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Published on November 4, 2007

This means that True Fitness is now the only authorised licensee of Bikram's Yoga College of India in Thailand.

Bikram's "hot yoga" series of 26 postures is making its debut this month at True Fitness' new 9,000-square-metre centre near Zen at CentralWorld.

A press conference to announce the joint venture saw True Fitness CEO and founder Patrick Wee arrive with his beautiful wife, Choo Min Jung, the gym chain's presenter. Her face is familiar since she appears in advertisements for the health club at Skytrain stations.

It's been 42 years since Choudury, 61, designed the 26 postures - asanas - practised in a room heated to 40 degrees. For years, Bikram yoga has been popular with celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Julia Roberts, Jessica Simpson, Sharon Stone and Matthew McConaughey.

"I found that people have problems with their health, no matter how rich they are. Many live unhappy lives. Yoga is not a wonder pill, however. Yoga has changed my life as well as the lives of millions of people around the world," says Choudury.

To give the media a look at the hot yoga, True Fitness Bikram yoga teachers demonstrated the poses while Choudury explained the benefits of each.

"Bikram yoga enhances the mind and body, and allows relaxation, strengthening and healing. It's an exercise in multi-tasking, which pumps the mind, body and spirit via a 90-minute session.

"It benefits all internal organs by stimulating the heart to pump more oxygen around the body. With a scientific design, the practice suits every age and everyone," he said, "but it's useless to explain how good yoga is unless you have practised it. Attend the Bikram yoga class and it speaks for itself."

Tanaporn    Tangcharoenmankong, 

The Nation