Mum who died on ‘hot yoga’ course was ‘left all alone’
She was abandoned in hospital, say family
‘She was basically abandoned’
A SCOTS fitness fanatic was ‘abandoned’ in hospital after she fell ill while training to become a ‘hot yoga’ instructor in Mexico.
Phyllis Main, 62, died last week after flying to the luxury Princess Mundo Imperial Hotel in Acapulco for a £13,000 nineweek Bikram yoga course.
The Glaswegian mother of two, who is thought to have had a clean bill of health before travelling, died on October 14.
It is unclear what caused the bank worker’s death but it is understood she was admitted to hospital with stomach pains.
Early reports suggest the cause of death was heart failure brought on by sepsis.
Hot yoga is practised in hot and humid conditions and is popular with celebrities and sport stars, including Sir Andy Murray.
It is thought disgraced yoga instructor Bikram Choudhury, who has faced accusations of rape, was present on the course. Critics have also accused him of running a ‘cult’ of sexual harassment.
Indian-born Choudhury, 75, has raked in an estimated £60million from his popular Bikram yoga brand, which sees students take part in intense 90-minute yoga sessions in 105F (41C) heat.
Family members are said to be ‘devastated and distraught’ and angry that no one from Choudhury’s
yoga course staff stayed with Mrs Main at the hospital, the Mail on Sunday reported.
The source said: ‘She was basically abandoned.’
However, a spokesman for Choudhury said his staff were unable to be at her hospital bedside due to Mexican privacy laws.
Mrs Main had updated friends on Facebook before setting off on her trip. She wrote: ‘Well that is my last class in Damn Hot. Acapulco tomorrow to become a Bikram yoga teacher. Love this yoga. If it’s not 90 mins it’s not Bikram yoga. Will miss you all.’
When she arrived she shared pictures of the Pacific. She wrote: ‘Acapulco is beautiful, only wish it had less humidity’. It is believed her 33-year-old son Ross travelled to Mexico to be by her side.
A fellow student at the Damn Hot yoga studio in Glasgow, where Mrs Main was a regular, said: ‘She was extremely good at yoga – one of the best in the class. She was very, very fit. It’s a shock.’
Choudhury has been engulfed in controversy in recent years, with several women accusing him of rape and sexual assault.
In 2016, his former lawyer Minakshi Jafa-Bodden was awarded £6.4million in a wrongful dismissal case. She was also given control of his 700 Bikram studios around the world and fleet of 43 cars, including 13 Rolls-Royces and three Ferraris. However, she says that she has yet to see a penny.
Miss Jafa-Bodden told the Scottish Mail on Sunday: ‘My heart goes out to Ms Main’s family. This is a tragedy, but one that I’ve been warning could happen for years. A jury found Bikram guilty of malice, oppression and fraud in my case, and yet he continues to teach unregulated classes around the world. He has no business running anything. His classes are unregulated and poorly run.
‘He runs his company like a cult. The man is a dangerous fraud.’
It is understood Bikram yoga intends to refund the £13,000 fee to Mrs Main’s family.
A spokesman said: ‘Bikram Choudhury is mortified by this tragedy and his thoughts and prayers go to Phyllis Main and her family. This is the first time any such instance has occurred in the 54 years he has been professionally training’
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: ‘Our staff have provided consular support to the family of a British woman who died in Mexico.’