The Bikram yoga sequence consists of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises performed in a fixed order in every class worldwide. Bikram Choudhury selected these specific postures in this specific sequence because each pose prepares the body for the next — creating a progressive, systematic workout of every muscle group, joint, organ, and physiological system in the body.
This guide covers all 26 postures in full sequence order: Sanskrit name, English name, primary benefits, key alignment cue, standard hold time, and the most common mistake that reduces effectiveness.
The 26 Bikram yoga poses are divided into a standing series (postures 1–12, plus Savasana transition) and a floor series (postures 14–26), bookended by two breathing exercises. Each posture is performed for 10–60 seconds per set, with most postures done twice. The full sequence takes 90 minutes. The sequence is identical in every Bikram class worldwide — it never changes.
The Two Breathing Exercises
Opening: Pranayama Series (Standing Deep Breathing)
Sanskrit: Pranayama. 6 sets of full inhale and exhale in standing position. Arms rise on inhale, lower on exhale. Fingers interlaced under the chin on exhale to mechanically compress the lungs and force complete exhalation.
Primary benefits: Maximises oxygen intake, warms the respiratory system, focuses the mind, and begins the cardiovascular warm-up before any physical postures. Duration: approximately 2 minutes.
Common mistake: Shallow breathing or rushing the exhale. The exhale should be complete — lungs fully deflated before beginning the next inhale.
Closing: Kapalbhati Breathing in Vajrasana (Blowing in Firm Pose)
Sanskrit: Kapalbhati Pranayama. 60 rapid exhales in kneeling position. The inhale is passive and automatic between each active exhale.
Primary benefits: Stimulates abdominal organs, clears residual tension from the nervous system, and provides the final detoxification effect of the session. Duration: 1–2 minutes.
Common mistake: Forcing the inhale. Kapalbhati is exclusively active exhales — focus entirely on the out-breath.
Standing Series: Postures 1–12
1. Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
A lateral spinal stretch combined with backbend in standing position.
Benefits: Strengthens the entire side of the body from hip to fingertips, stretches the spine laterally, improves balance, and opens the intercostal muscles for deeper breathing.
Hold time: 10 seconds per side, 2 sets. | Key cue: Weight equally distributed on both feet. The sidebend comes from the waist — hips do not shift laterally.
Common mistake: Hips swaying sideways. The lower body remains perfectly stable as the upper body creates the lateral arc.
2. Hands to Feet Pose (Pada Hasthasana)
A forward fold performed directly following Half Moon.
Benefits: Stretches the entire posterior chain from heels through the spine, compresses abdominal organs, begins progressive hamstring lengthening that deepens across the class.
Hold time: 10 seconds, 2 sets. | Key cue: Grip the heels from underneath — not the ankles. Pull the torso toward the legs using the arms. Knees can be soft in early practice.
Common mistake: Rounding the back to reach the floor. The goal is spinal elongation — the back should be as flat as possible.
3. Awkward Pose (Utkatasana)
A three-part standing squat performed in three progressively demanding positions.
Benefits: Builds significant quadriceps strength, improves ankle stability, strengthens the lower back. One of the primary calorie-burning postures in the standing series.
Hold time: 10 seconds per position, 2 sets per position (6 sets total). | Key cue: Part 1 — weight on toes. Part 2 — heels together, toes out 45°. Part 3 — balls of the feet, descend as low as possible.
Common mistake: Knees caving inward. Actively push knees outward in line with the toes throughout all three parts.
4. Eagle Pose (Garurasana)
A standing balance with both arms and one leg wrapped around the opposite limb.
Benefits: Improves single-leg balance and proprioception, opens the 14 major joints simultaneously, increases blood flow specifically to joint tissue.
Hold time: 10 seconds per side, 2 sets. | Key cue: Sit down as in a chair — the deeper the squat, the more effective the joint opening.
Common mistake: Insufficient depth. Wrapping arms and legs without squatting deeply misses the primary joint-opening benefit.
5. Standing Head to Knee (Dandayamana Janushirasana)
The first of three progressive single-leg balance postures. A 4-stage posture — most beginners work at stage 1–2.
Benefits: Builds exceptional balance and focus, strengthens the standing leg, stretches the hamstring of the extended leg, improves concentration under physical demand.
Hold time: 10 seconds per side, 2 sets. | Key cue: Lock the standing knee first before extending the lifted leg.
Common mistake: Rushing to touch head to knee before the standing knee is properly locked. This inverts the purpose and reduces both balance and strength benefit.
