Instructors

All of the instructors here at BYUV are certified in their particular genre of yoga, Pilates, Barre, etc.

All of the Bikram teachers are required to take a 9 week immersion of 2 yoga classes per day, posture clinics, anatomy and subtle body systems course work and philosophical teachings of yogic principles.

Your experienced teachers will guide you through precise teaching techniques and will be there to coach you safely through the exercises.

To qualify to become a Bikram teacher, one must have completed 6 months of continuous yoga practice and be recommended by a studio owner before taking the teacher training course.

Click here for the Teacher Training Curriculum.

Click here for a detailed list of classes and instructors.

 

Billy

My Bikram yoga journey started July 4th 2011 by the recommendation of my doctor. I had been a finish carpenter for many years because as a starving musician you must have other trades. The construction world was hard on my spine and I ended up with a cracked and bulging disc. I received cortisone shots into my spine to alleviate the pain, but no relief was found. The doctor suggested I try Bikram yoga because not only did he practice, but his patients that tried it had great results with it as well. I instantly fell in love with the practice and did yoga 3-4 times a week. I then got an opportunity to use my music skills and tour Europe again in 2012, which lead to an extensive touring schedule into 18 different countries, big festivals and huge crowds. I thought I was living the life. I wasn’t able to practice while I was gone and every time I returned I would be back on my meds or in the hospital, not living the life. The more I did Bikram yoga the quicker I would recover. I finished my obligations for touring and decided I would focus on my health and complete a 30-day challenge. By the end of the challenge I felt amazing and my body started changing. My back felt strong. I still had slight pain, but nothing like what I was experiencing. So I decided to keep going and see how far I could go practicing every single day. If I could make it to 80 days I figured I could possibly make it through teacher training. I went 96 classes and I was hooked. I wanted to be a teacher of this wonderful yoga for many reasons. One main reason was to show others you don’t have to be a skinny ultra fit person to do this yoga. All you have to do is come to class work hard, have dedication to your practice, and feel the benefits. This yoga is for everyone. Its changed my life in many ways and it will change yours. My mind is clearer, my Crohn’s symptoms are gone, my back is stronger and I look at more ways to self improve my life for myself and those around me. The journey is never done. In 2014 I was also certified in Tibetan Healing Bowls  and look forward to continuing my education in the holistic healing lifestyle. This yoga for me is about being kind to yourself and others, compassion, will power, determination, and the ability to look in the mirror for 90 minutes and do your best on that day. Remember you’re human. We all are.

Chelsea

SSA certified personal trainer IIN Health Counselor Hatha Yoga Certified yoga alliance 200 ERYT Yoga Korunta Level 2 certified Pool Yoga Certified Aquatic Aerobics and Master Swimmer Bootybarre plus and Flex and Flow Certified Laughing Yoga Certified Reconnective Healer The Reconnection Rising Star Healer Certified under the Association of Drugless Practitioners Kannaway Distributor Kangen water and Athena Distributor.

I have been in the Health and Wellness industry for 20 years. I have a passion for teaching and I have enjoyed teaching at gyms, studios, schools, recreational facilities and privately. A little over a year ago, a friend turned me on to the Bootybarre craze. I had never taken a class, but still signed up and did the weekend teacher training. I was so sore in all the right areas the first day, that I knew this was a great addition to my certifications. Since then, I have taught hundreds of classes all over the valley. I love Bootybarre and I think you will too!

Leesann

My interest in yoga began in the India Studies Department at Sonoma State University while earning my dual-degree in Dance and Theater. During this time, after reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda, I was moved to begin practicing yoga to enhance and deepen my dance and theater training. I began practicing Bikram Yoga in 2009. The practice has profoundly changed my life. I am in better physical condition now than I was was when I first practiced yoga as a young woman in college. The regenerative aspects of this practice are extraordinary. As my health dramatically improved and new levels of flexibility were attained, I decided that I wanted to become a Bikram Yoga teacher, so that I could help others to reconnect to health and well-being. I graduated from Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in the Spring of 2011. Personal experience has revealed to me that as one grows in dedication to this practice, there is an opportunity for a powerful regeneration in body, mind, and spirit; as the yoga increases flexibility and strength, renews all the body’s systems, and balances and tunes all mental and emotional functions. As a teacher, my inspiration lies in fascilitating  similar transformations in others, in response to each individual’s needs. It is an honor and a privilege to serve this awakening and enlivenment in others. Namaste, Leesann

