Bikram yoga is unique because it is a copyrighted yoga practice that is virtually the same every time and every place it is practiced. Bikram yoga is named after its creator, Bikram Choudhury. It is practiced in a heated room of at least 105°F (40.5°C) and consists of a set series of asanas, or poses, performed for specific lengths of time. A Bikram yoga practice lasts 90 minutes and includes 26 poses and two breathing exercises. The instructor must use a set dialogue to guide the practice.

Bikram Choudhury, born in Calcutta, India in 1946, has practiced yoga since childhood and won four of his country's National Yoga Championship awards as a teen. He began teaching yoga in his 20s, opening schools in India and Japan. In the 1970s, Choudhury opened a yoga school in Los Angeles, California and began developing his trademarked method. He first obtained a copyright for his book Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class in 1979. Today, there are Bikram yoga studios around the world, from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Paris, Tokyo, and Calcutta, all using the specific series of asanas developed by Choudhury.

In the 1990s, Choudhury began offering a 9-week training course for Bikram yoga instructors. In 2002, he officially sought copyright for the series of postures contained in his book, insisting that teachers were not allowed to use the series or the name Bikram yoga without receiving a license from him. This move was somewhat controversial in the yoga world, and some objected that yoga postures and series could not be copyrighted but were in the public domain. Choudhury's right to hold copyright over the method he developed was upheld in a court case against Open Source Yoga Unity in 2005.

Bikram yoga is one of the most popular forms of yoga practiced today. If you are interested in trying it, chances are there is a licensed Bikram yoga studio near you. The official Bikram yoga website lists class locations around the world. If you do not live close to one of these locations, you can practice Bikram yoga at home with the help of an official Bikram yoga book, compact disc, or video.