6. Standing Bow Pulling Pose (Dandayamana Dhanurasana)
A single-leg balance with the free leg kicked back and the torso pitched forward, creating a full-body arc.
Benefits: The most cardiovascularly demanding posture in the standing series. Creates a tourniqueting effect in the cardiovascular system. Builds balance, opens the chest and shoulders, strengthens hip extensors.
Hold time: 10 seconds per side, 2 sets. | Key cue: The kicking action drives the posture — the body follows the leg. Kick back and up continuously.
Common mistake: Bending the standing knee. The standing leg should remain as straight as possible throughout.
7. Balancing Stick (Tuladandasana)
A single-leg T-shape balance held for exactly 10 seconds.
Benefits: Creates the most cardiovascular demand per second of any posture in the sequence — heart rate spikes significantly in the 10-second hold. Strengthens the entire posterior chain, improves balance and proprioception.
Hold time: 10 seconds per side, 2 sets. | Key cue: Both arms and the lifted leg form a straight line parallel to the floor. The body makes a capital T.
Common mistake: Lifted leg dropping below hip height. The lower the leg, the less cardiovascular and strength benefit is achieved.
8. Standing Separate Leg Stretching (Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasana)
A wide-legged forward fold with feet 4–5 feet apart.
Benefits: Deep hamstring and inner thigh stretch, abdominal compression, spinal decompression following the intense cardiovascular demand of postures 5–7.
Hold time: 20 seconds, 2 sets. | Key cue: Feet parallel, hips above the feet, crown of the head reaching toward the floor.
Common mistake: Turning the toes out. Feet must be parallel and pointing forward for the intended stretch.
9. Triangle Pose (Trikanasana)
The most complex posture in the standing series — 12 body parts must be simultaneously positioned correctly.
Benefits: Compresses and stretches the entire side of the body, opens hips and groins, strengthens the legs, provides the first lateral waist stretch of the class.
Hold time: 10 seconds per side, 2 sets. | Key cue: Front knee bends to exactly 90 degrees directly over the front heel. Torso opens to face forward — not the floor.
Common mistake: Front knee collapsing inward, or torso tilting forward rather than opening laterally.
10. Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee (Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana)
A standing forward fold over one leg from the wide-legged position.
Benefits: Compresses the thyroid and parathyroid glands, provides deep hamstring stretch on the extended leg, continues spinal forward-fold work.
Hold time: 10 seconds per side, 2 sets. | Key cue: Chin touches the knee before the forehead. Toes flexed toward the face on the extended leg.
Common mistake: Bending the extended knee. The strength of the posture comes from the hamstring stretch of a fully extended leg.
11. Tree Pose (Tadasana)
A single-leg balance with the free foot placed on the inner thigh.
Benefits: Improves hip joint mobility, strengthens standing leg stabilisers, provides relative recovery before the final standing posture.
Hold time: 20 seconds per side, 1 set. | Key cue: Foot of the lifted leg rests on the inner thigh — never on the knee joint. Hips square to the front.
12. Toe Stand (Padangustasana)
A balancing posture on the toes of one foot with the free leg in half lotus.
Benefits: Strengthens the ankles, toes, and arch of the foot. Improves concentration and challenges the deepest level of balance in the standing series.
Hold time: 20 seconds per side, 1 set. | Key cue: Descend slowly — balance is established in the transition, not at the bottom.
Common mistake: Gripping the elevated foot for balance rather than developing independent balance on the standing toes.
Savasana — Dead Body Pose (Transition)
2 minutes of complete stillness lying on the back between standing and floor series.
Benefits: Allows the cardiovascular system to redistribute blood from the extremities to the core organs after the sustained demand of the standing series. Physiologically prescribed recovery — not optional rest.
Key cue: Complete stillness. No fidgeting. Any movement interrupts the cardiovascular recovery process.
Floor Series: Postures 14–26
14. Wind-Removing Pose (Pavanamuktasana)
Benefits: Massages the ascending and descending colon, releases the lower back after standing series demand, opens the hip joint passively.
Hold time: 20 seconds per position, 1 set each. | Key cue: Keep shoulders and head flat on the floor. The compression comes from pulling the knee toward the shoulder — not toward the chest.
15. Sit Up
A straight-legged sit-up from Savasana position, performed once between each Savasana in the floor series.
Benefits: Strengthens abdominal muscles and hip flexors, provides the transition from supine to prone for the backbend series.
16. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Benefits: Strengthens the entire spinal erector group, opens the chest and thoracic spine, stimulates the adrenal glands.
