Bikram Choudhury, the outspoken Beverly Hills yoga mogul, has two passions in life: cars and yoga. Though he's often criticized for having a garage stuffed with gleaming Bentleys and Rolls Royces, yogis don't generally flaunt material wealth, he says he bought the luxury cars as 'wrecks' and restored them with his own hands.
Through his unique brand of yoga, Choudhury says he does the same thing with the human vehicle.
'I fix the human chassis, I tune up human engines, I recharge human batteries, and I adjust human transmissions,' he wrote in his newest book, 'Bikram Yoga: The Guru Behind Hot Yoga Shows the Way to Radiant Health and Personal Fulfillment' (Harper Collins, $24.95).
Choudhury accomplishes this by getting you into a 90 minute class that involves performing a sequence of 26 poses and two breathing exercises in stifling 105 degree heat. Bikram says the heat helps foster your muscles' flexibility, so it's easier and safer to stretch. He also says the heat promotes detoxification through sweating and provides a more intense cardiovascular workout.
Choudhury copyrighted the series of poses, which he culled from 84 classical yoga postures, and threatens legal action against studio owners who do not teach the practice according to his guidelines. This has long rankled many in the worldwide yoga community, who argue that an ancient Indian tradition cannot and should not be owned.
Still, his tightly controlled empire of 500 certified yoga studios and 6,000 yoga teachers with new locations planned for Evanston, Oak Park and Chicago's Andersonville, is growing. And he has introduced an element of competition: The Illinois Yoga Championships will be held at Navy Pier on Saturday. The event is open to all yogis and yoginis age 10 and older. Competitors get three minutes to perform seven poses in front of a panel of judges; top scorers advance to the National Yoga Asana Championship in Los Angeles.
By Julie Deardorff
THE LATEST YOGA NEWS, FROM IT IS YOGA
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