What Bikram Choudhury Is Up To (and Why You Should be Mad About it)

Image: media headlines following accusations made against Bikram Choudhury.

Content note: this piece does contain some references to sexual assault. Please take care when reading.

Yoga is often talked about as being good for one’s well being but should we defend it, or its teachers, over the practitioners who have been traumatised by it? And when I say ‘traumatised’ I don’t mean that time you stayed in chair pose for too long whilst your teacher counted to 5 - I’m talking about serious sexual assault.

This is a rhetorical question but for anyone who’s not clear, the answer is: no, we should not.

Rather, we should prioritise those who have been harmed and work to protect the community so no further harm occurs. To anyone. This is not only the right and decent thing to do, but the right thing do to as yoga teachers and enthusiasts. Yoga is about wellbeing, healing and community - how can we ensure it continues to be so when some individuals in the industry knowingly - allegedly - let - alleged - rapists back into the fold?

What is going on?

In the last week it has been reported in the Daily Hive and the Vancouver Sun that a yoga event - titled ‘Boss is Back’ - is due to go ahead later this month in Vancouver, Canada. Details do not name Bikram Choudhury as the host or teacher but images of him dominate the advertising and he is, presumably, the so-called ‘boss’. The Daily Hive has confirmed that he was invited to the event. It will take place between 20-24 February, cost $800 to attend the week or $75 to attend a class.

Wait… Bikram Who?

Bikram Choudhury is the founder of the global yoga franchise, Bikram Yoga. The signature style involves performing 26 specific poses in a room heated to 40 degrees.

Choudhury set up shop in LA in the 1970s and rose to fame in the 1990s. At his peak he was probably the wealthiest yoga teacher in the world (I haven’t crunched the numbers but this is an educated guess based on reports of things like the number of classic cars he owned).

Why should we be concerned?

For those who don’t know, here are the bare bone facts of allegations made against him.

In March 2013 a lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles against Bikram Choudhury and his yoga school by Sarah Baughn. Several further lawsuits were filed by Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 (May 2013), Jane Doe 3 (November 2013). (Jane Doe is a pseudonym.)

The lawsuits include things such as sexual harassment, sex-based discrimination, sexual battery, false imprisonment, emotional distress and interference with business.

It was reported that Choudhury forced his body against Baughn’s during a yoga class whilst whispering sexual things until she collapsed. He prevented her from teaching yoga, despite the very expensive training Baughn paid for, because she refused to sleep with him.

In 2015, three further cases were brought against Choudhury for similar offences, including rape. The first was by Jill Lawler.

Minakshi Jafa-Bodden – the former legal adviser of Bikram Yoga – also filed lawsuits against Choudhury and won. In January 2017 an LA county jury awarded her $6.8 million in damages. Charges include unlawful dismissal and sexual harassment. Choudhury did not pay but fled the US and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The allegations and lawsuits sent shockwaves through the yoga world – many Bikram studios closed or re-branded as hot yoga studios.

Where is Choudhury Now?

Apparently, Choudhury fled to India and in 2019 it seemed that he was teaching in Mexico.

In 2022, social media posts indicated Choudhury taught a class online as part of International Yoga Day – 21 June. I contacted a couple of studios who shared the ad asking why they were platforming Choudhury with a few links to articles about the allegations (maybe they didn’t know? LOL) but none of them got back to me.

The latest event platforming Choudhury is due to take place in Canada this month and is supported by Canada Yoga Sports Federation. Quite a few board members of the Federation were (are?) Bikram Yoga teachers. Huh.

Jill Lawler has spoken out against this event, and Choudhury, in an attempt to prevent it from going ahead and to protect others from harm. He - allegedly - forced himself on her after inviting her to his room when she was only a teenager. Lawler is quoted in the Daily Hive article saying she ‘fears for the wellbeing of anyone exposed to this man’.

What can we do and what are we doing?

There is an online petition that has now reached over 3.5 thousand signatures.

As of 8 February the formerly listed venue - the JW Marriot Parq hotel - has been removed and the location is now simply Vancouver. I hope the Marriot pulled out due to pressure from the petition and survivors speaking up, but so far I haven’t found confirmation of this detail.

Several Canadian yoga teachers have also been vocal about not wanting Choudhury teaching in Canada, that we need to protect yoga, that this is not what yoga in Canada (or anywhere) is about.

You can find Colin Hall talking about it here and Shannon Crow aka @theconnectedyogateacher is recording a podcast episode about it. Do give them a follow on Instagram.

I agree with their stance - I would not want Choudhury teaching at a big event in my country or city - but this is not just about protecting yoga. Yoga is - as I said at the start - about wellbeing but it’s also an abstract and amorphous concept. It cannot always be clearly defined and the wider industry is not regulated.

So should we try to protect yoga? Yes, OK! But I’m more interested in hearing from survivors and victims, preventing further harm and protecting all people and if they want to practice yoga, that’s cool, they should be able to do so safely. People first, yoga second.

End notes

In the image I’ve put grey squares over the pictures of Choudhury. He is often depicted teaching wearing only underwear.

Blocking these out is my way of moving the spotlight away from him to decentralise the narrative round this alleged predator.

Update 14/2/23

It’s been almost a week since I wrote this blog and I’m pleased to say that Choudhury will not be visiting Cananda. For now.

According to the Cananda Yoga Sports Federation website the event has been rescheduled. They seem annoyed that anyone dare point out their yoga teacher has literally been put on trial, in court, and has an active arrest warrant out for them in the USA.

But this does not end here. Choudhury is due to run a yoga teacher training course in Thailand in April this year. Does anyone have contacts with teachers in Thailand? Can we stop him again?

Steps to take

Are you a member of Yoga Alliance (the international one, not the UK one, Yoga Alliance Professionals)? Can you email them to ask how they’re responding to announcements that Bikram Choudhury is teaching again? You could also email the hotel that is hosting him in Thailand - surely they want their guests to be safe?

Unfortunately this is not the only instance of someone abusing their power, or even the only lawsuit or court case, in modern yoga. I’ve been studying this topic for a few years now and if you’d like to learn more you can take my course on Spiritual Abuse in Modern Yoga - more info here.

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