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.

Michael : Certified Bikram Instructor Spring 2005

Michael first stepped into Bikram's torture chamber in Spring 2003 and he's never looked back. Certifired to teach in 2005, Michael returns regularly to Los Angeles to "refuel at the MotherShip, study with Boss, and practice in the big room." A practitioner first and foremost, Michael won first place in the 2005 Oregon State Yoga Asana Championship and he's currently training for 2009... Email Michael.

Debbie : Certified Bikram Instructor Spring 2005

I took my first Bikram Yoga class on my 45th birthday. My joints felt 85 years old.  I tried Bikram Yoga after reading a magazine article that said it could help with arthritis.  After attending class 4-5 times a week for a year, I was free from pain.  A year later I decided to go to teacher training, not so much in order to teach but more to explore this yoga further.  There are so many benefits from a regular Bikram practice.  It has done wonders for me.  I feel lucky to be teaching because it gives me a chance to convince others that it can work for them too.

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!