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Georgia was one of Bikram's first students when he arrived to Honolulu to teach in 1971. She received her official certification to teach in 1997. The greatest joy in her life is "seeing her student's happy smiling faces." Her deepest gratitude is to Bikram for never giving up on her. Georgia has been teaching at Bikram Yoga NYC since the studio opened in 1998.
Jude started practicing Hatha Yoga at the Unitarian Church in Cambridge, MA with John Loder in 1970. In 1976 she first taught Hatha Yoga at Harvard University, also teaching, performing, choreographing and directing Modern/Jazz/Blues/Gospel for Expansions Dance Company and Studio in the Boston area. She has a B.A. cum laude in psychology from Boston University and completed a graduate program in Dance Therapy from UCLA. Jude discovered Bikram Yoga at Kripalu and completed certification with Bikram in December 1999. She began teaching at Bikram Yoga NYC in January 2000, and managed the 8th Avenue Studio for about a year. Jude focuses on body alignment and the joy of finding clarity and inner peace.
Born and Raised in NYC Alissa succeed in the profession of real estate. Realizing it did not fill the void she started to practice yoga and attended teacher training Fall 2007 in Hawaii. She is grateful to be giving back the gift of life that she was so freely given by yoga and all of her teachers that came before her. She continues to pursue her love for music and be at service to her community.
Stephanie has practiced Bikram Yoga over a 17-year period having first met and trained with Bikram Choudhury himself while living in Los Angeles and working as a dancer, singer and actress. After a successful 20-plus years of performing on the Broadway stage, on television, and all over the world, Stephanie finally made the choice to follow her teacher, Mr. Choudhury's suggestion to become a Bikram Yoga instructor. She became certified in June of 2007. When she arrived at her teacher training Bikram replied, "What the hell took you so long?!"... She could not agree more!!
Janet loves teaching Bikram Yoga! Janet is a mime artist and yogini. She has created the "Yoga of Mime" which combines the two movement forms that she has been dedicated to. Yoga of Mime offers techniques for ultimate expression. She performs mime and movement theater in NYC with the American Mime Theatre and and is grateful to have had Marcel Marceau as mentor for mime and Bikram Choudbury as mentor for Yoga. She also owns and runs YourEventSite.com which is an event production company that designs and provides music, performances and decor for corporate events.
Namjin began her Bikram yoga practice at 8th Avenue studio in NYC. When she experienced the healing benefits of the yoga on her achy body caused by martial arts practices, she knew that she would dedicate rest of her life to the practice of Bikram yoga. Namjin graduated from the teacher training in the fall of 2005. Namjin was born in South Korea and holds BS in Computer Science from Polytechnic University.
Chrystine took her first Bikram Yoga class reluctantly as she didn't like hot weather, really didn't like humid hot weather, and wasn't very impressed with other yoga classes she had taken. But at the end of the first class she was hooked. "I recognized immediately that it was a terrific work out with specific health benefits that would be long lasting." As a typical very busy New Yorker, she started as a 'week-end warrior' and eventually made room in her schedule for at least four days a week to practice. Four years later she took the plunge into Bikram Yoga Training and she is "honored to be a part of the Bikram Yoga community." "Please join us! It's one of the nicest things you'll ever do for yourself!"
Graham moved from South Africa to the US in 1993 with an MSc in Math and began working in Information Technology as a systems analyst and programmer. He plays the piano, is considering taking up the guitar and likes good theatre, great books and new ideas. He is not too fond of jukebox musicals, Internet Explorer and eggplant. Before living in New York he lived in Minnesota for 10 years (amazing what you'll do for a green card) and while there thought he'd try Bikram Yoga to help train for what turned out to be his last marathon. It didn't take long to hang up the running shoes and roll out the mat. When he grows up he wants to be a therapist or a playwright or maybe a musician. He is thankful for his family, friends and teachers, especially Chase whom he misses very much.
Raised in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Kristen came to New York as a Barnard freshman in 2001. She began practicing in New York's Soho studio in 2002 and is grateful for the changes a regular yoga practice has brought into her life. She completed her Teacher Training in the Fall of 2004, and is happy to have the opportunity to teach and to learn from her students.
