Editing Bikram Yoga

{{Short description|System of yoga in a heated room}}
{{Infobox yoga school
| name              = Bikram Yoga
| image             = Bikram Yoga - with Bikram Choudhury - Flickr - tiarescott.jpg
| caption           = [[Bikram Choudhury]] leading a Bikram yoga class in his own personal style
| religious_origins = None
| founding_guru     = [[Bikram Choudhury]]
| founding_year     = 1970s
| practice_emphases = Unchanging [[Postures of Bikram Yoga|sequence of 26 postures]] in a heated room
}}
'''Bikram Yoga''' is a system of [[hot yoga]], a type of [[yoga as exercise]], spread by [[Bikram Choudhury]] and based on the teachings of [[B. C. Ghosh]], that became popular in the early 1970s.<ref name=Forbes>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0921/entrepreneurs-franchising-bikram-yoga-new-twists.html | title=Bikram Yoga's New Twists | last=Farrell |first=Maureen |date=September 3, 2009 |magazine= [[Forbes.com]] }}</ref> Classes consist of a [[Postures of Bikram Yoga|fixed sequence of 26 postures]], practised in a room heated to {{convert|105|F|C}} with a humidity of 40%, intended to replicate the climate of [[India]]. The room is fitted with carpets and the walls are covered in mirrors. The instructor may adjust the students' [[Asana|yoga postures]]. Choudhury's teaching style was abrasive.<ref name="Delaney 2019"/>

Bikram Yoga spread rapidly across America and the Western world, reaching a peak of some 1,650 studios in at least 40 countries in 2006. Choudhury attempted to [[copyright]] the Bikram Yoga sequence from 2011, but was ultimately unsuccessful. In 2016, facing lawsuits and [[Sexual abuse by yoga gurus|accusations of sexual assault]], Choudhury fled to India, leaving Bikram Yoga, Inc. to be run by others.<ref name="The Guardian"/>

==Origins==
{{further|Bikram Choudhury}}

[[Bikram Choudhury]] was born in Calcutta in 1944. He began studying yoga in 1969.<ref name="Schickel 2003">{{cite news |url=https://www.laweekly.com/body-work/ |title=Body Work |author=Schickel |first=Erica |date=September 25, 2003 |work=[[L.A. Weekly]] |access-date=21 November 2019 |publisher=[[LA Weekly]]}}</ref> He arrived in America in 1971, and soon began to teach yoga in health resorts in California.<ref name="Syman 2010">{{cite book |title=The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America |url=https://archive.org/details/subtlebodystoryo0000syma/page/268 |url-access=registration |year=2010 |first=Stefanie |last=Syman |publisher=Farrar, Straus, and Giroux |location=New York |isbn=978-0-374-23676-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/subtlebodystoryo0000syma/page/268 268-279] }}</ref> In 1974, two pupils, [[Shirley MacLaine]] and Anne Marie Bennstrom, helped him to open his own school at 9441 [[Wilshire Boulevard]] in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="Syman 2010"/> He attracted celebrity pupils including the Hollywood dancer [[Marge Champion]] and the actors [[Keir Dullea]], [[Martin Sheen]], [[Susan Sarandon]], and [[Raquel Welch]].<ref name="Syman 2010"/> Yoga classes were initially free, with a donation box. Maclaine told Choudhury he could not run an American yoga school like one in India, and he began to charge $5 for classes; attendance started to grow at once.<ref name="Syman 2010"/>

Choudhury later devised the 26-posture sequence of Bikram Yoga, based on the teachings of B. C. Ghosh.<ref name="Schickel 2003"/><ref>{{cite AV media |last=Henderson |first=Julia L. |title=Bikram. ''30for30'', season 3, episodes 4&5 |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=2018 |url=https://30for30podcasts.com/bikram/}}</ref>

==Style==
{{further|Postures of Bikram Yoga}}
[[File:Bikram Yoga sequence of asanas.jpg|thumb|Bikram yoga sequence of asanas (poses). Standing pranayama (a), standing sequence (b–l), savasana (m), floor asanas (n–z), kapalabati (aa) and final savasana (m)]][[File:Dandayamana-Janushirasana.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Postures of Bikram Yoga|Bikram Yoga's 26 postures]] include some such as Dandayamana-Janushirsasana not widely used in other styles.]]

