| Teachers at our studio are all dedicated, highly experienced practitioners of Bikram Yoga who have trained directly under Bikram. They come from all walks of life but believe deeply in the benefits of the yoga and want to provide their knowledge and experience to you.
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| Cintra Brown – Senior Teacher | | Having studied, practiced and taught Bikram yoga for over 23 years, Cintra is the most experienced Bikram yoga teacher in the U.K. She met her teacher Bikram in 1987 and subsequently spent 5 years of her daily yoga practice with him. As one of the very first Bikram teachers, she was certified in 1991 and subsequently founded the first Bikram school in Scottsdale, Arizona, followed by a second one in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, before eventually moving to London in 2009. During her two decades of teaching, she has created a huge and loyal following of students in love with her style, humour and deep humanity. Cintra also holds a rare certificate from the Ghosh College of Physical Education in Calcutta, India, the same certification Bikram himself and his wife Rajashree hold. She has trained numerous yoga teachers and published her own yoga DVD. Cintra has a great love and passion for teaching and conveying her spiritual message. In Cintra's class, you will learn, laugh and come away with her 'Cintraisms', which are part of her teachings that help take yoga off the mat and into your everyday life. “Yoga is a way of life. It is not about learning to stand on your head, it is about learning to stand on your own two feet. It is not a religion; not a sport; not a fad. It is an ancient science. It is a philosophy of peace. It is a way to turn the spotlight inwards. It is a way to realize that there is nothing on the outside that can compare to what's on the inside. It's a path to you.”
Cintra Brown | | 
| Richard Caveney - Senior Teacher | | Richie used to suffer chronic indigestion, hip and back pain due to scoliosis in his spine, which brought him to Bikram yoga in 2003. Thanks to the yoga, he now has great digestion and has been pain-free for years. He feels incredibly blessed to have Bikram yoga in his life on a daily basis. Richie eventually graduated from teacher training in Spring 2007. He has taught extensively in the U.S., including San Franisco, California, and Louisville, Kentucky, as well as in Vienna, Austria, and all over the U.K. He has been mentored by and worked with some of the most dedicated senior teachers in Bikram yoga, and for this he is truly grateful. In his colourful life, he spent years in marketing at Charles Worthington, worked at Disney, entertained and taught ballroom dancing on cruise ships and has sold sports equipment on TV's shopping channels where you can still watch him today. He loves reading, but most of all, he enjoys walking around the city looking at all the old and new. Richie is one of the most inspirational and passionate Bikram teachers out there. Every one of his classes is a unique experience and you will come away with lots of food for thought, energy and an enlightened mind. "Thanks to these amazing 26 postures, I have experienced great change in my physical, mental and emotional well being. Inspiration - look for it everywhere. Pain is inevitable, suffering is chosen."
Richard Caveney
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| Cornelia Chitnis – Senior Teacher | | Originally from Germany, Conny spent many years in the U.S., completing her MBA and then working as an equity research analyst for various investment banks. It was San Francisco where she found Bikram Yoga when, on a second date with a colleague, he took her to a Bikram Yoga class. She instantly fell in love with the yoga (and the colleague) and the three formed a lasting union. Conny is also a Judo black belt. Before she found Bikram Yoga, she had a 13-year long Judo career as a competitor, national team member coach and referee, which abruptly ended in 1993 after she tore off her knee cap and various ligaments during a competition. After a year of a 5 hours-a-day physical therapy regimen, she was told by specialists that she was very lucky to be walking and should never try any form of exercise again. As a very active person, this was crushing news to her. Conny subsequently spent years pumping weights at the gym but was bored and dissatisfied until the lucky day Jay took her to Bikram Yoga. She found the yoga to be challenging and rewarding, providing a complete workout for body and mind without impacting her joints. Her knees have improved since. Having experienced the positive effects of Bikram Yoga herself, Conny felt the strong call to become a Bikram Yoga teacher and share the many health benefits of the yoga with others. In 2003, she graduated from teacher training in Los Angeles. She gave up her corporate career and has taught at various studios in California and London before opening her own studio in Canary Wharf. |  | Ky Ha – Senior Teacher | Born in Vietnam, Ky has lived in Houston, Texas, since the age of 3. Growing up, he has suffered numerous car accidents and, as a result, incurred chronic ailments throughout his body. He took his first Bikram yoga class in July of 2003 at the advice of a friend and found something that truly changed his life. With sweat and determination, Ky has practiced yoga every day since then and found that Bikram yoga has transformed his mind, body and soul. Ky graduated from the Bikram Yoga teacher training in the summer of 2004. He has competed in the International Yoga Championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007 from which he eventually emerged as the World Asana Champion of 2007. Ky has traveled and taught extensively with Bikram over the past 6 years and is now on a world tour to promote Bikram yoga.
