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Wendy Harp - Director- Certified Fall 2006

Wendy Harp graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Accounting. Working in the accounting industry for over 10 years had its challenges and rewards; however, there was “something” missing in her life. As an active person, interested in health & fitness, she always wants to incorporate fitness as a larger part of her life. Wendy tried Bikram Yoga in 2000, to cross train for triathlons and other sports. She fell in love with Bikram Yoga immediately!

 In 2006, she attended the intensive, nine-week training at the Bikram Yoga College of India Headquarters in Los Angeles and became a Certified Bikram Yoga instructor. “Becoming a certified Bikram Yoga teacher has allowed me to pursue my love of fitness and help others.” The training has helped Wendy deepen her practice, allowing her to better focus on the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the yoga. “I have learned to be more patient with myself and to never compare my practice from day to day.”

Staying connected to the community is extremely important to Wendy.  She serves as a Board Member for the Triathlon Club of San Diego and is a member of the San Diego North Chamber of Commerce.

Irma Butcher-Brandt -  Instructor-  Certified  2000

I started practicing  different types of yoga in 1993,  but could not get disciplined about it until I started Bikram Yoga in 1999.  Bikram Yoga made me feel better and better with every class I took.
I first got attracted to Bikram Yoga when I noticed my friend's skin staring to look really good.  But, I did not know that I was in for the surprise of my life.  My life began to change soon after I started practicing Bikram Yoga.

At the end of my first yoga class, I felt like I had never felt before.  There was a feeling of relaxation with complete awareness and calmness.  I remember thinking how amazing this yoga was and I knew then that I would want to do it forever.  My body soon began to change.  I no longer had back pain which I had been suffering with for years, my allergies disappeared, and I lost weight.  Best of all, I got the skin glow that my friend had that had attracted me to this yoga in the first place.
After about three months of practicing yoga, I made the decision to go to teacher training.  For me, it was the beginning of self-discovery and a spiritual path.
I have been a Bikram Yoga teacher since 2000 and have taught over two thousand classes.  Teaching to me is like practicing meditation—it is the place where I feel totally connected.

Sarah Stout -  Instructor-  Certified Fall 2006

Like many Bikram yoga practitioners, I remember my first Bikram class, in December 2004, as a pivitol moment in my life.  Having gone through what one  might call a 'crisis of direction' after college, I found myself depressed, out of shape and at a place of serious questioning of my life's direction.  That one class was like a beam of bright light in a dark room;  I instantly knew I had found something that was going to change everything about the way I lived -- for the much, much better -- and fast.  Two years later in Fall 2006, I attended Teacher Training in Los Angeles, after which I was blessed with the wonderful opportunity to teach full time and manage the studio in Fort Worth, TX.  In 2008, I won first place at the Texas Yoga Asana Championship, representing the state at Nationals in LA -- something I never would have thought possible a few short years before.  But more important than a title, an awesome job, or even my new, much healthier yoga body, Bikram yoga has given me a forum in which to face, reflect upon, and remove the blocks that were keeping me from being my best self, and it continues to catalyze positive personal transformation on a daily basis.  I feel privileged to now be a witness to that kind of transformation in my students!

Vina Saycocie -  Instructor-  Certified  Fall 2007

Vina took her first Bikram yoga class in 2001 and continued to take class after class, struggling but not giving up. The challenge kept her coming back, inspired by the teachers and the other students.  Little by little, gradually and then suddenly, she felt her body and mind bending, stretching and transforming. In the fall of 2007 after 6 years of practice, Vina signed up for teacher training to deepen her practice. She enjoys teaching students of diverse backgrounds and sharing the challenge and benefits of Bikram yoga.  Every class, whether practicing or teaching, is a different experience and provides continuous learning and growth. Ultimately, the lessons learned in the hot room are just as relevant outside the hot room.
Vina was born in Laos, educated in France and is now happily settled in California. She has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and is a CPA.

 

Colleen Kinch -  Instructor-  Certified  Fall 2007

I took my first Bikram yoga class in 2003.  I knew instantly that this was going to change my life completely, that this was going to save me.  I was at a pivotal point in my life, faced with the option of heavy medication, or yoga.... I chose yoga.  Not long after, i knew i wanted to attend teacher training, but it was several years, lots of yoga and a few HUGE leaps of faith that led me to teacher training in Fall 2007.

Stefan Talian -  Instructor-  Certified  Spring 2009

It’s been a long and frequently difficult journey for me, from Slovakia to USA , but I have never wavered in my belief that I would one day become an American citizen.  My name is Stefan Talian.

I came to the country as executive chef, artist and model. When I was teenager I worked very hard to accomplish my degrees in professional cooking, hotel management and mass-media marketing.  I have followed my heart and my dreams.  Having my green card, my creative work as a chef, my love of painting, the excitement of modeling shoots, and my daily workout regime, I think my life is very full.  And then I discovered Bikram Yoga, and from the first day I knew a passion in my life that I had never experienced before.  One year later I enrolled in the spring 2009 Bikram Teacher Training and so difficult nine weeks later I was certified as a teacher of Bikram Yoga.  I cannot believe the overwhelming joy I feel knowing I will follow a new life’s path of knowledge and learning. After four months of traveling the country and teaching with passion, my passion, I found my new home in San Diego, CA.  I want for my students to truly find and share the gifts that Bikram has to give to all..

Eeva Bernardo -  Instructor-  Certified  Fall 2009

Originally from Rancho Bernardo, I'm happy to be back after having lived in Boston, MA for the last 10 years where I discovered Bikram Yoga. I began my practice as an alternative to going to the gym. I was out of shape and simply wasn't motivated to work out. Half way through my first Bikram class I rolled up my mat and made my way for the door, convinced I'd never step foot in there again. Somehow, two days later I found myself back in the hot room and over time my practice became much more than an exercise. As my body improved, my practice improved and "like a flower petal blooming" everything else in my life followed.  I believe in this yoga. I believe it can change your life.

 Barbra Chakos -  Instructor-  Certified  Fall 2009

My name is Barbra Chakos,   I suffered a traumatic brain injury and almost died in October of 2002.  At one point I was in a wheel chair and western medicine didn’t know if I would be able to walk again.  Upon discovering Bikram's yoga my life greatly improved.  After being admitted to a four-year university, I made the dean’s list.  My body regained, beyond full range of motion from the once broken bones of my accident.  Not only did my physical ailments fade away, but also my confidence grew, as I internally and externally felt revitalized.

I believe that because of Bikram's yoga, I was able to complete a long time goal of mine, I walked over 500 miles the summer of 2007 in the north of Spain.  I walked the Camino de Santiago, just like Shirley Maclaine.  I practiced and shared Bikram's yoga on my walk.  It was then, that I realized I wanted to become an instructor.  It took me quite a few months to verbalize this ambitious goal; in the mean time I was busy getting my BA in Spanish. 

I'm so happy to share the key to the kingdom of health and happiness with evetybody!  I graduated Bikram's teacher training in the fall of 2009.