Bernadette discovered Bikram Yoga in NYC through a friend. She became a certified teacher in 2000 and enjoys teaching at the various Bikram Yoga NYC studios. Bernadette conducts a class in French every Sunday at the 72nd Street studio. During her time outside the studio, Bernadette teaches French classes.
Aimee Follette experienced an epiphany in her very first Bikram yoga class - this was the golden key to unlock the door that would heal her from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a devastating condition that affects victims of abuse. She knew immediately that she was stepping onto her path and would become a teacher to one-day help others overcome similar challenges and step into the role of a victor rather than a victim. "My practice provided me a safe space to peel away unyielding walls of protection and rediscover health, empowerment, physical and emotional strength, self-respect, gratitude, and my truly authentic happy smiling face." Just one year later, she traded in her rock-n-roll lifestyle and career in the music industry to commit full-time to both her health and sharing her passion for Bikram yoga. Aimee's primary goal as a yoga teacher is to help lead others towards self-empowerment with a sincere desire that everyone will find the strength to open their hearts and discover self-love and compassion.
Natalie became certified as a Bikram Instructor shortly after graduating from Scripps college in 2004. Despite an extensive history in ballet, the series proved to be very difficult immediately when she took her first class in 2000. Bikram has allowed for many transformations in Natalie, and she loves the opportunity to witness the transformations in students as well.
Suzanne Guyot, born and raised in San Jose, California, was certified as a Bikram yoga instructor in Spring 2006. Upon discovering Bikram yoga as a practice, she discovered that it sustained and developed further mental discipline and physical health while having a full time career in professional theatre. She teaches extensively in NYC and Brooklyn.
Lisa began practicing Bikram yoga in 2001 and found that a regular practice resulted in numerous physical and mental benefits. She took a break from the corporate world during the summer of 2004 to attend Bikram's teacher training in LA. Although she returned to the world of finance, she enjoys teaching a few classes a week and finds that doing both brings a sense of balance to her life.
Mishel was born in Ecuador but she grew up in NYC. She is trilingual and lives for travel and epicurean delights. During her time puttering around London post-graduation, she took her first Bikram class. Six months later, she traveled to Hawaii to train with Bikram and to become a certified teacher. Now back in NY, Mishel bifurcates her time between giving tours at the Rubin Museum of Art and exploring the multiple gradations of Bikram Yoga. As a student, she relishes in the numerous benefits she has received, while as a teacher, she loves to share her knowledge and passion of the practice with her students.
Carrie began her Bikram yoga practice in Houston, Texas at the age of 16 in hopes of improving her flexibility for dance. In the hot room she found greater flexibility of body and mind and also healing for her ballet-battered body. At the age of 18, Carrie hung up her pointe shoes and headed for Bikram's Teacher Training in LA. After teaching for a few months in Houston, Carrie moved to New York where she currently maintains a busy, happy lifestyle teaching yoga throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, studying the mind/body connection at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, and practicing Esoteric Healing and Reiki.
Saya was first introduced to Bikram Yoga in her home town in Greenwich, CT in 2001. She knew the yoga would be a part of her for the rest of her life from her first day in class. Saya completed her teacher training in the Spring of 2003 and has been teaching in numerous different studios since then. Saya also conducts a class in Japanese every Thursday night at the 8th Avenue studio.
Elitza started practicing yoga in 2000 in search of better health, less work-related stress and more fluid breath. She completed her teacher training with Bikram Choudhury in 2003 and has been teaching actively ever since in the US and Europe. Her classes are challenging and contain bits of wisdom from her continued studies. You may find yourself happy for no reason. After becoming a mom for the first time in 2005, Elitza has found immense joy in working with private prenatal clients. She had completed her prenatal teacher training under Carrie Parker and continues to study in the area of Childbirth education in the hopes of becoming a certified doula one day. She is grateful to all her teachers past and present, ancient and new to this world for giving her a chance to see beauty and harmony in every part of our wonderfully chaotic and ever changing lives. Life is Good. Practice Yoga. Live Better.
