teaching trainees to watch for warning signs and to explain rest as part of the class, never as failure.
What trainees learn to watch for
- Dizziness or sudden pallor. The student sits down and rests, with water close by.
- Fast, shallow breathing. The teacher slows the room with a calm, steady voice.
- Students who skip water before class. Hydration starts hours earlier, so we ask about it at the door.
The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that yoga is generally considered safe for healthy people when performed properly. The same page adds that hot yoga carries special risks related to overheating and dehydration. We take that seriously. Anyone who is pregnant, has a heart condition or has ever struggled in heat should speak to a healthcare professional before taking a hot class.
Correcting the Room Without Changing the Script
A fixed script doesn’t mean a robotic teacher. The best original hot yoga teachers sound calm and personal while saying exactly the words the class calls for. The skill is in the delivery, not in the wording.
So we spend real time on correction. In a class of beginners, the teacher can’t walk over to every mat. They have to spot the common error from the front, then fix it with a short instruction that everyone hears and the right person acts on.
Three corrections trainees practise early
- The lifted heel in a standing posture. One cue about pressing the foot into the floor usually solves it for the whole row.
- The collapsed chest in a backbend. A reminder to lift through the ribs helps students go deeper without straining the lower back.
- The held breath in a long hold. A calm prompt to breathe keeps the room steady when the heat rises.
Beginners also need permission to ease off. A teacher who says “rest here, come back when you’re ready” earns more trust than one who pushes every student to the same depth. That attitude is built into how we train.
We also teach trainees to give feedback to each other kindly. Every trainee will teach in front of classmates, so every trainee will receive notes. Useful notes are specific, short and about the class, never about the person. Over a few sessions, that habit turns nervous speakers into steady ones.
What the Research Says, and What It Doesn’t
Original hot yoga is easier to study than a class that changes every day, because the sequence never moves. One of the clearer results comes from Massachusetts General Hospital. In an 8-week trial (Nyer et al., 2023, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry), about 59% of adults in a heated yoga group saw their depression symptoms fall by half or more. In the waitlist group, only about 6% did.
That’s encouraging, but it isn’t a treatment claim. The study was small, and it measured people attending a structured programme, not casual drop-in students. If you’re managing depression or any medical condition, keep your healthcare professional involved and treat yoga as a support, not a replacement.
What the result does suggest is that regular, structured practice matters. That’s why we teach trainees to coach consistency. A student who returns twice a week and feels progress will usually stay longer than one who is pushed too hard on day one.
Who This Training Suits
Most people who train to teach original hot yoga with us fall into a few groups, and each gets something slightly different from the course.
- Serious practitioners. You’ve practised the fixed class for years and want to understand it from the teacher’s side, including why each posture sits where it does.
- Career changers. You want a short, clear route into teaching, with a recognised certificate and a method you can deliver on day one.
- Studio owners and teachers. You already teach, and you want to add the fixed class to your timetable with proper training behind it.
None of these groups needs to be an advanced practitioner. What matters is willingness to practise, to speak in front of a room and to take correction well. Flexibility and strength grow with the class, and we teach trainees to help students at every level.
If you’re unsure where you fit, ask before you book. Mr Ian and the team will tell you plainly whether the format suits your goals, your experience and your schedule.
What the 6-Day Hybrid MasterClass Looks Like
Our training is built for people with jobs and families. You complete the pre-course preparation online at home. Then you join a short intensive in Bali, with check-in on a Sunday and check-out on the Friday. That’s just five days off work for most students. Our inside look at the 6-day intensive covers the format in full.
The key facts for the next batch:
- Dates. Check-in Sunday 24 January 2027, check-out Friday 29 January 2027.
- Venue. Soham Wellness Center in Seminyak, with the Djabu Seminyak hotel.
- Certification. Yoga Alliance RYT 200-Hour plus the Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour International Yoga Certification.
- Price. Early Bird US$1,899, against the normal US$1,999. Interest-free instalments start from US$250 a month.
The dual certificate matters because it covers two different needs. Registration with Yoga Alliance helps studios recognise your teaching hours, while the Hot 26&2 certificate proves you can deliver this specific class. Our guide to the Yoga Alliance certificate and the Hot 26&2 explains how the two fit together.
What Our Students Say
Reviews tell you what a training feels like from the inside. Here are three from our Google listing, quoted word for word:
“I really appreciate a teacher who constantly takes the time to help correct poses for all his beginner students.”
Florian, Google review, 2020
“Mr. Ian, a great man with a naturally incredible humility, passed on his knowledge of bikram yoga, which he has mastered to perfection.”
Hermann, Google review, 2025
“He is a great communicator and has been extremely supportive of my commitment to becoming an amazing yoga teacher.”
Jade, Google review, 2021
Each comment points to the same thing in original hot yoga teaching: patient, hands-on correction. That’s exactly the skill the dialogue and the posture clinics are built to train.
How Mr Ian Terry Keeps the Sequence Original
Mr Ian Terry, E-RYT 500, founded YogaFX in Bali in 2017. He 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 1,500+ graduates from more than 80 countries.
In June 2026 he also became Master Trainer of the Republic of Indonesia Yogasana Sports Federation. So his standard is the demanding one. Every posture is held correctly, in the right order, with nothing added. His own studios in Seminyak and Canggu open from 06:00 to 22:00 every day, so trainees can see the class taught at several times of day.
If you want the background to how this method reached Bali, read our history of Mr Ian Terry’s lineage and the method’s origins.
FAQ
What is original hot yoga?
Original hot yoga is a heated class built on one unchanging routine: 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, ninety minutes, a room near 40°C. Students hear the same spoken dialogue each time. Calling it original signals that the routine has not been trimmed, remixed or sped up for the timetable.
Does original hot yoga use music?
No. The teacher speaks a scripted dialogue from start to finish and doesn’t demonstrate postures, so students listen and follow the words. Music would compete with the instructions. Many students find the quiet helpful because the voice becomes the only thing to focus on while the heat builds.
How hot is original hot yoga?
The class aims for about 40°C with around 40% humidity. In our Bali studios, the heat comes from the natural tropical climate rather than electric heaters. Because heat carries real risks, anyone with a heart condition, pregnancy or past trouble in hot weather should speak to a healthcare professional first.
How long does it take to get used to hot yoga?
It varies by person. Many students feel the heat is easier after a handful of classes, but there’s no fixed number. Drink water through the day, eat lightly beforehand, and rest whenever you need to. Resting is part of the class, and good teachers say so clearly.
Can I learn to teach original hot yoga in Bali?
Yes. YogaFX runs a 6-day hybrid MasterClass: online pre-course study, then an intensive in Bali. Graduates earn the Yoga Alliance RYT 200-Hour and the Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour International Yoga Certification. The next check-in is Sunday 24 January 2027, and Early Bird is US$1,899.
Is this the official Bikram Choudhury teacher training?
No. YogaFX offers independent training and is not the official Bikram Choudhury Teacher Training. Mr Ian Terry trained for five years, from 2014 to 2019, with the founder of the Bikram Hot 26&2 method, and teaches the sequence under the YogaFX name and standards.
Still have questions? Message Mr Ian and the YogaFX team on WhatsApp to ask about the next spots, and we will answer you personally.
