A superstar in the world of Yoga, Bikram Choudury, visited Chicago for the first time Thursday. He will conduct a seminar and teach a class to paying participants at Soldier Field on Aug. 2.

Especially known for his Bikram Hot Yoga – a yoga class performed in a room that is 105 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 percent humidity – Bikram and his brand of yoga have drawn controversy. While others have tried, he has been the only person to successfully trademark and franchise a brand of yoga, to many yoga experts’ chagrin.

With more than 500 studios teaching his yoga worldwide and 6,000 trained instructors, Bikram should be able to own his 26-pose sequence and intellectual property, right?

Q: I understand that your Guru [Bishnu Ghosh] wanted you to take his teachings out West – which is what you’ve done. What was that like for you?

I left everything behind. My schools, my properties, my everything and just went to Japan [where he opened his first school West of India].

My guru took my hand and said, “Promise me something.” You won’t believe it – in English – he didn’t talk in English. He said,“Promise me something, you will complete my incomplete job.” In India we don’t say job, we say “work.” And I don’t know why he said that. And I said, “I promise I will.” But I forgot to ask him for how long.

Q: How is your yoga different from other people’s yoga?

A: It’s day and night. Other people’s yoga is based on an old-fashioned, 5,000-year-old system. When you do my yoga, you use your body in the right way, scientifically, organ by organ, piece by piece.

Every great yogi in India, including my guru, used to teach one-to-one. But I’m the first man to teach a group of people – half men and half women – some kids, some old, some with diabetes, some with cardiovascular problems. So I created a yoga antibody. In 26 postures, you take care of everything in your body. A problem you have, you fix it. A problem you don’t have, you activate the organ and keep it in perfect condition, like a brand new car.

Q: I hear your working with NASA – what are you helping them with?

I am working with NASA on research for bone density. I can cure osteoporosis [with my yoga]. President Bush has a project for NASA to go to Mars. [NASA research shows that Bikram’s yoga will maintain bone density in astronauts in space].

Q: How did you come up with the idea of doing your sequence of yoga in a hot room?

A: I was teaching in Tokyo in the '70s in a penthouse in a yoga school, and five people could come into the room only . And it’s so cold outside - minus 10, minus 15 like Chicago – so then one of the Americans brought a heater from home. And then three students brought them. In the heat, bodies become supple, flexible, and [heat] prevents injuries. When you’re hot, you sweat, and all the toxins come out.

Q: Why did you patent your yoga?

A: Can you drive in Illinois without a driver’s license? Can you practice law without passing the bar? Can you teach Bikram yoga if you are not trained and qualified by Bikram? Same thing. So there are a lot of people using my name, reading my books, reading my tips, taking my classes and teaching it. So I did it to protect myself. This is not walking and jogging – this is treating people with cancer, AIDS, spinal injuries, or not having a baby. I had a student who could not have a baby. She came to my classes for four months, and then she had a baby.