"I hated going to class in the beginning. I was so weak and inflexible, I couldn't even touch my toes."
Ky Ha |  | Samantha Magee – Senior Teacher | Sam originally came to the Bikram series after suffering health complications and found the highly detoxing effects of the practice, in combination with the strong physical and mental focus to be hugely beneficial and transformative. After practicing Bikram yoga for several years, Sam became a certified teacher in 2003 and has since grown into a highly experienced, passionate teacher who loves to share her extensive knowledge, engage with her students and help them develop their practice and maximise the benefits of the yoga. She is a regular contributor to Yoga Magazine, having written articles about Bikram Yoga and other yoga and health related topics. Sam has judged the U.K. and European Asana Championships and helped train advanced practitioners. She is also an experienced children’s yoga teacher and Reiki Master. Her love for Bikram yoga found an expression in her development of the Yamarama Yoga Wear range, which she designed to meet the specific demands of Bikram yoga ( www.yamarama.com). | | 
| Sanjai Verma – Senior Teacher | | They say that life goes around in circles and that has been Sanjai’s experience. He left the corporate world behind to pursue yoga, and now he is back in the corporate world teaching yoga. Over 10 years of teaching Bikram yoga, he must have had the pleasure of teaching tens of thousands of students, yet he still has the same passion, enthusiasm and fun in assisting students with their practice that he had on his first day. Beyond yoga, he teaches meditation, is qualified in Reiki, Thai and Kaladi Nadi massage and is also a healer, bringing aspects of these to his classes to give students a greater experience. Come and experience Sanjai’s unique and inspirational classes, benefit from the wealth of his knowledge and expertise, and watch your body and mind transform. “If you enjoy being challenged, encouraged, developing a sense of humour and the ability to fall in love with yourself thoroughly then I sincerely suggest you try a 90 minute class of Bikram. I absolutely love to get a full class moving energetically as one and revel in the interactions that are created in each and every class. Each is unique, each is special, and it is a sheer pleasure and joy to teach!”
Sanjai Verma |  | Paul Davis | | Paul discovered Bikram yoga after 20 years working as a personal trainer. Having travelled extensively in South East Asia and India where he practiced yoga on a regular basis, he returned to London and tried to continue with other types of yoga in a cold sports hall or gym. It just did not feel the same. Having to rehabilitate after a freak injury in a particularly cold London winter eventually drew Paul to the hot room. After his first class he was absolutely hooked, and by the end of the first month, he realised that Bikram yoga was something special. In fact, Paul did all of the introductory offer and just carried on for the next 120 days before he eventually took a day off! From there, he soon decided to become a certified teacher. After completing the Bikram teacher training in 2009, he has subsequently taught in Las Vegas, Vienna and London. “Bikram yoga has given me physical, mental and spiritual stability in my life, and I have met many new amazing friends on my short journey so far. I want to share this with everyone who is brave enough to step into the hot room for the first time.”