A native Japanese, Kyoko started her career as a gymnast then a dancer. She received an MA in dance from New York University and was introduced to Bikram Yoga in LA in 2003. Kyoko was immediately hooked and graduated from the teacher training program in the fall of 2005. Kyoko, along with her regular classes, also teaches classes in Japanese for Bikram Yoga NYC.
Lucy grew up in Sydney Australia where sports and fitness were always a part of her lifestyle. However, after her very first class of Bikram yoga in 2005, it was obvious no other excercise had presented such physical and mental challenge. Fascinated and curious, the Bikram bug had bitten and 18 months later, in Fall 2006, she was off to seek the source of her intrigue at Bikram's Teacher Training in LA. Lucy came to New York in 2000 with employment in the fashion industry, in which she is still involved. She is also studying a Bachelor of Business degree and finds teaching Bikram yoga, as well as maintaining her own practice, the perfect and necessary compliment to New York life and mind.
Amanda has been practicing yoga for 13 years. She got hooked on Bikram when she took Georgia's class in 1999, before Bikram NYC had opened. When Donna and Jen opened the doors of the 8th Avenue studio, then only one floor and a few devotees, Amanda became not only a regular but became the first workstudy student as a way to pay for her classes. In the fall of 2000, Amanda went to LA for training and has been teaching on and off ever since. She has taught classes nationwide but her favorite place come home to is the Bikram NYC studios. It has been quite a journey and has been so fun to watch as the studios continue to grow and change. And also to see how the students have evolved and changed! Thank you all for sharing your practices with us. When she is not practicing or teaching look for her on the stage or the screen!
Patrick Lynch is a native New Yorker who started practicing Bikram Yoga in July '03. Before he knew it (and not quite sure how it all came to pass) he found himself in Los Angeles in Teacher Training. Nine weeks later he was certified and began teaching in December '05. In addition to yoga-ing, Patrick is a professional opera singer and has also spent many years in the corporate sector with global management consulting firms. His proudest achievement to date though would be his family foundation established in memory of his brother Michael, a NYC Firefighter who sacrificed his life on 9/11. The foundation awards scholarships to deserving young adults beginning higher education. The Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation can be visited at www.mlynch.org.
Valerie discovered Bikram yoga when she was looking for relief from Rheumatoid Arthritis. She was immensely grateful to find a safe, compassionate place to heal her body and mind. She no longer has any symptoms of RA and is happier and healthier than she has ever been. She completed her teacher training in Fall 2005 and is honored to be able to share her belief in Bikram Yoga.
Eddie is a singer and dancer and has performed in numerous theatrical productions all over the U.S. as well abroad. A few years ago, while on tour with a show, he went to his first Bikram yoga class, and instantly fell in love with practice. Not long after that, he made the decision that he would become an instructor. He is a graduate of the Fall 2003 Bikram Yoga Teacher Training. Eddie is a native of Miami, Florida.
Originally from Southern Oregon, Terra moved to the east coast mid-2001 and realized the need to remain grounded as she frolicked through the city, thus she returned from a long hiatus to Bikram yoga. After accomplishing her goal to obtain a MLIS in Library and Information Science, and participating in the 2005 yoga championship, she found it was time to go to training. She gained her certificate in the fall of 2006 and enjoys furthering her practice as she is continuously inspired by the many yogis that bless her with their presence in her classes.
Health, nutrition, and exercise. She is proud to teach New Yorkers Bikram's Yoga, and supporting her clients around health and lifestyle. Being Miami Beach raised, she moved to New York for teaching experience, and has planted deeper roots than planned. Since discovering Bikram in 2000, she has maintained a daily practice and, in turn, has never felt so happy and healthy. In November 2005 Jessica began her studies in the field of nutrition and is practicing Holistic Health counseling in New York City. Visit her Web site at jessicamonty.com.
Krissy moved from sunny California to live out her dream of living in New York City. She has taught Bikram yoga in Thailand, Hong Kong, the Phillipines and Los Angeles since 2005. She loves guiding a mentally and physically challenging practice that empowers students to be the best that they can be -- on and off the yoga mat!
