Bikram was a master promoter: he regularly told the entertaining (and dubious) story of saving Richard Nixon from having his leg amputated and claimed to be a world champion of (non-existent) Indian yogic competitions. He built a fortune by branding studios with his name. To operate a Bikram studio, you had to complete one of his multi-day teacher training courses. Held at hotels around the country, the course cost as much as $10,000 and provided Bikram with his hunting grounds.