Bikram Yoga Beginning Series classes run for 90 minutes and always consist of [[Postures of Bikram Yoga|26 postures]], namely a fixed sequence of 24 [[asana]]s and two [[pranayama]] (breathing exercise). It starts with a standing pranayama, followed by a standing sequence of asanas, a first [[shavasana|savasana]], floor asanas, the last pranayama named [[Kapalabhati]] which is a [[shatkarma]] (a purification), and a final savasana that ends the sequence.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Flehr |first1=Alison |last2=Barton |first2=Christopher |last3=Coles |first3=Jan |last4=Gibson |first4=Stephen J. |last5=Lambert |first5=Gavin W. |last6=Lambert |first6=Elisabeth A. |last7=Dhar |first7=Arup K. |last8=Dixon |first8=John B. |title=#MindinBody - feasibility of vigorous exercise (Bikram yoga versus high intensity interval training) to improve persistent pain in women with a history of trauma: a pilot randomized control trial |journal=BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine |date=29 August 2019 |volume=19 |issue=1 |page=Figure 1 |doi=10.1186/s12906-019-2642-1 |pmid=31464643 |pmc=6714085 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Achanta |first1=Ramya |title=The 26 Bikram Yoga Poses – A Complete Step-By-Step Guide |url=https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/bikram-yoga-the-ultimate-guide-to-all-asanas-and-their-benefits/ |publisher=StyleCraze |date=13 August 2019}}</ref>  The room is fitted with mirrors and carpets, and the yoga postures of students may be adjusted by the teacher, who can also adjust themselves using the mirrors.<ref name="Delaney 2019"/><ref name="Tripp 2013">{{cite news |last1=Tripp |first1=Megan |title=Hot Yoga vs Bikram Yoga: What's The Difference? |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/health/2013/09/11/what-is-the-difference-between-hot-yoga-and-bikram-yoga/ |work=Boston Magazine |date=11 September 2013}}</ref>

The [[hot yoga]] style is practised in a room heated to {{convert|105|F|C}} with a humidity of 40%, intended to replicate the climate of [[India]] where it was created.<ref name="Bikram Yoga Basic">{{cite web |url=https://www.bikramyogalondon.com/why-the-heat |title=Bikram Yoga Basic |date=2 March 2018 |publisher=bikramyogalondon.com}}</ref> Bikram Yoga [[Yoga teacher training|trains its own teachers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bikramyoga.com/TeacherTraining/AboutTeacherTraining.php |title=Yoga teacher training programs |publisher=Bikramyoga.com |access-date=21 October 2013}}</ref> They are taught a standardized dialogue to run the class, but are encouraged to develop their own delivery style.<ref name="Bikram Yoga Basic"/>

The author Brigid Delaney described seeing Choudhury in his first yoga studio in Australia, and was "shocked"<ref name="Delaney 2019"/> by the environment and by Choudhury's bragging and abrasive manner; she noted also the docility of his students and the "fawning"<ref name="Delaney 2019"/> atmosphere, writing:<ref name="Delaney 2019"/>

{{blockquote|What the hell was this practice? The yoga took place in a room heated to around 41C. It was packed and it stunk. There were mirrors everywhere and the room was carpeted, which absorbed the stench and the sweat."<ref name="Delaney 2019">{{cite news |last1=Delaney |first1=Brigid |title=He made a fortune from his trademarked Bikram yoga, but now his empire is in tatters |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/dec/03/he-made-a-fortune-from-his-trademarked-bikram-yoga-but-now-his-empire-is-in-tatters |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=2 December 2019}}</ref>}}

==Growth==
[[File:Bikram.jpg|right|thumb|Bikram's Yoga College of India on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, California]]

Choudhury was extremely charismatic and persuasive, and this contributed to his success according to principal Bikram teacher Emmy Cleaves. He also had a philosophy of making pupils work through pain, and a "highly entertaining in-class patter," being happy to tell pupils "I am a butcher and I try to kill you ... but don't worry, yoga is the best death."<ref>{{cite web |last=Cleaves |first=Emmy |title=About {{!}} Teacher Training |url=http://www.bikramyogatt.com/about/ |publisher=Bikram Yoga Teacher Training |access-date=23 November 2019 |quote=Bikram Choudhury - Founder and CEO {{!}} Rajashree Choudhury |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419065628/http://www.bikramyogatt.com/about/ |archive-date=19 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="Syman 2010"/> By 1984, classes were priced at $20 (about $50 in 2019 terms).<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Inflation Rate, $20 in 1984 to 2019 |url=https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1984?amount=20 |website=CPI Inflation Calculator |access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref> That year, sports journalist [[Jack McCallum]] watched a class respond to Choudhury's verbal abuse "like eager cadets."<ref name="Syman 2010"/> Practice was so intense that it demanded "an entire identity" based on commitment to hard work, a regular yoga schedule, and verbal castigation. In short, "a complete religion of bodily purification" rewarded by "a feeling of pure energy."<ref name="Syman 2010"/> The franchise grew rapidly and spread to other countries. By 2006, there were 1,650 Bikram Yoga studios around the world.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bend it like Bikram |last=Shakespeare |first=Jocasta |date=10 June 2006 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/jun/11/healthandwellbeing.features1}}</ref> The franchise then declined somewhat, and by 2012, there were 330 studios in the United States and 600 worldwide.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-07-18/news/the-hot-yoga-war/2/ |title=The Hot Yoga War |last=Moss |first=Rebecca |date=8 July 2012 |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]}}</ref> In Africa, there were studios in Morocco and South Africa; in America, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, 39 U.S. states, and Canada; in Asia, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the UAE; in Europe, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom; and Australia and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bikram Yoga affiliated Studios |url=http://www.bikramyoga.com/studioListing.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117174920/http://www.bikramyoga.com/studioListing.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-01-17 |publisher=Bikram Yoga |access-date=23 November 2019 |date=17 January 2017}}</ref>