Melanie

I moved to Palm Springs from Beaverton Oregon in August of 2009. I had all the major life changes in the span of 2 years – I got married, becoming an instant full-time mom to a troubled 9 year old. I lost two girlfriends to cancer, left my career and the state I lived in . . . my whole support system was 1,070 miles away. I felt alone and isolated. My thinking became rigid and not long after my body followed. I suffered from chronic back and knee pain and a shin that kept rotating out of place. It was obvious to me I needed to change my thinking. I laid in my hammock and repeated to myself BE FLEXIBLE, BE FLEXIBLE, BE FLEXIBLE.

All of a sudden the thought came . . . “ I need yoga”. I have always opted for more strenuous (or so I thought) forms of physical exercise so yoga was never my thing.

I googled “Yoga” and was delivered to my very first Bikram yoga class. I have been practicing Bikram yoga for a little over a year and a half and all aspects of my being have changed. My mind and body heal with each and every class. In my first 10 months at BYUV I completed 320 classes.

I have always been drawn to healing beginning as a Medic in the Army Reserves, managing a Wellness Center in Oregon and practicing as a Hypnotherapist, Life Coach, NLP Practitioner, I am on a path of transformation, growth, healing and love. Yoga has rounded off my own personal practices of meditation, stillness, connection, and compassion. My passion for this yoga ignited a desire to learn more about it and its source. Becoming a certified Bikram yoga teacher at the end of June 2012 was just the beginning. I learn something new from each class I take and more so from each class I teach.

The focus, determination, presence, stillness and tremendous effort which I see my students put into their practice is humbling. I feel like I grow from all of their efforts. I believe we are all connected. As I learn and grow that knowing spreads out to all those I meet. As I watch the students in my classes learn and grow, I feel their transformation as deeply and personally as my own. I am very blessed to be part of the Bikram yoga community. Namaste.

Lorraine

In 2005, I was in my junior year at San Francisco State University and came back to the desert for winter break. A couple of friends invited my sister and I to take a yoga class. I had no idea what Bikram yoga was and I had no idea it was going to be HOT! I came in with long pants and a tank top. By the end of class, I had rolled up my pants, taken off my tank top and only wore my sports bra top. Most of it was a blurr but for some reason I was immediately addicted! It was the hardest thing I had ever done but it made me feel good about myself. After winter break, I went back to San Francisco to finish my studies. Like most students under pressure and wondering “what will I do with my life now?” I struggled with a lot of anxiety and some severe panic attacks. I continued my Bikram practice, was able to manage the anxiety and get through school. In 2006, I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and made a goal to attend the Bikram Teacher Traning the following year. I moved back in with my parents to save up for the cost of training which was $9,000! With some dedication, help from my family, and the Bikram yoga community, I saved enough and was able to attend the 2007 Spring Teacher Training in Hawaii!!! After TT graduation I spent a year teaching at Bikram Yoga Palm Desert. In 2008 I moved to Orange County for a bit and taught at Bikram Yoga Irvine, Costa Mesa, and Fullerton. Most recently I spent 6 months teaching at Bikram Yoga Singapore, which was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I had dreams of being able to teach and travel and it came true! During my stay I was able to compete in the Singapore Yoga Asana Championship and placed 4th in the country. It truly is an honor to share this yoga with the world!

 

Susan

Susan is a 500 hr. Registered Yoga Alliance Teacher who has been a dedicated yoga and mindfulness teacher for the last 14 years and a practitioner for over 30. Her strength as a teacher derives from a commitment to daily practice focusing on building compassion and kind awareness in the body, mind, and spirit and applying yoga as therapy for all conditions. Susan has always been involved in activity; most notably as a 4-year member of Canada’s National Rowing Team. Susan is expanding her education by currently completing her education this final semester in a Masters in Integral Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies (2015). Her interest is in the exploration of how the body and mind reflect and affect each other.

Missy

Bikram Yoga Instructor. Biography Coming Soon.