May 31, 2016

Wife of Bikram yoga guru ensures she's off the hook for his pending lawsuits - and gets to keep LA and Beverly Hills homes, Ferrari and Bentley

JENNIFER NEWTON
MAILONLINE
31 May 2016

The wife of the founder of Bikram yoga has ensured she will not be sued in any pending lawsuits and will keep their luxury homes and cars as part of their divorce settlement.

Rajashree Choudhury, 50, filed for legal separation, 31 years after she tied the knot with 69-year-old yoga master Bikram Choudhury.

It came after at least six women have accused the fitness guru of sexual assault with lawsuits pending against him.

Now it has emerged that after their divorce was finalised earlier this month, Mrs Choudhury will not pay for any of his alleged misdeeds.

According to TMZ, if she is sued over any of the allegations against him, as part of their settlement, he will have to pay any money she would owe.

The gossip site also added that Mrs Choudhury will keep the former couple's homes in Beverly Hill and Los Angeles as well as a Ferrari, Mercedes 550 and a Bentley.

The only property Choudhury got as part of the settlement was the home in Hawaii.

It was revealed last year that the couple were to split and in legal documents, she asked for spousal support and staked her claim in properties in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and Honolulu, among other assets.

The couple have two adult children together, a son and a daughter.

Meanwhile Choudhury strongly denied all accusations of sexually assaulting multiple students after the claims emerged.

He first spoke out about about the accusations in February, when he said women love him so much he wouldn't need to rape them to get sex.

'I never assaulted them,' he said as he spoke to CNN . 'The answer is I feel sorry for them... They're entranced by somebody - lawyers.'

As of April, Bikram Choudhury, who pioneered the practice of working out in a room heated to 105F, had his name attached to 720 yoga schools in 220 countries. Chelsea Clinton, Madonna and Demi Moore are among his followers.

Choudhury told CNN that his success means he would never need to assault anyone.

'Women likes me. Women loves me,' he said. 'So if I really wanted to involve the women, I don't have to assault the women.'

When asked how his wife of more than 30 years had responded to the accusations, Choudhury became emotional.

'My wife never look at me anymore,' he said.

'Twenty-four hours a day, I work harder than any human being in this Earth... and this is my reward? I'm a rapist? Shame [on] your Western culture.'

Since 2013, six women have stepped forward to accuse him of unwanted sexual advances, and studios have started to drop his name, signalling that his empire is crumbling.


FROM CALCUTTA TO CALIFORNIA: THE SUCCESS OF BIKRAM YOGA

Bikram yoga, named after and devised by Bikram Choudhury, is based on regular hatha yoga, but performed in 100F temperatures.

Fans claim that it not only leaves them stronger and more flexible than standard yoga, it also helps them shed weight fast.

Choudhury began practicing yoga in Calcutta at the age of three, spending up to six hours a day perfecting his poses.

At 13 he won the National India Yoga Championship and went on to devise the 26 'asanas' (poses) and two breathing methods that form the core of Bikram yoga.

He claims to have been invited to the United States in 1973 by now-former President Richard Nixon to help him improve his health through yoga.

He also claims to have taught yoga to Reagan and Clinton and has a legion of celebrity fans including Lady Gaga, Madonna, Jennifer Aniston and tennis champion Andy Murray.

Choudhury says Bikram works because the 100F heat loosens the muscles, helping them to go further than they would otherwise.

Yogis perform the series of poses, pushing their bodies to the limit, and are encouraged to drink vast quantities of water to replace that lost by sweat.

Teachers say that if it gets too much for students, they should lie on the floor or leave the room for lower temperatures.

Students, who carry a towel to mop up their sweat, are taught to watch out for danger signs including nausea, lightheadedness and dizziness.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3618159/Wife-Bikram-yoga-guru-ensures-s-hook-pending-lawsuits-gets-LA-Beverly-Hills-homes-Ferrari-Bentley.html

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