( CNN ) To his legions of fans , Bikram Choudhury has an almost other-world quality . The yoga guru inspires as he promises to heal body and mind . But to his critics , Choudhury is something else . They say he manipulates and preys on the young and vulnerable . Now he faces six separate civil lawsuits from women accusing him of sexual assault or rape . `` The one common thread to all their complaints is the betrayal of trust , '' said attorney Mary Shea , who represents the women . `` It 's human nature . People are always looking for spiritual leaders . When you have traditional churches failing and people are looking for spiritual guidance , it is not surprising that people go to other arenas , '' Shea told CNN . `` He told them he is on the same level as Buddha and Jesus Christ . '' Choudhury is not facing any criminal charges and has denied any wrongdoing . In a lengthy , strongly-worded statement , the lawyers for Choudhury called the accusations `` lurid '' and said they were made to `` apparently to exploit the legal system for financial gain . '' `` The women did not independently come forward to tell their stories of sexual assault after years of keeping them secret , '' the statement said . `` Instead , they signed on to become plaintiffs in these cases following a world-wide and lengthy period of solicitation through letters and social media seeking to convince women to sue Mr . Choudhury . '' Choudhury is the founder of Bikram 's Yoga College of India . He 's featured prominently on its website , which details his system of performing 26 unique yoga poses while in a very hot room . The organization offers teacher trainings , which is where Choudhury allegedly met and groomed several victims . The latest lawsuit was filed this month by a woman identified as Jill Lawler . In the suit , she 's described as a bright , driven woman who fell in love with Bikram Yoga almost from her first class . She begged her parents to let her borrow money from her college fund to attend a grueling nine-week teacher training , which cost $ 10,000 at the time . She started the course in April 2010 . The alleged abuse started very soon after . According to the lawsuit , it began with the married Choudhury trying to put his hand inside Lawler 's pants , eventually escalating to rape , which continued for years . `` She was ashamed , and embarrassed . She did not think that anyone would believe her , and she was afraid that if Defendant Bikram Choudhury heard that she had told , that he would kick her out of training and she would have lost both the $ 10,000 from her college fund , and her ability to work as a yoga instructor in order to pay for college , '' the suit reads . It accuses Choudhury of rape at that training , and at a variety of other locations , including India , where he visited Lawler in 2013 . The suit says Lawler feared speaking out earlier because she needed her Bikram Yoga certification to support herself . She was also physically afraid of Choudhury . Choudhury 's lawyers said they have not yet been served with Lawler 's suit . `` Mr. Choudhury and the College have been successful in getting dismissed at an early stage multiple claims by several of the plaintiffs and awaiting decisions on other claims , '' they added . Shea told CNN the six cases wo n't be combined because each woman has a different story . The accounts share certain similarities -- something that Choudhury 's lawyers seized on as proof that the accusations were false . `` The stories told by plaintiffs in their lawsuits are near copies of one another ; they are all authored by the same lawyer who recruited them , '' their statement read . Larissa Anderson started practicing Bikram Yoga when she was 22 . According to her civil suit , she came to yoga from a history of sexual trauma and felt that it allowed her to reconnect and reclaim her body . Anderson went to Los Angeles in 2006 where , the suit says , Choudhury raped her at his home with his wife and children upstairs . `` Larissa was broken and traumatized . She felt sick to her stomach but too scared of Bikram to say anything . He was too powerful for her to go against , '' the lawsuit reads . It alleges she was assaulted again in 2011 . That time , Anderson refused Choudhury 's advances but , as a result , was retaliated against in her business , the suit says . `` There have been women , suffering in silence , who now feel that there is security in numbers , '' said Shea , adding that she would n't be surprised if more victims step forward . `` We are moving in the right direction . We are confident , and we believe in our clients , and I believe in the justice system , '' she said . `` Truth will prevail . '' CNN 's Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report .
Bikram Singh is not facing any criminal charges and has denied any involvement . He 's known for a style of meditation practiced in a very hot room .