A yoga guru is facing legal action by six women who accuse him of rape and other sex attacks.

The most recent case, filed on February 13 in Los Angeles Superior Court, said Bikram Choudhury raped a Canadian woman who paid £6,500 from her college fund for a nine-week class so she could teach the 26-pose technique to others.

Jill Lawler said she went into the class elated to learn from the master, but things quickly soured as she was expected to massage him while watching Bollywood movies late into the night with hundreds of other students and was sexually assaulted on several occasions.

"Throughout the sexual abuse, defendant Bikram Choudhury offered multiple explanations and justifications for his behaviour," the lawsuit said. "He would say, 'I'm dying, I need to you to save me. If I don't have sex I will die. You are saving my life, you are helping me'."

Mr Choudhury did not return an email seeking comment but lawyers representing him and Bikram's Yoga College of India said he never assaulted any of the women and prosecutors declined to bring charges.

"Their claims are false, needlessly bring shame upon the yoga community, and dishonour the health and spiritual benefits that Bikram Yoga has brought to the lives of millions of practitioners throughout the world," their statement said.

Choudhury, 69, has throngs of devotees of what he has called McYoga for its consistency - 90-minute classes taught exactly the same way in rooms heated to 105 degrees.