Paul Davis | | 
| | Megan Dennett | | Originally a dancer, Megan discovered her first Bikram Yoga class after performing a season of the ballet Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2002 (a role that she will be reprising in the summer of 2010). She found it helped keep her supple, realign her body and find her focus in a way that was noticeably beneficial for her body, life and career. Megan has also studied Kriya yoga with the Isha foundation and found the more she practised this ancient technology, the more yoga appealed to her, eventually making it a regular part of her daily routine. In September 2008, Megan applied for, and won, a scholarship to the Bikram Yoga Teacher training in Acapulco, Mexico. Megan loves teaching and is constantly in a state of learning from both teachers and students. Her classes are fun, energetic and highly popular with students and teachers alike. Megan’s brother, Nathan, who is also a Bikram Yoga teacher, is the 2008 Australian Men’s Yoga Asana Champion and owns a Bikram studio in Sydney. | | | Sindy Haque | | As frequently heard, Bikram Yoga really did change Sindy's life. After narrowly escaping death in the 2004 tsunami, she suffered severe post-traumatic stress and actively sought to combat her anxieties without medication. Initially, she discovered meditation and relaxation yoga techniques on a beach in Thailand with friends. Upon returning to London, she decided to try Bikram Yoga and, although it wasn't exactly "relaxing on a beach," loved it immediately. Working every bodily system provided the complete physical and mental release that enabled her to change her entire outlook. By finding calmness and balance through her practice, virtually all her anxieties began to disappear. Never looking back, Sindy graduated from teacher training in November 2009 and has loved the journey with her students ever since!
| | | Weronika Hercog | | In 2011, Weronika (Vee) moved to London from Vancouver, Canada, one of the leading Bikram Yoga centres in the world, which is truly reflected in her teaching style. Originally from Poland, Vee was sent by her parents to boarding school and university in Canada to receive a world-class education. She obtained a BA degree in Sociology and Political Sciences and also went to music school, playing the piano. It was in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2005, where she fell in love with Bikram yoga after a friend had taken her to this hot yoga, just to "try something new." She was instantly hooked and eventually qualified as a Bikram teacher in June 2009, after which she quit her corporate job as an information officer for the BC government. Vee's class is strong and intense and led with a lot of enthusiasm. She's currently away for a few months to teach in Mumbai, India, at Bikram's request. "Do I still struggle during my practice? Of course I do... The struggle is what I've learned to love. Without the struggle, there is no improvement! It is a never ending journey of self-realisation. My favorite quote of Bikram is: 'Falling out of a posture is being a human, getting back into the posture is being a yogi.' I do Bikram Yoga because it works!"
Vee Hercog | | | Lisa Hong | | Lisa originally started Bikram Yoga in 2003 for the superficial purposes of losing weight. The workout made her drop from a size 14 to a size 10. She felt that even though it was hard work it was completely worth it. She practiced on and off until September 2010 when she eventually truly understood the physical & spiritual healing that Bikram yoga has provided to her. It was then that she started practicing at least 8 times per week and decided to apply for the 2011 Spring Teacher Training. After attending Bikram's first ever lecture in London in April 2011, she knew she had made the right choice in leaving her full-time HR position at a well-known beauty house to pursue Bikram yoga as her new "career." "The practice inspired me to believe you should always love what you do and do what you love. Through persistence & faith in yourself anything is possible. Be fearless!"
Lisa Hong
| | | Lisa Hougthon | | Lisa has a keen interest in Eastern philosophy and discovered yoga whilst travelling in India in 2000. She qualified as a Bikram Yoga instructor in 2004 and has since trained in Pregnancy, Post Natal, Early Years and Children’s yoga. She is also working towards a Diploma in Yoga Therapy, studying yoga philosophy as a way to inspire her own practice and that of her students. Her classes allow her students to explore their own inward journey during their practice, working with the different koshas (energetic bodies) to help bring about emotional vitality and inner peace. She guides people to listen to their bodies whilst focusing on core strength, proper alignment and breath direction for healing and development. |  | Cat Koo | | Originally from Canada, Cat began practising Bikram yoga in 2008, at first simply because she was cold in a particularly freezing Canadian winter. She kept coming back after she discovered the mental, physical and emotional benefits. After watching herself for 90 minutes in the mirror every day, she saw herself exceed the expectations she had of herself, and slowly learned how to love herself and her body. After several years of working as a broadcast journalist in West Africa, South America, the U.S. and London, she packed her bags for LA to complete the Bikram teacher training in Spring 2011. She loves teaching as much as she loves the yoga, and looks forward to sharing this passion with her students every day. |  | Kris Liotta | | Having migrated from Italy, Kris took up Bikram Yoga after suffering from a long-standing running injury. He used to run 6-7 miles, 4 times a week and ended up with a persistent injury in the right calf, caused by lack of proper stretching after each running session. A colleague advised him to "do some yoga," so he googled a yoga studio near his area. He had never heard of this "hot" kind of yoga, but it peaked his interest, and upon arrival at the studio, he was greeted by the receptionist with a "don't worry, you'll get addicted." He instantly fell in love with the yoga and practised for 18 months straight, almost every day, which completely transformed