Hot Yoga is a series of yoga poses done in a heated room. The room is usually maintained at a temperature of 38-40 degrees. A vigorous yoga session at this temperature promotes profuse sweating which rids the body of toxins. It also makes the body very warm, and therefore more flexible.

Living master Bikram Choudhury is a Hot Yoga innovator. His method of Hot Yoga is a set series of 26 yoga poses, including two pranayama exercises, each of which is performed twice in a single 90 minute class. The 26 asanas were scientifically formulated and put together with goal of allowing blood to flow through all the parts of the body and properly using a person's body parts so that all the systems in the body work properly and physical fitness is achieved

Bikram Choudhury would like to reserve the Bikram yoga title only for those teachers who are certified by his Yoga College of India and who stick to his prescribed method exactly (including not only the temperature of the room and order of poses, but also the carpet and mirrors in the room, and his approved text). Hence, if a class is just conducted in a hot environment, and does not follow the Birkam standard, it cannot be called Bikram Yoga and probably would just be called Hot yoga.