Bikram Yoga El Paseo

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, BLAH Bikram Blog CONTINUES with a trip down memory lane …….teacher appreciation edition. (This one’s a tad long winded……SOOOO Grab a cappucino or a vino…….and enjoy!!)

Fall is quickly approaching and all I can think about is how I love summer in the desert!!I  Yes,  that’s what I wrote…………I  LOVE SUMMER IN THE DESERT…………so I hate to see it come to an end.  I know with temps in the teens and sometimes even in the 20’s, it’s hard to imagine that  ANYONE can  LOVE  desert summers.  

But I do!!! It’s official, the gal that hailed from Chicago is a TRUE DESERT RAT!!!

Truthfully,   I   love to swim, and my pool water is perfect in the summer  especially early mornings or later in the day/ evenings. Swimming laps and doing some biceps / triceps exercises in the pool is a great compliment to my Bikram Yoga practice.   This summer I  actually spent more time in my pool than I have in the 10 years that I’ve lived here, so I’m particularly going to miss THIS SUMMER!!

That being said, I am excited about the coming season. As I look ahead to the fall, I can’t help but reflect on this past year and all of the exciting opportunities of growth that have come my way. Since taking on ownership of my home Bikram Yoga studio I have had numerous opportunities to learn and grow as a student, a teacher, and a business owner.

I am so grateful to all the fabulous teachers that have come into my life this year to share their amazing talents!! Their seasoned teaching skills not only helped me perfect my own practice but hone in on my teaching skills.

Tavi Stutz, Certified Bikram Teacher (10 yrs), Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Berzerk Artist waltzed into our studio on Thanksgiving Day while visiting his mother . What a gift !! Tavi came as a “student” to take class — and an amazing friendship began. Tavi went on to guest teach for us, hold a workshop, and provide us with an unique perspective of the Bikram series. Even though he has developed into other disciplines, he always comes back to his Bikram roots and for that we are grateful !!! We look forward to having Tavi back again and again.

Tavi was followed by Loren Cherrstrom, Elna Hubbell , and John Salvatore. All with 10+ yrs of Bikram certification under their belts they had much to contribute as well.

Loren has one of the most amazing human presence. Wendy and I both felt that the moment we met him at BIKRAM YOGA MARINA DEL RAY. He was LARGER than life! He has an incredible gift of teaching that combines humor with solid teaching skill. I still remember Bikram stating that , “ if you can’t apply humor into your class, you wont be able to pay your bills!!” Something tells me that Loren doesn’t have a problem paying his bills! Loren is truly a great guy too and I loved getting know both he and his partner Andre on more of a personal level when they stayed with me. (BTW- Loren is back this weekend, 8am’s SAT. AND SUN!!! – DON’T MISS HIM)

Elna Hubbell is a beautiful person inside and out. I’m proud to call Elna my friend and I had had the pleasure of getting to know her better on a social level. I love our Yogini girls night outs. Elna’s teaching skills amaze me and I can’t get enough of her classes. She’s tough, but then we’re in the ‘torture chamber’ right?? No sissies here!! I’ve learned a lot from her as well.

JOHN SALVATORE……….OMG ……….. As one student stated, “ I KNOW him…… Loren on steroids right??…… that guy is hilarious !!!”….. nuff said……….. John is a certified Bikram teacher and an actor in “Jersey Boy’s” Las Vegas. He is a regular teacher at Teacher Training Certification and has ZERO time on his hands. JOHN took time out of his precious schedule to DRIVE ALL THE WAY FROM VEGAS just to guest teach for us for one day!! Words cannot even BEGIN to express my gratitude. AND TALK ABOUT BONDING. Never, ever have I ever felt so close to someone so quickly . Not sure if it’s our Italian heritage or what, but we had an amazing connection. He and his husband Jon stayed with me and I will forever cherish our pool time and dinner out. I love them both so much!!!!!! Very Special people!

While these ‘superstars’ continue to dazzle us with their solid teaching and their seasoned techniques, it NO WAY overshadows OUR AWESOME permanent teaching staff and the visiting teachers that have brought and continue to bring amazing gifts to the table as well.

STEPHEN KALEDA, our most Senior teacher (10+ yrs) brings us years of experience with not only Bikram training but Vinyasa and Massage therapy as well. Stephen is HANDS ON and I know many students who rearrange their schedules just to take his class!!

CAROLINA and JUSTIN HADLOCK our husband and wife – dynamic duo team are our solid core teachers and a favorite among advanced students. BOTH hard core Bikramites their classes never disappoint.

ANGELINE PRIEFER AND FRANK SAMUYO , another dynamic duo couple have a fire like no other- in and out of the ‘hot’ room. Frank’s humor and Angeline’s amazing presence and energy give them top reviews time and time again.

WENDY PRICE came on to the scene and was a total breath of FRESH AIR. Her compassion with the students, her loyalty to our studio, and her professionalism has catapulted her to being a beginner student favorite.

Additionally, we were blessed to have visiting teachers from afar. Gorden Prieffer and Glenda Swan owners of BIKRAM YOGA LOWER HUTT in NEW ZEALAND both guest taught during their visit!! Loooved , loved, loved having them here. Their classes were GREAT and we loved their energy and ACCENTS!!

We hosted the Lovely Brittani Poulson from Santa Rosa, CA AND the Passionate Roxanne Powell from Oregon to come and teach their very distinct styles. Students CONTINUE to ask about BOTH of them since their visit . We hope to have them pass through again!!

Katty Chaichian from Vancouver is a blast (and now a regular visiting teacher as long as I schedule her around her Starbuck’s Chocolate croissant breaks !!) She is my Persian SISTA (and my personal ‘guru’…lol) and definitely part of the family! In July,Melanie and I visited Katty in Vancouver and we took an amazing TEACHER workshop with CRAIG VILLANI at BIKRAM’S YOGA NORTH VANCOUVER. (Speaking of Mel, MELANIE BOVERO joins our teaching staff in OCTOBER and we welcome her with open arms!!)

Craig Villani is a household name in the Bikram world. He was Bikram’s right arm and director of Bikram Teacher Training Certification for years. He is THE MOST technical authority next to Bikram ,Rajashree and Emmy and still remains close to them to this day. Craig helped Bikram write his famed orange book. I learned a lot from him and was able to bring home some nuances and clarification for my students. I hope to do the same next month when I visit BIKRAM YOGA MILANO in Italy and take Ida Ripley’s workshop. Ida is a 5 time Canadian Hatha Yoga Champion and in 2009 placed SECOND in the INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! She is another big name in the Bikram world and I’m stoked to meet her, take her workshop AND go back to my family roots in Italy!!!

I went to teacher training with Gordon, Katty, Brittani and Roxanne and was thrilled to be reunited with those I bonded with in training. I hope to see many more of my fellow trainees visit us here at Bikram Yoga Palm Desert – El Paseo.

So while I hate to see summer end, with my trip down memory lane I feel even more elated to forge ahead and see what exciting experiences the future seasons will bring to ALL of us Yogis at Bikram Yoga Palm Desert- El Paseo !!

Until then, I hope to see you in the ‘hot’ room soon!!

Namaste`