Yoga guru threatens to sue

His movements will be familiar to many who have wrestled with a yoga class.

Trying to balance on one leg in the Tree position, breaking your back in the Cobra or relaxing in Rabbit pose are all part and parcel of the meditative cult.

But lifestyle guru Bikram Choudhury is threatening to sue for £800,000 anyone who teaches his trademarked postures.

The 58-year-old millionaire, who counts Madonna among his followers, has copyrighted 26 poses and two breathing exercises that make up the Bikram - or sweaty - yoga fad performed in rooms heated to 42°C.

Anyone teaching Bikram who has not attended a £2,700 training course and paid a franchised studio fee can expect a lawsuit. 'I have balls like atom bombs, two of them, 100 megatons each. Nobody f***s with me,' Bikram warned in one interview.

But yoga teachers are fighting back. A lawsuit has been filed against Bikram, claiming yoga is an ancient tradition that cannot be owned.

Copyright lawyer Elizabeth Rader said: 'You can't treat poses as private property. People are trying to teach yoga but are not sure what is going to get them sued.'