Bikram Yoga

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 4, 2008) -

Editors Note: A photo and a video are included with this release.

Bikram is coming to town. If you don't know the name, chances are that someone close to you does.

Bikram Choudhury, the Indian-raised yogi who popularized hot yoga (known to devotees as Bikram yoga), is at the forefront of the North America yoga boom and will make a rare visit to Toronto on September 5 - 6 where he will be hosting seminars at the Westin Harbor Castle. (He will also be available for media interviews at select times).

The founder of the worldwide Yoga College of India, his network of Bikram yoga studios has spawned the fastest-growing form of yoga today, making him the most-watched yogi on the planet.

Today his studios - more commonly known as Bikram yoga or hot yoga - represent the fastest-growing form of yoga in North America.

Famous clientele of the Beverly Hills-based yogi to the stars include the likes of Quincy Jones, Madonna and tennis star Andy Murray.

Born in Calcutta in 1946, Bikram began yoga at the age of four with India's most-renowned physical culturist at that time, Bishnu Ghosh, the younger brother of Paramahansa Yogananda. Bikram is the undisputed All India Yoga Champion and today continues the competitions in North America. He came to the United States after treating Richard Nixon while the former president was on an overseas visit. Nixon was so pleased with his treatment, he gave Bikram an open invitation to come and live in the U.S. The rest is yoga history.

Today Bikram yoga is attributed to curing stress, blood diseases and regulating more common functions of the body. "Bikram yoga is designed to allow you to work your body and rest your mind," said to Dana Barton-Moore, a studio owner and driving force behind Bikram's Toronto trip. "The yoga works to strengthen your body both inside and out. It is a sequence of events that will literally change your life".

To view the photo of Bikram Choudhury, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20080904-BKR350.jpg

To view the video, "The Business of Bikram Yoga - Dana Barton-Moore", please visit the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ReRCV2-d_g