Bikram Choudury. Creator of Bikram Yoga.
Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury is the founder of the worldwide Yoga College of India. 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 (Author of the most popular book on Yoga, The Autobiography of a Yogi, and founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles).
Bikram practiced Yoga at least four to six hours every day at Ghosh's College of Physical Education in Calcutta. At the age of thirteen, he won the National India Yoga Championship. He was undefeated for the following three years and retired as the undisputed All-India National Yoga Champion.
At seventeen, an injury to his knee during a weight-lifting accident brought the prediction from leading European doctors that he would never walk again. Not accepting their pronouncement, he had himself carried back to Bishnu Ghosh's school, for he knew that if anyone could help to heal his knee, it was his teacher. Six months later, his knee had totally recovered. Ghosh was a celebrated physical culturist and the first to scientifically document Yoga's ability to cure chronic physical ailments and heal the body.
Bikram was asked by Ghosh to start several Yoga schools in India. The schools were so successful that at Bishnu's request Bikram traveled to Japan and opened two more. He has since brought his curative methods of Yoga therapy around the world.
To learn more about Bikram and Bikram Yoga visit: Bikram's Yoga College of India
OFFICIAL RAJASHREE CHOUDHURY BIOGRAPHY:
Rajashree Choudhury
Born in Kolkata, India in 1965, Rajashree Choudhury started her yoga training at the urging of her parents at age four. She was a five-time winner of the All-India Yoga Championship from 1979 to 1983. After studying at Mahila Yoga Byam Kendra, Gosh's College of Physical Education and Yoga Training Institute, she received her Certification in Hatha Yoga Therapy for chronic diseases and disorders.
With over 15 years in the East and 25 years in the West, Rajashree’s special focus has been on the emotional side of yoga and how yoga balances the energy of the human body and impacts not only disease, but also affects the body/mind/soul connection which constitutes vibrant health.
She also helped her husband create the highly successful Teacher Training program after more than ten years of teaching yoga in the United States. She conducts seminars on yoga and personal development worldwide. She also teaches her highly-acclaimed Pregnancy Yoga Classes.
Rajashree has appeared on many national television programs in the United States and abroad doing seminars worldwide promoting the countless benefits of yoga. Among her many pet projects are Karma Is Action (Formerly KarmaforKids), a yoga-based fundraiser devoted to alleviating the suffering of children with life-threatening illnesses and to cleaning up environmental causes which may lead to these diseases, and the annual International Yoga Asana Championships, now in its seventh year. In conjunction with the championships she has founded the USA Yoga Federation, a non-profit organization formed to facilitate her goal of yoga ultimately being accepted as an Olympic Sport. Most recently her mission is to help women in crisis of all ages and nationalities. She has created Labanya Foundation: a World Wide Women’s Welfare charity organization.
If you have a specific question for Rajashree, please contact her by email.