The National Enquirer has a new interview with the founder of the the Bikram Yoga empire, Bikram Choudhury. Bikram Yoga is a popular form of yoga done in a room heated to 105 degrees. It’s a real trend, with over 600 Bikram studios worldwide. I’ve never tried it, but I know people who swear by it.
The Bikram guy is fabulously bitchy about several celebrities he’s worked with, and it’s worth covering this story just to repeat some of his quotes. He says that Madonna is a piece of work, basically, and calls Britney a “burnout.” Choudhury does have some kind words for celebrities willing to take his classes with others and show up without making demands, like George Clooney and Jessica Simpson. They’re not your typical “undisciplined lunatics in Hollywood,” he adds:
“Most Hollywood celebrities who take up yoga do so because they’ve already tried therapies which haven’t worked,” Choudhury, 63, explained….
[Bikram] Choudhury has worked with hundreds of stars over the years – and pulls no punches when it comes to dishing the dirt.
Although he admires Madonna for being “extremely ruthless” when it comes to keeping in shape, he says she “treats people like dirt.”
“If you disagree with her, you’re immediately blacklisted.
“She came to me and asked for private lessons. I would have none of that. If you are to learn from me, then you will have to come to my classes. You have to leave your starry airs and ego behind.”
Madonna ended up receiving private lessons from an associate of Choudhury. Beyonce didn’t want to mingle with the public, either – but she used a different approach.
“She simply bought the whole class – and then did yoga with her friends and family,” said Choudhury.
The only star who’s ever received a private lesson was Sophia Loren.
“But, then, I was young,” said Choudhury. “Now, I call the shots and nobody messes me around.”
Jessica Simpson and George Clooney are among his favorites. “They do 90 minutes of yoga whenever they’re near a Bikram school – even when they’re overseas. I find that surprising among the crazy crowd of undisciplined lunatics in Hollywood.”
[From The National Enquirer, print edition, October 26, 2009]
Among Choudhury’s other favorites are Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, Goldie Hawn, Brooke Shields and Diana Ross. He also loves Shirley MacLaine and speaks fondly of her. Britney he could do without, though. He says Spears is going “downhill,” and that “she’s already a burnout.” I wonder what she ever did to him, because he doesn’t elaborate other than to put her down.
It sounds like this Bikram guy thinks the only person allowed to have an ego in his class is him. It really takes one to know one I guess and I’m sure he has his diva moments too.
Here’s a photo of Choudhury standing on someone’s back in class. Look at how all the people in the room are staring at him all wide-eyed. The photographer writes on Flickr “Please don’t try this at home. Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana and a little help from Bikram himself pretending to be Jesus Christ on the cross.”
I cannot stand Bikram Choudhury! Do you know that he ‘trademarks’ his poses so that no studios other than Bikram can use them? Of course, these poses have been around for thousands of years.
A lot of my friends and I boycott Bikram and do Moksha instead. We don’t want to fund his craziness.
Another self important fitness guru. Shocking!
lol I find this guy somewhat amusing that he can be so flippant of celebrities…
I wonder if George Clooney strips down to his speedos too…
You in a way I can understand why some of the “stars” would want to a private class.
I think most of it is due to the fact that most of the public would stare at them, while they are doing what ever poses and most likely be on the news that night because of some one in the class broke out their cellphone and video taped it.
I know that they are in the public eye and chose to be famous but I think that most would like to do some things like us normal people.
Now having said that this Bikram guy seems like a DIVA himself and should check himself, before he loses most of him famous clients
Geez he looks gross in the top picture, but when he’s walking on the woman’s back he looks like he has a good body. That aside, isn’t the point of yoga to advance spiritually? I don’t mean just the physical exercise, the entire concept and practice of Yoga. It would seem that gossiping about clients is WAY below any kind of spiritual agenda. Makes me doubt his sincerity 😉
Black speedo+headband=greatness.
hes a little…full of himself shall we say…
He didnt trademark the poses…you cant. However much like other liniages of Yoga he did make it so that you have to be certified bikram to teach a bikram class. He isnt the only one to ever do this. AND while i do not agree with bikram yogas militant style his “trademarking” isnt any differeny than most other lineages.