Hold time: 10 seconds, 2 sets. | Key cue: Elbows bent and close to the body. The lift comes from the back muscles — not the arms pushing. In full expression, hands may lift off the floor entirely.
Common mistake: Pushing up with the arms. This is a back-strength posture, not an arm-supported stretch.
17. Locust Pose (Salabhasana)
Single-leg then double-leg lift from a face-down position with arms flat under the body.
Benefits: Strengthens the lower back intensely, glutes, and hamstrings. The double-leg version is one of the most demanding posterior chain exercises in yoga.
Hold time: 10 seconds per variation, 2 sets. | Key cue: Arms flat on the floor, palms down, arms under the body. The lift comes from pressing the arms into the floor and engaging the back and glutes — not momentum.
18. Full Locust Pose (Poorna Salabhasana)
Both arms and both legs simultaneously lifted from face-down — a full-body backbend.
Benefits: Maximum strengthening demand on the entire posterior chain simultaneously.
Hold time: 10 seconds, 2 sets. | Common mistake: Bending the knees. Both legs must remain straight, requiring significant glute and hamstring engagement.
19. Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
Face-down backbend gripping the ankles while kicking the feet away from the body.
Benefits: Rocking motion on the abdomen massages digestive organs, opens the entire anterior body from thighs through the throat, provides spinal extension in a different mechanical pattern from Cobra and Locust.
Hold time: 10 seconds, 2 sets. | Key cue: The kicking action of the feet lifts the body — not pulling with the arms. Kick back and up; let the body rise from the kick.
20. Fixed Firm Pose (Supta Vajrasana)
Progressive kneeling backbend from sitting on the heels toward lying flat on the floor.
Benefits: Opens knees, ankles, and hip flexors. Provides spinal extension in the lumbar spine. Therapeutic for knee rehabilitation when performed correctly.
Hold time: 20 seconds, 2 sets. | Key cue: Knees stay together throughout. Work at your current progression stage without forcing the supine position.
Common mistake: Knees separating. This reduces the therapeutic effect and can cause knee strain.
21. Half Tortoise Pose (Ardha Kurmasana)
Forward fold from kneeling with arms extended overhead and forehead on the floor.
Benefits: Maximum stretch of the lower back and lumbar decompression, shoulder and thoracic stretch. The most calming posture in the sequence — heart rate drops significantly during this hold.
Hold time: 20 seconds, 2 sets. | Key cue: Hips remain on the heels throughout. The moment the hips lift, the lumbar benefit is lost.
22. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
A deep backbend from kneeling, hands reaching back to grip the heels.
Benefits: The deepest spinal extension in the sequence. Opens the entire anterior body from knees through the throat, stimulates the nervous system strongly — many practitioners experience brief dizziness or emotional release.
Hold time: 20 seconds, 2 sets. | Key cue: Hips push forward before hands reach back. Establish the forward hip position before the backbend begins.
Common mistake: Compressing the lower back excessively. The backbend should be distributed across the entire thoracic spine, not concentrated in the lumbar.
23. Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana)
The direct counterpose to Camel — a deep spinal flexion from kneeling.
Benefits: Maximum spinal flexion that decompresses the posterior spine, stretches the cervical spine and neck, balances the nervous system after Camel stimulation.
Hold time: 20 seconds, 2 sets. | Key cue: Forehead touches the knees while gripping the heels. Round the spine maximally — this is not a flat-back forward fold.
24. Head to Knee with Stretching Pose (Janushirasana with Paschimotthanasana)
Seated single-leg forward fold, then double-leg forward fold within the same set.
Benefits: Deep hamstring stretch, spinal forward fold, abdominal compression.
Hold time: 20 seconds per variation, 2 sets. | Key cue: Grip the foot of the extended leg — not the ankle or shin. Round down from the top of the spine.
25. Spine Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
A seated spinal rotation performed on both sides.
Benefits: The only true spinal rotation in the sequence, providing lateral vertebral mobility and compression-decompression of spinal discs. Therapeutic for spinal disc health.
Hold time: 20 seconds per side, 2 sets. | Key cue: Both sit bones remain on the floor throughout. The twist comes from the thoracic spine — the lower back does not rotate.
26. Blowing in Firm Pose (Kapalbhati in Vajrasana)
60 rapid exhales in kneeling position. See Kapalbhati description above — this closes the class.
