![]() ![]() Only after getting further into the story did I realize how Bikram purposely fostered a cult’ish following as well. After the first episode, I noticed a similarity in structure and narrative to Stitcher’s Heaven’s Gate podcast. The podcast itself carefully crafts and blends the narrative through historical audio footage of Choudhury and some of his early followers, interviews with some of the most prominent yoga fans, and balanced interviews with several of the survivors and their supporters. Henderson tells Refinery29, “There were layers and bigger picture issues of identity and fallen heroes, narcissism, and cultish personalities.” Through Henderson’s reporting and interviews, she’s able to empathize with the yoga fans who almost sound like ex-cult members, while sympathizing with the victims of Bikram himself. The whole season was reported and produced by Julia Lowrie Henderson, who previously was a devout fan of Bikram yoga and managed a Bikram-style yoga studio in New York City. Choudhury has fled the US and shied away from the press since. The podcast - reported on for over a year and a half - hits especially hard during the #MeToo movement. In 2015, six women came forward with allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and rape. Unfortunately, over the past 18 months we’ve learned that sometimes success and power can be intoxicating and lead to heartbreak. Through his teaching and evangelical followers, Bikram yoga exploded throughout the US and Choudhury’s fame and wealth soared along with it. This specific brand of yoga was popularized by Bikram Choudhury, an Indian-born yogi who, at least on paper, has an impressive resume. I’ve never done the exercise myself - since being in close proximity with others as we’re all sweating profusely is my version of hell - but from those that have done Bikram yoga, I’ve learned it’s a grueling as it sounds. If you’re unfamiliar with the workout, it’s a specific yoga routine performed over 90 minutes typically in over 100 degree temperature. Without giving too much of the core story away, this season of 30 for 30 covers the origins of the once highly-popular fitness routine, Bikram yoga. Just asking unanswerable questions here before I gush over the production of the podcast. I also question if listeners interested in the tumultuous story of Bikram would have found it under the ESPN umbrella. I do wonder if other traditional 30 for 30 fans would prefer the original format covering interesting stories confined in the wide world of sports. I mention this simply because it’s my only issue with this podcast season. While previous 30 for 30 Podcasts episodes chronicled “core” sports around baseball, hockey, basketball, and even tangential sports like the UFC and professional poker, yoga likely isn’t a topic many would consider a “sports podcast” to cover. They hadn’t even run a two-part podcast to date. For starters, in the podcasts previous two seasons, each episode was a standalone story. The format change is noticeable for a couple reasons. In a curious departure from a working formula, ESPN’s 30 for 30 Podcasts kicked off their third season with a 5-part serialized story about the sinister origins and founder of the popular Bikram yoga.
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