
There was a buzz of excitement last night as about 300 yoga students waited in a large white tent in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Hilton for the arrival of yoga teacher Bikram Choudhury. When the flamboyant teacher from Beverly Hills, dressed in a long, shiny black robe with embroidery down the back, entered through the front door and crossed the room, everyone in attendance rose to their feet applauding, hooting and hollering. The crowd went crazy again after the 63-year-old Bikram, standing on his podium that was probably eight feet off the ground, took off his robe revealing his taught, six-pack (he says ten-pack) body.
“Should I just cut the bul***it and get to the deep breathing,” he belted out through the microphone and then proceeded to lead what was probably the largest yoga class ever held in Las Vegas. The room wasn’t as hot and humid as it should have been—105 degrees and 50% humidity—but nobody seemed to care. The free class was a test run to get the kinks out of the newly erected tent that will be the home to Bikram’s teacher training October 4 – December 5, 2009, and an Advanced Seminar December 6 – 19, 2009.
When asked why he chose Las Vegas to do his teacher training, Bikram said, “It’s like an Indian marriage. Your father comes and tells you you're going to get married.” He didn’t say exactly who told him to come to Las Vegas, but chances are you should thank your local Bikram studio owners for his presence.