Bikram Yoga's Embattled Founder: The Alleged Rapes and Sexual Harassment Claims Against Guru Bikram Choudhury

The Disturbing Truth About Bikram Yoga's Founder
Bikram Choudhury, front, founder of the Yoga College of India and creator and producer of Yoga Expo 2003, leads what organizers hope will be the world's largest yoga class at the Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003. Organizers were expecting some 2,000 participants, to qualify for a Guinness world record. The exact number of participants was not immediately available. The Expo and competition continues through Sunday. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Bikram Choudhury, front, founder of the Yoga College of India and creator and producer of Yoga Expo 2003, leads what organizers hope will be the world's largest yoga class at the Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003. Organizers were expecting some 2,000 participants, to qualify for a Guinness world record. The exact number of participants was not immediately available. The Expo and competition continues through Sunday. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Bikram Choudhury’s eponymous brand of hot yoga has drawn thousands of fans. But in just the last year, writes Vanity Fair contributor Benjamin Wallace in the January issue, five women have filed lawsuits against Choudhury, with charges ranging from rape to sexual harassment.

Most of the plaintiffs tell similar stories. Choudhury allegedly singled out a naïve young woman for attention, groomed her with talk of her cosmic specialness, made progressively more sexual overtures, and responded to rejection with angry threats:

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot