Douglas : Studio Owner and Certified Bikram Instructor Fall 2000

Douglas is the Owner and Director of Bikram's Yoga College of  India - southeast and has lived in Portland most of his life. Douglas started teaching Bikram's Yoga after completing the Bikram's Methods of Yoga training in 1999.  Douglas is a very skilled instructor and provides supportive clear instruction that reflects the discipline of Bikram's Yoga. Email Douglas.

Krista : Certified Bikram Instructor Fall 2006

I took my first Bikram class with my Mom and her friend Marcie, while we were visiting in Tucson in 2000. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.  By Awkward Pose, I was on the floor, convinced I may die right then and there. The class went on and on.  All I can remember was the extreme heat and the large mirrors.  Also, there was a teacher somewhere. I prayed she wouldn't ask me to get up. An hour into the class, I looked at my Mom, she looked at her friend, then her watch.  Marcie mouthed back "an hour and a half." Well, I made it out, and having brought no extra clothes with us, we left sweaty and stinky. My Mom and I snuck in the back way thru the hotel to get to our room, so no one would see us.

It was years before I went to another class, but I never forgot that studio in Tucson. In 2003, I moved to Portland, where I rented a house in Sellwood just around the corner from the Bikram studio. Having friends and family already practicing there, it seemed natural to walk in the door. My first year was very on again, off again. Though I knew I wanted to practice, making the commitment was hard. Finally a desk trade opened up, and I started working at the studio two days a week. Adding a few more days to the routine made sense. I knew instantly I would like to pursue teaching, but practiced for years before making the decision to go to training. The decision to go to training came for me when I really thought about what  Bikram Yoga had done for me. In the years that I had been practicing, I had begun to eat a more healthy diet, I had started sleeping better, became more patient, and my once frequent migraines were almost nonexistent.  The list just kept going. I looked and felt better than I ever remembered. I realized I wanted to put myself on a career path that would allow me to live a healthy life and always be in the pursuit of knowledge. By teaching yoga, I would set myself up on a path of continuing education studying diet, the human body, the mind and the soul. In Fall 2006, I attended Bikram Yoga teacher training and have been teaching in the Portland area ever since. Email Krista.

Lisa : Certified Bikram Instructor Spring 2001

Lisa is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. After working in the corporate world as a technical writer, she dropped out to go to Bikram training and then opened two Bikram schools in Jacksonville. As a third-time transplant to Portland, Lisa feels she is here to stay: for a while at least.

Lisa started practicing yoga as a rehabilitative therapy after her battle with cancer. It has greatly helped her chronic back pain, lymphedema and post-traumatic stress, as well as helped eliminate the toxins from her cancer treatment. As someone who is herself continuing to heal, Lisa brings a compassion to her teaching that is both comforting and inspiring.

In addition to teaching and practicing yoga, she works as a Web and graphic designer under her design company, CircleScapes. Email Lisa.

Vince : Certified Bikram Instructor Fall 2005

Vincent Eggleston, 27, has been practicing Bikram yoga for nearly two years. Introduced to Bikram’s yoga while training for the Portland Marathon, Vincent instantly connected with the yoga.

“I remember being in Akward Pose my first class and feeling completely connected. My mind, my body, they were both working together, rather than against as I was experiencing while running.”

Having been so taken with the yoga, Vincent decided to become a Bikram teacher. Certified in the Fall of 2005, he has been teaching for over seven months and looks forward to growing not only as a teacher, but as a student.

“This practice is such an empowering journey that once you give yourself to the yoga, every aspect of your life becomes enriched by its energy.”
Vincent’s hobbies include culinary arts, listening to all types of music, hiking, writing, and in the future, world traveling.

I originally discovered Bikram yoga two years ago when living at home in San Francisco between my Junior and Senior years of College. Living with my parents again meant I needed a hobby to keep me out of the house, and upon Googling yoga in SF, I found there was a Bikram studio only 2 miles from my house.  I vividly remember setting up my new mat in the back of the room, and the man next to me telling me there was no way I’d be able to ride my bike home after class because  my legs would be “noodle-fied.”