==Adverse health effects==
{{further|Yoga as therapy}}

A 2013 review of 76 yoga-related adverse events included 3 in Bikram Yoga. The three case reports consisted of one case of [[rosacea]], one [[psychotic episode]], and one of [[hyponatremia]] (low salt level).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cramer |first1=H. |last2=Krucoff |first2=C. |last3=Dobos |first3=G. |title=Adverse events associated with yoga: a systematic review of published case reports and case series |journal= [[PLOS ONE]] |date=16 October 2013 |volume=8 |issue=10 |pages=e75515 |pmid=24146758 |pmc=3797727 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0075515|bibcode=2013PLoSO...875515C |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Copyright Claims==
{{main|Copyright claims on Bikram Yoga}}

Choudhury claimed, starting in 2011, that Bikram Yoga was under [[copyright]] and that it could not be taught or presented by anyone whom he had not authorized. In that year, Choudhury started a lawsuit against [[Yoga to the People]], a competing yoga studio founded by a former student of Choudhury's and with a location near one of the Bikram Yoga studios in New York, and later started another against the Florida-based Evolation Yoga. Choudhury lost at first instance in both cases and appealed the decision, but the Court of Appeal ultimately dismissed his copyright claim over yoga poses in Bikram Yoga.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-yoga-poses-ruling-20151008-story.html |title=Downward dog duplication? Relax, yoga poses can't be copyrighted, court rules |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |last=Dolan |first=Maura |date=9 October 2015 |access-date=2018-10-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4067618/bikram-choudhury-yoga-copyright/|title=Court Says Bikram Choudhury Can't Copyright His Yoga Poses|magazine=Time|language=en|access-date=2018-10-11}}</ref>

As a result of that lawsuit, the [[United States Copyright Office]] issued a clarification that yoga postures (''[[asanas]]'') could not be copyrighted in the way claimed by Choudhury, and that Yoga to the People and others could continue to freely teach these exercises.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ52.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ52.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Copyright Registration of Choreography and Pantomime (Circular 52) |publisher=[[United States Copyright Office]] |date=September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Friedman |first1=Jennifer D'Angelo |title=What the Bikram Copyright Rejection Means for Yoga |url=https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/rejection-bikram-copyright-upheld-means-future-yoga |publisher=[[Yoga Journal]] |date=5 April 2017 |orig-year=16 October 2015}}</ref>

==Sexual Abuse by Choudhury==
{{main|Bikram Choudhury#Sexual abuse}}

Choudhury has faced [[Bikram Choudhury#Sexual abuse|multiple lawsuits alleging sexual harassment, assault, racism and homophobia]]. In 2016 he fled to India, where he continued to teach yoga. His former lawyer, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden, took over the running of Bikram, Inc. in America, after she successfully sued Choudhury for $7M in damages and he fled the country to avoid payment.<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news |last1=Godwin |first1=Richard |title='He said he could do what he wanted': the Scandal that Rocked Bikram Yoga |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/18/bikram-hot-yoga-scandal-choudhury-what-he-wanted |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=18 February 2017}}</ref><ref name=newyorker>{{cite magazine |title=Yoga Reconsiders the Role of the Guru in the Age of #MeToo |last=Griswold |first=Eliza |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=23 July 2019 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/yoga-reconsiders-the-role-of-the-guru-in-the-age-of-metoo}}</ref><!--Please do not add anything here, this is just a brief summary of the extensive material in the [[Bikram Choudhury]] article-->

The accusations against Choudhury were the subject of a 2019 [[Netflix]] true crime documentary, ''[[Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator]]''. The documentary also gave an exploration of Choudhury's early life in India, mostly told by Choudhury himself, in juxtaposition with the allegations and testimonies of various women who claim to have been assaulted and bullied by him. They argue that Choudhury was a charismatic but abusive and rude narcissist who took pleasure in mocking the physical appearances of his students, while holding financial and emotional power over many of them. ''Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator'' has since been challenged by Choudhury's lawyer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mallenbaum |first1=Carley |title=Why Bikram Yoga's founder is in hot water in a new Netflix documentary |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/11/22/bikram-yoga-founder-under-fire-new-netflix-documentary-heres-why/4250553002/ |website=www.usatoday.com |publisher=USA Today |access-date=21 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Horton |first1=Adrian |title='He got away with it': how the founder of Bikram yoga built an empire on abuse |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/nov/20/bikram-choudhury-yoga-founder-abuse-netflix-documentary |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=20 November 2019 |access-date=21 December 2021}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

<ref>{{cite web|access-date=20 November 2019 |date=20 December 2019 |language=en-US |last=OYTTC |title=Online Yoga Teacher Training Virabhadrasana |url=https://www.oceanicyoga.com/100-hours-yoga-teacher-training-goa/ |website=Online Yoga Teacher Training}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
{{Asana}}

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