Tag: Bikram Choudhury

On a sun-soaked stage with San Francisco’s Embarcadero behind them, the contestants battled fiercely, bodies glistening with sweat. All was in the details. How was their posture, their proportion? Were they graceful? How did they execute their compulsories? How difficult were their optional big-finishes? Each went through the routine—men in swimsuits, women in spandex shorts and tank tops—as the audience, mute as a golf gallery, gasped and “ahhhed.” Standing Bow. Floor Bow. Rabbit. The Paschimottanasana Stretching Pose, which is said to be much harder than it looks, really. Liz Patnode, 34, trembled and winced as she balanced on one leg,

BBC, July 26, 2003 http://news.bbc.co.uk By Barnie Choudhury, BBC social affairs correspondent Here is a small fact to bore the guests at your next dinner party. Did you know that there is a small part of Surrey called Islamabad? It is in Tilford and is owned by a little known Muslim group called the Ahmadiyyas. They may call themselves Muslims but they are ostracised by mainstream Islam for being impostors. This difference goes beyond mere name-calling. According to the human rights group Amnesty International, Ahmadiyyas are being persecuted and killed. Sharif Ahmed Abro, a thirty-five-year old from Pakistan, says he

Bikram Choudhury demonstrates that an ancient practice intended to draw its practitioners closer to God can also be a fast track to wealth, The Sun’s Harvey Enchin writes… Vancouver Sun (Canada), Sep. 14, 2002 http://canada.com/ The ancient Indian practice of

Washington Post, Aug. 27, 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64895-2002Aug26.html By Peter Carlson How much scandal can America take before its poor battered heart just breaks in two? There are the money scandals in Big Business. And the sex scandals in Big Religion. And now we learn about money and sex scandals in, of all places . . . oh, say it ain’t so, Joe . . . Big Yoga! Shocking but true: The folks at Business 2.0 magazine have discovered greed, lust and egomania among the swamis and gurus of the stretching and breathing set. And the magazine has revealed all the sordid

The Scotsman (Scotland), July 25, 2002 http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/s2.cfm?id=799322002 Louisa Pearson How does the thought of going through 26 yoga postures in rapid succession in a room heated to 105°F strike you? Dizzying? Madness? Or does it sound like the road to enlightenment? Hot yoga, the creation of Bikram Choudhury, is the latest lifestyle choice to hit the headlines. But can the usual line-up of celebrity endorsers – this time Helen Hunt and Raquel Welch – and claims that range from improved health to increased tolerance levels convince us to jump on the bandwagon? Frances Corr of the Scottish Yoga Teachers’ Association