“A day of legal reckoning is drawing closer” for “hot yoga” profiteer Bikram Choudhury, reports the New York Times.
The self-styled guru faces no fewer than six civil lawsuits from women who accuse him of rape or assault.
The most recent was filed on Feb. 13 by a Canadian yogi, Jill Lawler, who said she was raped by Mr. Choudhury during a teacher-training in the spring of 2010. This month, a Los Angeles judge cleared away several challenges to a lawsuit from a former student who said Mr. Choudhury raped her during another 2010 teacher-training. The first complaint was filed two years ago. As more surfaced, and more women spoke publicly about accusations of assault and harassment, their accounts have created fissures in the close-knit world of yoga students and teachers who have spent thousands of dollars to study with Mr. Choudhury; opened studios bearing his name; and found strength, flexibility and health in his formula of 26 yoga postures in a sweltering room.
Schism Emerges in Bikram Yoga Empire Amid Claims of Rape and Assault [nytimes.com]
Previously on Boing Boing:
• New twist in Bikram Yoga copyright feuds
• Bikram “Yoga” Choudhury accused of rape, sexual harassment
• Bikram Choudhury, yoga’s biggest asshole, squares off for a copyright showdown
• Open Source Yoga advocates fight “Atom Bomb Balls” Bikram