He actually did copyright & trademark his sequence of 26 asanas and has gone to court to try and enforce it. I just find it goes against the essence of yoga, which is why people have had issues with him.
He trademarked the sequence of poses and the dialogue his instructors use to explain them. His story is that he was badly injured and developed this series to heal himself and then taught it to others. He believes that it is not just the postures themselves but the order in which they are performed that is so beneficial.
So, other studios can teach in a hot room and teach the same asanas they just can’t do it in the same order using the same descriptions, i.e. “lock your knee: your leg should be like a lampost, like you don’t even have a knee.” I’ve taken probably 50 Bikram classes and only had one instructor who was militant but the devotees are…devoted!
My take on his “antics” is that he is playing the American game. He knows what our culture admires and respects and he caters to it, as much to communicate his message as to succeed.
ok he looks like jesus on the cross in that one pic of him posing… I can almost hear the chorus going “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh” lol
Is that dude wearig a diamond bracelet (watch, perhaps)?!
“Diva” is a good word for him, though I think it’s funny that he called Madonna and Britney out. However, I agree that you are supposed to be spiritually enlightened as a Yoga guru, aren’t you? 😉
Yeah this guy sounds like my hiking group leader, who is also indian and a devout yogi and spritualist… but he has the most massive ego and lest you disobey any of his strict hiking orders, you’ll hear it from him… I always say the same thing too “isn’t this guy supposed to be enlightened?”
ok these aren’t my words so don’t call me a racist but apparently my friend who is also indian says that that sort of hierarchical view is common amongst indian men? I dunno… all I know is that I get along really well most of the time with indians… including my hiking leader who loooooooooves me for some reason…
prolly cuz I have a big mouth? lol
yeah he has an ego and probably should be more enlightened than to stoop to this but he also has a point.
Maybe if celebrities stopped acting like they were better than the average joe, stopped taking their own private jets, stopped buying people and classes and entire cruises so they can be alone with their wonderful selves, they would lose their mysticism and people would start accepting them as part of the general public… *eyeroll*
I’m with this guy… take those idiots down a few notches!
Madonna “ruthless” who “blacklists people who disagree with her”? NOOOO. Shocking. Mad Vadge is a piece of shit, we don’t need a yoga guru to tell us that. Just look at how she treats her own family and exs.
. .[ hiking instructions? ]
I’ve found many spiritual guru’s quite full of themselves.
The names of poses and formality of practice lead to an air of superiority. Truly, are you more impressive because you can move into Urdhva Mukha Svanasana than if you flip the dog? Honestly – in Urdhva Mukha Upavista Konasana – you are still a dead Bug! What is there to be snobbish about?
Namaste
like him or hate him, bikram yoga is insanely effective, like ridiculously effective!
I know Bikram – Ive taken many of his classes because Ive done Bikram Yoga for 10 years and yes he is totally out there but hes also incredibly inspiring and has people in his classes in their 80s who have practiced for years with him.
Bikram Yoga is not about staring at a candle, saying ummm and having the most perfect body-it is hard and demanding practice but for me and many others it disciplines me spiritually,mentally and physically and that I carry over into my life.
Incidentally-there are many celebrities who ARE there,sweat pouring off them along with the rest of us in the room that is 100 degrees plus-why should Madonna etc be any different?
Finally-some of the best classes Ive ever taken have been when the room was very crowded because the energy of the whole class lifts you to literally a state of bliss(as strange as that sounds) so come on down!
Did anyone notice….there is a dead body in the middle of the room. LOL
hot yoga (“bikram yoga”, whatever) really is amazing. i love.
I think Bikram’s yoga is crap. How about get hot doing asanas instead? He made up this yoga instead of following the teachings of Krishnamacharya.
The yoga is great. Don’t talk about what you haven’t tried or can’t handle. So what if he has a big ego? I don’t give a hoot, I don’t even know the guy. I agree with what he says about the celebs he mentions, and that picture’s description is BS. He’s very likely using his arms for balance. No one is “wide-eyed”, they just got their eyes open.
