Bikram Choudhury

Bikram Choudhury (born February 10, 1946) is a multi-millionaire Indian yoga guru and the founder of Bikram Yoga, a form of hot yoga performed in a series of 26 hatha yoga postures done in a hot (105 degrees Fahrenheit or greater) environment. Choudhury is a student of Bishnu Ghosh (brother of Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi). The Bishnu Ghosh guru lineage has focused on translating Eastern philosophies and practices into a language that is more closely attuned to the West mindset than can be found within their original traditional Indian contexts.

Biography

Born in Calcutta, India, Bikram Choudhury began learning Hatha Yoga poses at the age of three. At five, he began studying with Bishnu Ghosh (Paramahansa Yogananda’s brother) and won the National India Yoga Championship four consecutive years in his teens.

With the guidance of his guru, Bikram created his 26 posture series which he claims restored his health.

At 14, Swami Shivananda declared him "Yogi Raj" (King of the Yogis). At age 20, a weightlifting accident crippled Bikram. Although he was told he would never be able to walk again, with the help of Ghosh, he claims to have fully recovered within 6 months. As an adult he opened yoga schools in India and Japan, and in 1972 he opened his first U.S. school in San......
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