The Bikram Yoga sex assault news involving six women, including one with a rape charge, is spreading like wildfire lately. Bikram Choudhury is the founder of hot yoga, a rigorous routine of exercises practiced in steamy rooms. The Bikram Yoga sex assault cases occurred as six woman filed lawsuits against Choudhury, reported the BBC.
While Choudhury's lawyers say claims of the Bikram Yoga sex assault cases are "false", a most recent case has been filed Feb. 13 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
According to the recent Bikram Yoga sex assault case, Choudhury raped a Canadian woman who spent $10,000 from her college fund to get a nine-week class in order for her to teach the 26-pose technique to others.
The Canadian woman, Jill Lawler, said she was excited when she heard that she would be learning from the master. However, things reportedly got sour when she was suddenly expected to massage Choudhury while watching Bollywood movies with hundreds of other students late into the night.
Lawler said her recent Bikram Yoga sex assault case involved her being sexually assaulted on several occasions after the massage incident.
"Throughout the sexual abuse, defendant Bikram Choudhury offered multiple explanations and justifications for his behavior," the recent Bikram Yoga sex assault lawsuit said. "He would say 'I'm dying, I need to you to save me. If I don't have sex I will die. You are saving my life, you are helping me.' "
As for Choudhury, he has not returned an email seeking for comments. However, his lawyers who are representing him and Bikram's Yoga College of India, are denying the Bikram Yoga sex assault cases. Prosecutors have also declined to set charges.
"Their claims are false, needlessly bring shame upon the yoga community, and dishonor the health and spiritual benefits that Bikram Yoga has brought to the lives of millions of practitioners throughout the world," according to his lawyers' statement.
In 2013, the Los Angeles district attorney also declined to bring charges against Choudhury for lack of evidence, said spokesman Ricardo Santiago.
The 69-year-old founder has hordes of devotees for McYoga (what he calls hot yoga for its consistency), a form of yoga composed of 26 postures which carried out in an extremely hot room. He leads teaching seminars wearing a black speedo while his followers sweat in skimpy, tight suits.
Courses are reportedly rigorous. The hours are also expected to be long, therefore sleep deprivation is not surprising. Choudhury can be charismatic and cutting.
The Bikram Yoga website states the following guidelines for practitioners:
"No physical, hands-on corrections or adjustments of students (with the exception of Bikram)."
"Clapping is not encouraged at the end of class (with the exception of spontaneous recognition of new students)."
"It is highly recommended that studio owners and teachers refrain from romantic relationships with students and others within their Bikram Yoga College of India community."
People have reportedly credited hot yoga with changing their lives, with many remaining loyal to Choudhury despite the Bikram Yoga sex assault news. The practice even have celebrity followers including Madonna, Andy Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow and Goldie Hawn. However, according to Benjamin Lorr, author of Hell-Bent, a book on extreme yoga that prominently features Choudhury, there has been noticeable change since the first Bikram Yoga sex assault allegation.
Lorr said women have told him during his research that they have encountered incidents with Choudhury such as the ones the sex assault victims recounted in the current lawsuits. It's just that no woman dared go on the record until Sarah Baughn, a yoga champion, made the first Bikram Yoga sex assault allegation, suing Choudhury for sexual assault.
After Baughn's case, other followers started breaking from the Bikram method, going their own ways. Others also decided to come out regarding things once only whispered inside the sweaty studios.
"The winds of change are definitely blowing in the community," said Lorr. "The culture of fear is lifting."
Baughn, 29, admitted there was also a cult-like atmosphere among the Bikram community which made her endure the Bikram Yoga sex assault. She said she considered them something that went with the territory. Others have already told her to separate the man from the teacher.
The practice helped her overcome scoliosis and depression, which is why she was able to endure the assaults. She also said she was afraid to leave because Choudhury has boasted before of how he had ruined people, getting them banished from the yoga world.
"He'd call himself Mafia yogi," said Baughn in an interview about the Bikram Yoga sex assault. "It may have sounded not serious to some people, but when he's assaulted you, it's a serious thing."
The Bikram Yoga sex assault lawsuit of Baughn is scheduled for trial in August. She also no longer practices yoga, according to the Associated Press.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
