Benjamin Lorr is training to compete in the International Yoga Asana Championships. From interviewing key players, working with top sports doctors, and perfecting his own yoga practice, he will provide the first insider look at the world of Bikram yoga.



KILL YOURSELF FOR 90 MINUTES:
Obsession, Depression, Pain, Rage and the Search for Something
like Transcendence in Bikram Yoga
St. Martin’s Press, Fall 2011
Genre: Popular Culture

Bikram yoga is like no other physical discipline in that it is practiced by millions worldwide but is still the subject of incredible controversy among skeptics and practitioners alike. Tales abound of the miraculous health benefits—as well as the devastating injuries and disturbing side effects—that come from pushing your limits in brutal heat up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40°C).

The guru of this singular subculture, Bikram Choudhury, is himself a lightning rod for controversy. Compared to everyone from the Dalai Lama to P.T. Barnum, this is a man undeniably responsible for transforming and enriching countless lives. This is also a man criticized for patenting ancient yoga postures, lobbying to make yoga an Olympic sport, and allegedly mythologizing his life story with seemingly impossible feats such as not sleeping for 46 years.