Bikram specialists compete for US title

One of the few competitive events of the yoga world, the annual Bikram yoga championships, takes place in Los Angeles, USA, this weekend.

Regional participants compete for the US title and an international round will be held on the final day.

Hosted by the Bikram Yoga College of India, the Bishnu Charan Ghosh Cup was first held in 2003.

It was billed as "an opportunity to unite those who practice various forms of yoga, while elevating awareness of yoga and its benefits to the US."

In practice, however, the event - and others like it in the Bikram world - courted more than its fair share of cricitism for elevating yoga to a competitive level.

Bikram Coundhury, the feisty, controversial figure behind Bikram yoga, developed his own series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises, practised in a room heated to 105 degrees.

The style now claims to be the fastest growing yoga school in the world, with over 700 studios worldwide. It has also taken hold in the UK - there are seven London studios as well as centres in Brighton and Leicester.