Fools.
Lem & Fizxgirl, yes spiritual gurus are full of themselves because they are highly respected in India and held in reverence. I met one guru years back who was throwing fruits to people seated as a gift, and people were raising their hands to catch the fruits. I found the act of throwing food arrogant. This Bikram fellow is crazy. I did yoga in India for years and frankly the “Americanized” versions are pure bull. I cringe at how people do yoga – I have found VERY few places that teach you the real way of doing yoga.
I totally believe that Madonna treats people like crap. In one incident, she wanted to do yoga alone in a gym in NY so every single person had to leave the room so that her highness could be alone. Clearly mere mortals have to abide by the hag’s rules.
I take this opportunity to give a shout out to Gurmukh, I LOVE her Kundalini Yoga video, beautifully filmed on Persian rugs in Hawaii…Ordered it online, and I get all I need at home with very few props and egos. Bikram interests me, of course, but I know that I’d get kind of skeezed out on the sweat and smells…my own included. I know that’s not spiritually correct, but come on now, is there even such a thing? Hilarious someone mentioned the dead body in the middle of the room! I hadn’t noticed it! As for Madge being a beyotch, come on, she has to be. Could you even imagine what it must be like living in her world? Hell, the whole world to her is probably like a freaking Bikram yoga class. Gurmukh y’all. Sat N’am.
What are there so many devotees? And why are they so devoted? Simple. Because bikram yoga works! Try it sometime . . and leave your ego at the door.
Bikram yoga is AMAZING!! Just try it before you say anything bad about it.
I’ve been going for a while and honestly always crave the next class.
Just go! stop looking at the computer screen, look up a bikram studio near you, and go experience pure bliss!! (not the first time, mind you..but definitely by the 5th class..)
I enjoyed reading this article. I love Bikram yoga & I think the fact that Bikram does not do private lessons for celebrities is a good thing. I think people are more motivated & actually get more out of their workout if they practice in a group setting. I have also written a blog on Bikram yoga & plan to continue in the future 🙂
Good! Celebrities try to get special treatment all of the time so I’m glad he shows them and their egos the door when they act all diva-ish! And as for B.C. trademarking his yoga style, good for him! Americans are the biggest whores when it comes to stamping everything with their trademark! If the Indian dude didn’t do it, a white American would have! He designed that style, “hot yoga”, so it’s his.
This guy is a complete and utter narcissistic ASSHOLE! He’s sitting here reading Madonna? The only reason he’s reading her is because he’s projecting his own self upon her. Those who teach in glass yoga studios shouldn’t throw stones honey. Judging from the pic on top, I think this bitch should be taking classes from Madonna. Not the other way around.
The air usually stinks, is stale, possibly carrying airborn contagions; locking knees, little variety to poses, no vinyassa/flow, no heart center, little to no meditation, no music, neon lights, overcrowded, expensive; One teacher was militaristic against hydrating, wiping off sweat, and modifying. Not especially joyful or restorative. I do however feel nicely relaxed afterwards, as with other yogas. My stretch improved faster. It met my more addictive, competitive side. Does not require as much imagination or personal intention (as it is so structured). I intuit that locking could be dangerous and overstretching done in the unnatural heat caused me next day pains I’ve never had with other yogas.
@Judy, you missed the point entirely. You are not even close to understanding Bikram’s method, but it seems very adept on cultivating excuses and keeping your mind closed.
@ICYNDICY. whoa. that’s some hatred right there. take it easy, and you clearly have never even met the man, but like to read propaganda and formulate an incredibly emotionally-charged opinion. take it down a few notches, not just for those around you, but yourself.
It is terrible that he is standing on that girl’s back. Applying force in this manner is uncontrolled and is an injury waiting to happen for the student’s spine. This sort of loaded bending of the spine is very dangerous. Also, it is quite easy for him to fall off of her sweaty back. He is not a true teacher.
He is commercializing a wonderful practice.
He treats yoga like a commodity and feeds his ego from his students.