Bikram Choudhury, Founder and Principal

Bikram Choudhury began learning Hatha Yoga poses in his native India, at the age of three. At five, he began studying with Bishnu Ghosh (Paramahnsa Yogananda's brother) and quickly became a yoga champion. At age eleven, he was the youngest contestant ever to win the National India Yoga Competition, holding the title for three consecutive years until Bishnu Gosh, his guru, asked him to stop competing for the sake of the other participants. At 14, Swami Shivananda declared him "Yogi Raj" (King of the Yogis). Bikram went on to pursue an athletic career as a marathon runner and a champion weightlifter.

At age 20, a weightlifting accident severely crippled Bikram. With the guidance of his guru, Bikram created his 26 Posture Series (see right) that restored his health. Bikram soon established himself as a world expert teacher, opening schools throughout the East. In a United Nations sponsored research project at Tokyo University, Bikram helped doctors prove that yoga regenerates tissues and cures chronic ailments. Combining Eastern discipline with Western medicine, Bikram perfected his comprehensive system, which is suitable for all ages and levels of fitness.

Bikram arrived in the United States in 1973, at the invitation of President Nixon and the urging of Shirley Maclaine. He quickly became the foremost yoga teacher in the West, as celebrities, athletes, and others began to flock to him. Since that time, he has been healing thousands of students at his school in Beverly Hills and traveling the world extensively, bringing the benefits of Bikram's Yoga to millions of students worldwide.

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Bikram Yoga Practice

Bikram's yoga class is a demanding 26-pose (asana) series (see right). Every pose is meant to be performed in the given order, to the best of one's ability. A principle of the class is that one can learn to steadily make new demands of oneself, to work harder, deeper, yet calmer. Of equal importance is the principle that physical exertion and relaxation operate most effectively simultaneously. The control of breathing (Pranayama) and the centering of concentration accomplish this. As you advance, you apply yourself ever deeper into the pose, beyond the physical discipline, and into the mastery of self. By doing so, we reach the true meaning of hatha yoga. "Ha" - sun, "tha" - moon, "yoga" - union. A union; a meeting of body, mind, and spirit.

Bikram's 26 asana series was tailored for the Western individual and, specifically, the cultural problems related to job stress, overeating, bad posture, and aggressive lifestyles. Bikram scientifically formulated and demonstrated yoga's ability to regenerate tissue and cure chronic ailments. Thus, he became known as "The World's Most Knowledgeable Yoga Teacher". An exact technique with a series of fixed poses, this class will bring health and peace to anyone.

Yoga is not an enigma; it is a 5,000-year-old science. It is unrivaled as a means of improving body health and suppleness, of creating peace of mind and absence of stress. But there is no enormous promise of instant gratification. It does not magically change the world around you. The amount of effort you put into this science is returned to you. Then you begin to see, with patience and diligence, how you can, with peace, deal with this world and yourself in it.

Warning: Bikram yoga can be habit-forming and result in increased energy and uncontrollable smiling.

In order to be effective, yoga must be practiced daily, or on a regular basis with no long lapses of time between lessons. A minimum commitment of 10 lessons in 30 days is required if the student is to derive maximum benefit from this yoga program.

To see frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the practice of Bikram Yoga and the treatment of health conditions, click here.

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Testaments

As a preventive medicine, it's unequaled. I could have never lasted as long as I did in the NBA without it.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Professional Basketball Player and Bikram yoga student

Other Bikram Yoga students have included: Dan Marino, Al Leiter, John McEnroe, Taylor Knox, Shirley MacLaine, Candace Bergen, Martin Sheen, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, Ricardo Montalban, Raquel Welch, Charlie Sheen, David Carradine, Tatum O'Neal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jeff Bridges, Emillo Estevez, Barbra Streisand, Herb Albert, Olivia Newton-John, the Manly (Australia) Rugby Team, and others.

Yoga is the only exercise in the world you can do at any age. There is always some posture that will improve your health, mind, and soul.

If you practice yoga one-and-a-half hours a day, you will need only four hours of sleep at night, because you have built-up energy. Fifteen years of life are given back to you because of yoga. Isn't that marvelous?

No matter how old or sick or out-of-shape, you can still stretch and have a new beginning with yoga.

While it energizes 100% of the body, it strengthens and develops the mind as well.

The main difference between yoga and any other exercise is that it is the only kind of exercise you can do in any place, any position, any condition of health, and at any age.

Bikram Choudhury