his life. After attending a Master class in 2009 led by Craig Villani, who has helped train generations of Bikram teachers, he decided this was his calling and subsequently attended Teacher Training in Spring 2010. His career change from being a chef at a major London hotel to teaching yoga has proven to be his lucky strike, as he now feels absolutely blessed and extremely grateful to be able to help people with this amazing practice. |  | Michelle Melendez | | Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Michelle went to university in the U.S. and moved to London in 2000 when she got married to her British husband. Their little boy, born in 2003, was diagnosed with autism. Dealing with his condition was very difficult for Michelle and she eventually fell into a depression. One day a friend took her to a Bikram yoga class. At the end of the class, she felt so much peace and love in her heart that she instantly felt the strong desire to become a teacher. Since that day, Bikram yoga became an integral part of her life, and Michelle ultimately developed the patience and determination to help her son who is now almost completely rehabilitated from his autism. In spring 2009, she graduated as a Bikram yoga teacher and absolutely loves teaching which is apparent to anyone taking her class. Michelle also obtained a B.S. degree in Animal Science from the University of Florida in 1996. Having worked with cheetahs, alligators, ostriches and snakes prepared her well for her stint as a production assistant in the Puerto Rican and LA movie industry. She also enjoyed skydiving until the plane she jumped from crashed right after her exit. She feels that Bikram yoga is certainly a safer and more rewarding leisure activity. “If I could share a little bit of the love and peace that I feel with other students at least once a day this world would be a better place.”
Michelle Melendez | | | Kerry Mian | | Kerry has always enjoyed physical activity and was as an active gym-goer and runner at the time that she took her first Bikram Yoga class in February 2007. From that moment onwards, she knew that she had found something special and realised that none of her previous exercise regimes could provide her with the overall benefits she gained through practising Bikram yoga. Kerry found that the yoga not only helped her to physically condition her body but also build strength and discipline in the mind. She decided to pursue her passion further and flew out to Las Vegas in autumn 2009 where she successfully completed the Bikram yoga teacher training programme. Kerry feels very privileged to be able to share her passion and knowledge with students as she guides them through their practice. | | | Billi Mucklow | | Billi is the youngest qualified Bikram Teacher at the studio, though despite her relative youth, her total passion for and belief in the yoga drives her to teach a strong class. Having been introduced to yoga by her father, Billi fell in love with Bikram Yoga in her very first class. It was a complete, thorough workout providing a feeling of wellbeing that she had never experienced before. In fact, she was so taken by it that her frequency of practice grew to nearly every day for the next two years, eventually leading her to Bikram's Spring 2011 Teacher Training in LA, where she made new friends with people from around the world and different walks of life. Billi emerged from Teacher Training with a newfound passion to practice and teach while pursuing a parallel career in the media. You may have recognised Billi from ITV2's Bafta award winning TV reality show, The Only Way Is Essex, where she has been spreading the word on how Bikram can such be a wonderful, life-changing experience. | | | Karen Phillips | | Karen was instantly drawn to the systematic, disciplined approach of the Bikram sequence and the challenge of the intensity of the heat. She discovered that the grace and fluidity of the postures complemented her previous training in dance in its mutual focus on rebalancing flexibility with strength. A dedicated practitioner, Karen completed the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in 2007 and feels extremely fulfilled to combine her love of the Bikram series with a desire to teach. As a teacher she strives to inspire every practitioner to practice with self-awareness, faith and compassion in order to achieve maximum health and vitality, regardless of age or fitness levels. With a background in ballet and trained as a freelance lifestyle journalist who each year covers the New York and London Fashion Weeks, Karen aims to imbue her classes with a strong sense of focus, integrity, discipline and awareness of oneself and, through her teaching, make a convincing argument that this yoga really can and will make a profound impact on your life. |  | Sangeeta Solanki | Sangeeta discovered Bikram yoga after a minor skiing accident in 2003 where she twisted her left hip. Regular physio and gym exercise proved ineffective, and after a tip off from a friend, she found herself one spring morning taking class in a hot room. Despite being generally fit she found it exhausting, hot and sweaty. And had one of the best nights of sleep she's experienced in ages. So she came back, and back and back. She was hooked because she felt better each time she came. Over time the hip became realigned and she had gained immense strength and control. And her passion for the yoga has intensified since. While Sangeeta realised early on that the yoga was good for the body, she gradually discovered the power of the yoga on the mind. She loves the clarity of vision, the immense positivity and total calm which she feels every time she practices. She realised early on that she would like to train as a teacher, but then became pregnant with her daughter and so had to put the training on the back burner while the early years of child-rearing took place. In spring 2008, she eventually completed the Bikram teacher training. Teaching has given Sangeeta a greater appreciation of technique, the power of breath and immense satisfaction in being able to pass the passion on. "As a teacher, I like to impart the transformative power of yoga, giving students the ability to transform their body and mind."
