Yoga’s Populous Rise Has Bikram’s Eyeing Franchising
Earlier this year Bikram Choudhury, founder of Bikram’s Yoga College of India, held a seminar on yoga philosophy and practice in San Diego that attracted hundreds and highlighted the continuing popularity of the well-known yoga brand. The exposure once again sparked talk of a franchise launch for Bikram Yoga.
The Los Angeles-based business already operates on a scale similar to many franchise companies. Started in the United States in 1973, Bikram Yoga has more than 1,700 schools, 5,000 certified teachers worldwide and 500 yoga centers with affiliation agreements. The validity of the concept has been spearheaded by founder Choudhury, who first came to the United States on an invitation from President Richard Nixon and then became the de facto yoga guru to the stars. A three-time winner of the All India National Yoga Championships in his youth, Choudhury has taught world leaders, sports figures and celebrities, including Indira Gandhi, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John McEnroe, Serena Williams, Quincy Jones and Raquel Welch.
Bikram Yoga, also known as “hot yoga” because of the temperature and humidity of the room it is performed in, is a specific sequence of poses and breathing exercises that integrate body, mind and spirit, and purport to help relieve a variety of afflictions – from stress, insomnia, arthritis and back pain to more serious chronic diseases. More.
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October 13th, 2008
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October 18th, 2008
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