I instantly was impressed by the discipline of everyone in the room, and I loved the heat.  I was hooked, and ended up going for 80 days in a row before returning to Portland. It took me a couple months to find the Sellwood Studio, and Douglas was the first teacher I had.  He noticed and corrected every posture I always tried to coast my way through.  Next was Marina, and I got the same attention from her.  They both pushed me to push myself, which was and is exactly what I need (even though I wouldn’t ever admit that while struggling through floor bow).  I’ve looked up to and respected every Bikram Teacher I’ve had, in part because of Training program they’ve been through, but mostly because they have all pushed me harder than I thought I could go which has been the origin of every physical, mental and emotional benefit.  All the teachers I’ve had radiate an all-encompassing air of gentle confidence and genuine, non-judgmental respect for themselves and everyone around them, which is another attribute I hope to one day have.

My decision to go to the Teacher Training wasn’t really one of those “a-ha” moments, but was something I’d always just sort of assumed would happen eventually.  I probably decided I wanted to be a teacher during one of my first few classes.  And when trying new things, I always work hard in the beginning and get to a level where I feel comfortable and then plateau; my practice has been no exception. Teacher Training seems like the next logical evolution of my practice and hopefully myself.

As the date to leave for Hawaii came closer and closer, my feelings constantly oscillated between excited, scared, nervous, frightened, elated and everything in between. I have to thank Douglas, Marina, Krista, Michael, Vince, Lisa & Christy for all their help and willingness to listen to me freak out about Training and for enthusiastically giving me feedback, and for reminding me how strong I really am.

Anna was introduced to "hot yoga" at a gym in Portland about 5 years ago. "It was nothing like I expected-which was a good thing. I was surprised to find that I loved it right away." After moving to Upstate NY in 2004 and beginning her career in the wine industry, Anna began practicing regularly at BYCOI Ithaca. "I could never have made it through those NY winters without the yoga. I loved the way it calmed me, challenged me, helped me to focus on my breath. And it completely changed the way that my body looked." After 2 years and finally touching her forehead to the floor in separate leg stretching pose, Anna decided to go to teacher training. "I was going through some big changes in my life- I wanted to see what I was made of".

Anna graduated from teacher training in Hawaii Fall 2007, moved home to Portland and has been teaching at this studio ever since.

When she's not at the studio Anna is the National Sales Coordinator for Willamette Valley Vineyards. Ask her about a posture- or for a wine recommendation!

I was a senior in high school when I took my first Bikram Yoga class.  My dad had been practicing for a year prior and thought that I would enjoy it.  I have no recollection of my first class but I know that I kept going back and I did somehow enjoy it.  I practiced on-and-off the rest of high school, but it’s when I moved to San Diego for college that I really “took it seriously.” 

I practiced in San Diego for four years during school, coming home during winter and summer breaks to the Moreland studio.  I can’t fully describe why I kept going, but something felt right and I knew I needed to be in that room. I didn’t always want to be in there, but practicing yoga made me feel like no other exercise or anything else ever did.  I had been an athlete all my life but in yoga I experienced more than a fast heartbeat, sweaty face, and trouble breathing.  Although those things were included, yoga also helped me face and conquer some of my biggest struggles. My biggest battle has been with my own body, and Bikram Yoga has slowly but surely helped me to appreciate and accept the reflection in front of me. I don’t have any proof but I imagine and feel deep down that if I didn’t have yoga, my life may have taken a very different path.

While in San Diego I became more involved in the yoga community, working the front desk and making friends through the studio. I was continually inspired by each and every yoga teacher I had, and eventually knew that I wanted to go to training some day.  Like many, I have experience every emotional possible while in class; I’ve laughed out loud, cried uncontrollably, and wanted to strangle the teacher all in just 90 minutes (now that’s a good class).  I still struggle with simply getting to class some days; but when/if the question arises, “To go or not to go?” I try my hardest to go.  I have never regretted a class that I went to, but I’ve definitely had moments where I wished I had gone. 

I lived and practiced in Washington DC/Virginia for a small spurt after college; finally returning home to Portland and the Moreland studio—where I will always consider home.  I enjoy biking, running, and all the goodness that Oregon has to offer, and yoga seems to be the perfect compliment to all other activities. With a consistent practice I have found peace of mind and the strength to overcome anxiety, depression, and addiction, and lead a more fulfilling life. I attended Teacher Training in Fall 2008 in Acapulco, Mexico and have been teaching in the Portland area ever since.  I still face some of the same demons that I did years ago, but I keep coming back and have faith in the process and practice that is Bikram Yoga.