Nick, a native New Yorker, has been a practicing yogi for almost four years. He received his teacher certification in from the Bikram Yoga College of India in Spring 2005. He is very proud to be a part of Bikram NYC staff. He believes yoga's power to create what you want in your life though positive intention. When not teaching Nick can be found working his craft as an actor in film and on stage.
Maia Ruvolo began practicing Bikram Yoga in 2003 at the urging of a co-worker. It was love at first stretch and within two years she found herself at teacher training. She believes practicing Bikram Yoga can help improve every aspect of your life and enjoys being part of the Bikram Yoga NYC family.
Janet Saia has been teaching Bikram yoga since 2000. Upon completing her certification she toured with "The Phantom of the Opera" and taught Bikram Yoga nationwide. "For a stage performer Bikram yoga is a tremendous tool for opening the body," says Saia. Janet is committed to helping students realize their power to improve their health through this amazing practice.
John is a Broadway and off-Broadway singer and dancer who has been a certified Bikram yoga instructor since 2001. John has performed in New York in "A CHORUS LINE," "42nd STREET," "HELLO DOLLY!", "PAGEANT" and many other shows. John is currently in the cast of "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST." Most recently, John has accepted a performance job with "HAIRSPRAY" on the National Tour. As a Bikram Yoga instructor, John has appeared on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
Santiago Solis completed Bikram's teacher training in spring 02, recertified in summer 05. He as enjoyed guest teaching yoga in many locations in the U.S. and Europe., led yoga retreats in Costa Rica and Mexico, and has assisted studio Director Donna Rubin in posture clinics in New York City, his home base. He regularly works with private clients and small groups. He is a native of New Mexico, proud AEA and SAG member, and graduated with academic and athletic honors from Stanford University.
Karen was born in Rio de Janeiro, grew up in Greenwich,CT and now lives in Manhattan. She feels that taking on the discipline that is required to practice this series can be life transforming. "This practice has become a good friend and I appreciate it's consistency." She completed teacher training in fall 2006. She hopes to create a space where it feels safe to fall, get up, and try again.
Originally from San Diego, Jon is thrilled to be teaching at Bikram NYC. After a stage combat injury (herniated disk in his lumbar spine), Jon found himself in Bikram's Beginning Yoga class in search of healing. What he found was so much more and it has changed his life. Certified to teach in the summer of 2004, Jon hopes to share the gifts and the benefits of Bikram's Beginning Yoga to the New York City Community.
Fidela walked into the hot studio one day to de-stress from years of working in corporate America and found herself embarked on a new path. From that day onward she's never looked back, and is now enjoying a new career as a Bikram Yoga instructor, hoping to share with others the peace and happiness that Bikram Yoga has brought her.
Chris Totaro's friends seem to have an exceeding admiration for him when he tells of how hot it gets in the room. His stories keep them far, far away from the hot-box. Three of them recently moved to Alaska. Chris took his first Bikram class in February of 2003 with his friends, Jordan and Geoffrey. Immediately enthralled, he attempted to make it part of his life but it wasn't until three years later that he committed to accelerating his practice and to becoming an instructor. He completed the certification program in June of 2006 and has been loving every minute of it ever since. Payback, for him, is when he overhears students talking to each other after class about the amazing benefits that they've experienced.
Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Megan moved to New York in 2001 to study acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Along the way she found the wonderful practice of Bikram Yoga. Bikram offered her a way to stay in shape without torturing herself at a gym and cured her tendinitis, acne, back pain, helped her loose over 20 pounds and kept her sane after graduating college. After becoming a workstudy and then manager for Bikram Yoga NYC, she finally went to teacher training in the fall of 2007 in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. She considers herself honored and blessed to be teaching yoga and is for the first time in her life being paid to do something she truly loves.
Manya Williams first discovered Bikram Yoga in 1997 at Funky Door Yoga in San Francisco. Her demanding career and long hours as a feature film editor took her away from her regular yoga practice and years later in 2006 in search of relief from the stress of that same career she rediscovered Bikram Yoga in NYC. She has been hooked since and a year later took the leap and went to teacher training. She is continuously inspired by Bikram Yoga through teaching and practicing.
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