Hot-yoga guru Bikram Choudhary recently shifted base from Hollywood to set shop in Bollywood.
The 69-year-old was charged with a sexual harassment lawsuit in January. He ended up paying $7.5 million in damages and shut his business in Los Angeles to start afresh in Mumbai, according to an NDTV report.
The US-based millionaire became famous for his ‘hot-yoga’ – essentially performing the yogic postures in a hot room. Also called Bikram yoga, it consists of 26 different postures, performed over 90 minutes in a 40.5 degree Celsius room.
One of the main principles of the practice is no physical contact between the practitioners, with “the exception of Bikram” touching them.
That’s where trouble began as he was charged with the alleged sexual harassment of his former general counsel, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden. She was investigating the rape allegations by a former student of Choudhary’s, during which she was abruptly sacked from her position, according to a BBC report.
Bikram was practicing yoga since he was a toddler and he moved to the US in 1971 where he started establishing himself as a yoga-virtuoso. Celebrities including the likes of Madonna, Andy Murray and Gwyneth Paltrow have all participated in Bikram yoga.
The yoga-mogul’s empire only went on to decline after the allegations and subsequent win by Jafa-Boden in the lawsuit. This prompted his move to India, where he now has his practice setup in Lonavala’s Aamby Valley.
He has started two intensive yoga courses, each lasting 63 days, in Mumbai. The news was confirmed by Amresh Sahay who is in the sales department at Aamby Valley City.
We have created a 15,000 sq-ft closed space, which can accommodate 500 people, where he conducts his sessions at a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius. The first one started on May 1 and will end on July 3.Amresh Sahay told NDTV.
He also added that Choudhary plans to set up a wellness center at the luxury township, where people will be able to avail packages for 3-4 or 6-7 days for weight loss, rejuvenation and improving their health.
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