Complete Sequence at a Glance
| # | English Name | Sanskrit Name | Hold Time | Sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Standing Deep Breathing | Pranayama | 2 min | 6 breaths |
| 2 | Half Moon Pose | Ardha Chandrasana | 10 sec | 2 per side |
| 3 | Hands to Feet Pose | Pada Hasthasana | 10 sec | 2 |
| 4 | Awkward Pose | Utkatasana | 10 sec | 2 per part |
| 5 | Eagle Pose | Garurasana | 10 sec | 2 per side |
| 6 | Standing Head to Knee | Dandayamana Janushirasana | 10 sec | 2 per side |
| 7 | Standing Bow Pulling Pose | Dandayamana Dhanurasana | 10 sec | 2 per side |
| 8 | Balancing Stick | Tuladandasana | 10 sec | 2 per side |
| 9 | Standing Separate Leg Stretching | Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasana | 20 sec | 2 |
| 10 | Triangle Pose | Trikanasana | 10 sec | 2 per side |
| 11 | Standing Sep. Leg Head to Knee | Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana | 10 sec | 2 per side |
| 12 | Tree Pose | Tadasana | 20 sec | 1 per side |
| 13 | Toe Stand | Padangustasana | 20 sec | 1 per side |
| — | Savasana (transition) | — | 2 min | 1 |
| 14 | Wind-Removing Pose | Pavanamuktasana | 20 sec | 1 per position |
| 15 | Sit Up | — | — | Between poses |
| 16 | Cobra Pose | Bhujangasana | 10 sec | 2 |
| 17 | Locust Pose | Salabhasana | 10 sec | 2 per variation |
| 18 | Full Locust Pose | Poorna Salabhasana | 10 sec | 2 |
| 19 | Bow Pose | Dhanurasana | 10 sec | 2 |
| 20 | Fixed Firm Pose | Supta Vajrasana | 20 sec | 2 |
| 21 | Half Tortoise Pose | Ardha Kurmasana | 20 sec | 2 |
| 22 | Camel Pose | Ustrasana | 20 sec | 2 |
| 23 | Rabbit Pose | Sasangasana | 20 sec | 2 |
| 24 | Head to Knee + Stretching | Janushirasana + Paschimotthanasana | 20 sec | 2 per variation |
| 25 | Spine Twist | Ardha Matsyendrasana | 20 sec | 2 per side |
| 26 | Blowing in Firm Pose | Kapalbhati in Vajrasana | 1–2 min | 60 exhales |
FAQ
What are the 26 Bikram yoga poses in order?
In sequence: (1) Pranayama, (2) Half Moon, (3) Hands to Feet, (4) Awkward Pose, (5) Eagle, (6) Standing Head to Knee, (7) Standing Bow, (8) Balancing Stick, (9) Standing Separate Leg Stretching, (10) Triangle, (11) Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee, (12) Tree Pose, (13) Toe Stand, then Savasana transition, (14) Wind-Removing Pose, (15) Sit Up, (16) Cobra, (17) Locust, (18) Full Locust, (19) Bow Pose, (20) Fixed Firm, (21) Half Tortoise, (22) Camel, (23) Rabbit, (24) Head to Knee with Stretching, (25) Spine Twist, (26) Kapalbhati.
How long do you hold each Bikram yoga pose?
Hold times vary by posture: 10 seconds for standing balance postures (Standing Head to Knee, Standing Bow, Balancing Stick, Triangle), 20 seconds for most floor postures (Half Tortoise, Camel, Rabbit, Spine Twist), and 2 minutes for Savasana transitions. Most postures are performed twice. Total sequence time is 90 minutes at standard pace.
Which Bikram poses are hardest for beginners?
The most challenging for beginners: Standing Head to Knee (4-stage progression — most beginners work stage 1–2), Toe Stand (requires significant ankle strength and balance), and Camel Pose (deep backbend that commonly causes brief dizziness). Standing Bow and Balancing Stick are also demanding due to cardiovascular intensity. All postures have built-in modifications delivered through the instructor's verbal dialogue.
Are the 26 Bikram poses the same in every class?
Yes — identically. The Bikram 26&2 sequence is fixed and never changes between classes, studios, or instructors. The same 26 postures in the same order are practiced in every legitimate Bikram yoga class worldwide. This consistency is one of the method's defining features — it enables measurable, trackable progress from one class to the next.
Can you do the 26 Bikram poses at home?
Yes, but with limitations. Replicating 40°C with natural humidity at home is difficult without a purpose-built heated space. Without the heat, connective tissue does not warm to the same extensibility and the thermoregulatory cardiovascular demand does not occur. The verbal dialogue guidance from a qualified instructor is also absent, making alignment feedback impossible. Home practice works as a supplement to studio sessions, not a full replacement.