Sangeeta Solanki |  | Philip Toumazatos | | Originally from the U.S., Philip's first experience with Bikram Yoga was in Spring 2007, but this experience only lasted 3 months. He found some very weak excuses to stay away, but the interesting thing is that between this time and going back into the studio in November 2008, Bikram yoga was always on his mind. Since walking back through the door, he has not looked back. The practice has changed his life in many positive ways. The culmination was becoming a Bikram teacher in autumn 2010. After 13 years of a diverse banking career, Philip left his job in 2011 to become Mr. Mum to his two children. This has given him the opportunity to focus on teaching Bikram yoga more, which he feels is much more exciting than banking and offers job satisfaction! Philip feels very lucky to be able to share his passion with other people and realises what a wonderful thing this yoga can be for everyone's life. |  | Alexis Vickers | It was her mum who persuaded Alexis to attend her first Bikram Yoga class in Jersey and she went along expecting an easy stretch. Instead, she experienced a hot room that inspired and challenged her. The heat, sweat and frustration when she lost her balance was naturally part of the class but what got her back was the part of class which lead to calmness of mind and strength of body. She moved to Brighton to study for a degree in English and continued her practice. It was during this time, while studying for exams, that she realized the mental benefits of yoga; the better concentration and focus. In 2009, she traveled through South America and New Zealand. She spent some time practising in Chile and made the decision to go to teacher training that same year. She now craves the heat, the sweat and has learned how to balance on one leg.
|  | Sophie Walker | Sophie stumbled upon Bikram yoga in 2002 whilst attending University in Philadelphia, USA. She instantly noticed the benefits of this unique practice. Despite being naturally very inflexible she continued practicing and was amazed by how much her flexibility, balance and concentration improved in the first few months. Sophie originally trained as an artist and has taught art in various schools in London and Africa before starting to work part-time at Bikram Yoga Canary Wharf, which allowed her to be closer to the practice she loves. Sophie graduated from the Fall 2010 teacher training in San Diego as BYL Canary Wharf's first ever homegrown teacher and since then has taught in San Diego, Los Angeles and now loves teaching back at her home studio Bikram Yoga Canary Wharf!
|  | Andrea Wellbaum | | Brazil born Andrea moved to London in 2004 and started working at the BBC as a journalist. Two years later, she discovered Bikram Yoga and started enjoying the amazing benefits of the regular practise, which brought calmness and extra energy to her hectic journalist life. Besides the amazing changes to mind and spirit, her body started getting more flexible, stronger and she felt she could breathe deeper and better after a lung surgery she had undergone many years ago. In 2007, she was offered a post as Middle East correspondent in Egypt and, for the first time, she hesitated before accepting a great job because there were no Bikram Yoga studios in Cairo and she couldn't imagine herself anymore without practising it regularly! Back in London, Andrea embraced Bikram Yoga, even practised up until the last week of her pregnancy. In 2010, she eventually realised that her passion for yoga was now stronger than her passion for journalism. A redundancy package was the right sign she needed to quit her job and attend Teacher Training in the Fall of 2010. "Every Bikram Yoga class is a different one to teach, which makes the job very exciting! I always learn so much with the students and go home smiling every time I see all these happy red faces leaving the studio."
Andrea Wellbaum | |
