You probably remember the Speedo. Maybe you remember the 105-degree rooms, the smell of old sweat on carpet, or the way celebrities like Madonna and George Harrison basically acted as walking billboards for the brand. But for a lot of people, the name Bikram Choudhury doesn’t trigger thoughts of health anymore. It triggers a visceral sense of betrayal.
The story of the bikram yogi guru predator is one of those rare cases where a global empire didn't just crumble; it vanished into a cloud of lawsuits and a midnight flight to avoid the law.
Honestly, it’s wild to look back at how much power this one man held over the wellness world. He didn't just teach yoga. He claimed he could cure cancer. He said he saved Richard Nixon’s leg from amputation. He convinced thousands of people to pay $10,000 for nine-week teacher trainings where they were pushed to their physical and mental breaking points.
But behind the "guru" facade was a pattern of behavior that was much darker than anyone in the inner circle wanted to admit.
The Cult of the 26 Poses
Bikram Yoga wasn't just a workout. It was a lifestyle, and for many, a total obsession. The sequence is rigid: 26 postures and two breathing exercises, always done in the same order, always in a room heated to precisely 105 degrees.
The logic? "You have to be a piece of iron to be forged."
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Choudhury sat on a velvet throne at the front of the room, usually under a dedicated air conditioning vent that only blew on him while his students sweltered. He’d shout insults. He’d call women "bitch" or mock people for being overweight. People took it because they thought it was "tough love." They thought it was the price of enlightenment.
But then the stories started leaking out.
How the Predator Operated
The term bikram yogi guru predator isn't just a catchy headline from a Netflix documentary; it’s a legal reality that played out in California courts. The grooming process was specific. It usually happened during those high-intensity teacher trainings.
Imagine you’re exhausted. You’ve been doing intense yoga for hours in extreme heat. You’re sleep-deprived because the sessions go late into the night. Then, the guru "invites" you to his suite to watch Bollywood movies.
- Sarah Baughn, a champion yoga practitioner, was one of the first to break the silence. She described a "cult-like" atmosphere where refusal wasn't an option without losing your career.
- Jill Lawler testified about being raped while Choudhury’s wife and children were in the same house.
- Minakshi "Micki" Jafa-Bodden, his own head of legal affairs, eventually sued him for wrongful termination and sexual harassment.
Jafa-Bodden’s case was the turning point. She wasn't just a student; she was an insider who saw the "man behind the curtain." When she tried to investigate the mounting rape allegations from students, Choudhury fired her.
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In 2016, a jury heard the evidence. They didn't just find him liable—they were disgusted. They awarded her nearly $7 million in damages.
The Great Escape and the 2026 Reality
What’s truly insane is that Bikram Choudhury never paid a cent.
Instead of facing the music, he fled. He moved his fleet of luxury cars—we’re talking Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, the whole nine yards—out of California in the middle of the night. A warrant was issued for his arrest in 2017, but by then, he was gone.
So, where is he now?
As of early 2026, he’s still teaching. That’s the part people find hardest to swallow. Because there are no extradition treaties that have pulled him back for these civil judgments, he has spent the last decade running "legacy" trainings in Mexico, Spain, and India.
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He’s still wearing the Speedo. He’s still yelling at students. And surprisingly, some people are still going.
The yoga world has mostly moved on by rebranding. If you go to a "Hot 26" or "Original Hot Yoga" class today, you are doing Bikram’s sequence, but the studio has likely scrubbed his name from the windows. It was a mass exodus of branding to save the business from the man.
Why This Still Matters for Your Practice
We like to think that wellness is a "safe space." The reality is that extreme power dynamics in any environment—whether it's a corporate boardroom or a yoga studio—can lead to abuse.
The bikram yogi guru predator saga changed how the yoga industry handles ethics. It forced a conversation about "adjustments" (when a teacher touches a student), the idolization of teachers, and the importance of professional boundaries.
If you’re practicing hot yoga today, you should know that the benefits of the 26 poses don't belong to a predator. They belong to the tradition of Hatha yoga. You don't need a "guru" to get the benefits of the heat.
How to Protect Yourself in Wellness Spaces
If you’re looking for a new studio or a teacher training, here’s how to vet the environment so you don’t end up in a toxic situation:
- Check for an Ethics Policy: Reputable studios now often have a written code of conduct regarding physical touch and student-teacher relationships.
- Watch the Power Dynamic: If the teacher is treated like a deity who cannot be questioned, run. Real teachers encourage questions and autonomy.
- Trust Your Gut on "Exclusivity": If a program requires you to isolate from your family or spend 18 hours a day in a controlled environment, it’s a red flag for grooming.
- Verify the History: Many "Hot Yoga" studios are former Bikram franchises. It’s worth asking the owners how they’ve distanced themselves from the original organization.
The "Bikram" brand is essentially dead, but the lessons from its collapse are still being learned. You can love the sweat without loving the man who built the sauna.