When BIKRAM Tried to Copyright Hot Yoga
Hi Everyone,
Not long after I left, Bikram made a decision that changed everything for teachers all over the world.
He wanted control over who was allowed to teach Hot Yoga at all. His position was that without his permission, you could not teach his sequence, or anything he considered a derivative of it, no matter your training or experience. I saw it differently. I believed this practice belonged to everyone who dedicated themselves to it, not to one man's permission. Part 5 of my personal story picks up here, at the moment that disagreement turned into something much bigger than either of us expected.
I will not give away all the details here, but I can tell you it involved threats, a lawsuit, and a fight that ended up shaping the future of Hot Yoga for everyone who teaches it today, myself included. I am still a little amazed when I think back on how it all played out.
Watch the full video to see how it unfolded, and let me know what surprises you most.
In Spirit,
Jimmy