Bikram yoga

The method was codified by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s and became the template most people mean when they say hot yoga. The format is rigid by design: the same 26 postures in the same order, each held and repeated, 90 minutes, a room at roughly 40 °C and 40 percent humidity, and a standardised script the teacher follows. Many studios now teach the identical sequence under names such as hot 26 or original hot yoga.

What it is for is consistency. Because nothing changes, progress is unusually easy to see: the same posture, the same point in the class, a different body three months later. For people who dislike surprises or who want a measurable practice, that is a real advantage. The trade-off is equally clear — no adaptation to the individual, little variation, and an intensity that does not suit every body.

In a KEO session you will not find a Bikram class; it requires a dedicated heated studio and a certified teacher following the script, which is not what Ben does. If you have practised Bikram and want something closer, the Bangkok hot classes are the nearest fit, and the structured hatha sessions give you the same predictability without the heat. People often arrive from years of Bikram wanting exactly the opposite — slower, outdoors, with a long stillness at the end.