Bikram Yoga made waves in the fitness world for it’s “hot” form of exercise that incorporates traditional yoga done in a hot room. Celebrities made it a fitness trend and almost all of the major gyms in town offer this form of exercise. But the founder of Bikram Yoga, Bikram Choudhury is facing allegations of rape and racism from a former employee and more than a student.
According to a lawyer of a former employee, Choudhury ran his company like a cult. Carla Minnard says her client, Minakshi Jaffa-Bodden, was one of the few to stand up to Choudhury, but was then throated to have Minakshi and her daughter deported. Minnard called the yoga guru “a dangerous person”.
Jaffa Boden was a legal advisor at Bikram’s Yoga College of India, which has locations all over Los Angeles. She filed her lawsuit on June 13 and accused him of rape and sexual assault, as well as promoting an atmosphere of misogyny, homophobia and racism.
Apparently, Choudhury referred to his female employees and other as “bitches”, frequently ranted against gays, and even made racist remarks about his African-American students, allegedly saying, “these blacks just don’t get my yoga”.
In May, two other lawsuits surfaced, alleging that Choudhury had raped two of his female students. One also accused him of false imprisonment, discrimination and harassment, among other counts.
Choudhury has a string of A-list clients, including Jennifer Aniston and Lady Gaga. In a 2012 LA Weekly article, Choudhury was quoted as saying, “Lady Gaga listens to me. Her mantra is only one word—Bikram—because Bikram makes her what she is today. It works.”
“I kind of run this city,” he told the Weekly. “They depend on me.”
A Bikram teacher believes that his arrogant attitude was caused by his misconception of American culture. Emmy Cleves, a Senior Bikram teacher said
More to come.
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