Thousands bending over backwards for yoga star

He is an international star with a series of sellout dates across Britain. He has millions of fans worldwide, many willing to pay more than £250 for the privilege of seeing him perform.

Rock'n'roll star? Platinum-selling rap artist? No, he is a yoga teacher - and he is about to host what is said to be the biggest yoga camp ever held in Britain.

Swami Ramdev, whose talents include a famous tummy-rolling technique, is described as the world's leading exponent of pranayama yoga.

At the end of the month he will host a six-day yoga camp at Alexandra Palace, instructing up to 4,000 people at a time.

Georgie Wolfinden, founder of the wellbeing website glowgetter.co.uk, said: "It will be the biggest ever yoga event in the UK. It will be amazing."

In his native India, Swami Ramdev is described as a revered religious guru. He reaches millions worldwide via twice-daily shows on spiritual satellite channel Aastha.

However, he has attracted criticism. Riots broke out in Delhi last year after a Communist MP accused him of using ground-up human bones and animal parts in his popular herbal medicines. He hit back accusing MP Brinda Karat of being in league with drug companies who wanted to put his ayurvedic (ancient medicine) pharmacy out of business. He was also accused of claiming that yoga could cure Aids, but said he was quoted out of context, and only said that yoga and ayurveda could alleviate the symptoms.

Some of his techniques may seem unusual. Men are encouraged to rub their nails to prevent baldness, while elderly followers try to improve their memory by breathing through alternate nostrils. Pranayama yoga aims to achieve harmony between body and mind through exercise, breathing and meditation. Swami Ramdev said: "I offer a simple regime for a fit, healthy and purposeful life.

"The breathing exercises reduce stress, which encourages the release of good hormones. Most diseases are stress-related and if the root cause is removed, recovery follows."

A spokesman said: "Swami Ramdev is probably the most well known person in India, admired and followed by people from all walks of life, from politicians and Bollywood celebrities to housewives and rickshaw drivers.

Millions tune in daily to learn pranayama yoga, listen to his healthy living tips and watch him roll his stomach in an extraordinary manner."

London yoga teacher Pratibha Graham, who trained with Swami Ramdev in India, said: "The perception in the West is that yoga is merely about physical exercise. Pranayama yoga is for the mind and spirit as well."

Passes for the Alexandra Palace yoga camp range from £51 - officially a donation towards a future hospital project - to £251 for a place at the front and a chance to meet the guru. The event runs from 27 July to 1 August.