Bikram Yoga

Anthony Burkart, Owner & Director
Certified Fall 2005

I took my first Bikram yoga class in April of 2001 at the Old Town studio here in San Diego. I loved it and hated it. I STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY! I continued to practice there and other San Diego schools for the next two years. I was involved in long distance running known as endurance races (including 100 mile races). Crazy- I know! The yoga helped me in all ways including preventing injuries. I moved to Hawaii to train and race in one of the toughest races in the world because of the high elevation gain and the terrain. Amazingly I managed to take third place a couple of times. I could not have done it without the yoga. My path took me to the Bikram teacher training in Los Angeles. I then taught in Hawaii until March 2008 when I returned to San Diego and became director of this school. While living and teaching in Hawaii, the training site was moved there for two sessions and I regularly attended class. The teacher training brings in a lot of senior teachers and the best teachers from around the world and I did have the good fortune and opportunity to take advantage of that. I have had a lot of excellent teachers. I represented Hawaii in 2007 and 2008, and Southern California in 2009 in the national championships. I’m a person that never gives up. Sometimes I want to but I don’t.

The Bikram yoga will teach you to always think positive and never allow negativity to enter your mind. With this simple principle, how could you possibly fall short of your capabilities and full potential? Whatever you set your mind on, it can become reality because you have learned the art of concentration and harnessed the power of focusing your mind. THIS IS THE YOGA.

If I can do this, you can do this. When I started I was not good but I kept trying time and time again. Every time I went to class I fell completely apart within minutes. I could not comprehend how I could run 100 miles without stopping yet couldn’t do five minutes of Bikram Yoga without falling apart and practically dying! I got yelled at a lot. My balance was terrible and I was the guy that was hopping all over the room trying to stand still and lock my knee. I was the one that was hyperventilating all the time and crawling to the door to get out and get a breath of fresh air. Somehow I worked past all of that. I knew who was good and I put myself as close to them as possible and watched them and learned to do as they did. I knew it was going to take a lot of work and time. I’m still at it. My responsibilities are much greater these days. I have to bring you all the knowledge that Bikram has given me and all the teachers I have worked with and under. I have to give you a good place to practice this very important thing, this way of life, this yoga. I always strive for the best, and I will help you to achieve the same for yourself. Work hard my friends. Namaste

Dave Schutz, Certified 1999

Dave Schutz was born in Long Beach, California and raised in San Diego. Dave has worked as a chef and restaurant owner. Today, when Dave isn’t in the hot room teaching class, he works as a landscape designer and installer. Dave has been practicing yoga for twelve years, and teaching in San Diego for over ten years. Bikram says that it takes ten years for one to become a true Bikram Yoga Teacher and Dave is there... Dave’s great personality, sense of humor, and way with words makes those 90 minutes in the hot room seem like a piece of cake. Dave’s favorite posture is which ever one we are currently doing.

Tonya Novak, Certified 2000

A native from South Dakota, I moved to San Diego in 1999 for a change of pace from a small town in the midwest. I began my yoga journey at the age of 22. After Taking my First Bikram Yoga class, my body was in shock. I was overwhelmed by the fact that just 90 minutes of stretching in a heated room could be so beneficial. Honestly, I didn’t “enjoy” my first, second, or even third class. With the help and encouragement from the instructor and a few others I decided to take the challenge of seven consecutive days. By the end of the seventh class, I was hooked and knew I would use this “key to the kingdom of health” for the rest of my life. Within the following year, I took the Fall 2000 Teacher Training, managed to overcome the challenge and went forward to open a Bikram Yoga studio in El Cajon. I have moved on from owning a studio but continue my practice as a student as well as an instructor on a daily basis using, “you don’t use it, you lose it” mentality. When I am not in the yoga room, I enjoy my other passion with Food & Beverage as well as traveling. This yoga has developed patience within myself using the learning technique of learning how to breathe and staying calm in certain situations that may arise. It has given me the strength and energy to stay healthy and make better choices. As an instructor it is such an honor to share this yoga with each of you in class. I look forward to seeing you all very soon! -Namaste

Lonnie Houston, Certified Spring 2006

I began practicing Hatha yoga in the early 70's. I used a book for instruction. I had never heard of a yoga class. I liked the way I felt concentrating on certain parts of my body. During the 80's & 90's, I started running and I loved that as well. I began to experience pain in my back, legs and feet. I came to my first Bikram class in 2001, and I knew something great was happening in that class. I wanted to be a part of it. After a few months, I realized I wanted to be an instructior. In Spring of 2006, I became certified. I still practice regularly and love watching students go beyond what they ever thought possible.

Nelia Peck Certified Spring 2009

Nelia started practicing Bikram-style yoga in 2006, becoming quite dedicated to it, and completed Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in June 2009 as her way of taking her practice to a higher level. Nelia has been teaching since then in BYEC and to a group of friends in Salmon, Idaho. Nelia is an avid swimmer and a constant Tai Chi practitioner even when she worked full-time as a project engineer and contracts manager in California's Silicon Valley. Nelia finds Bikram-style yoga very challenging and satisfying in terms of the rigor and precision and rewarding in terms of the health benefits of getting focused, fit, strong, flexible with some weight, cholesterol, thyroid and hormonal control.

Stefan Talian Certifed Spring 2009

I was born and raised in the former Czechoslovakia. My schooling consisted of culinary art, hotel management and marketing. After I earned all of my degrees, I decided to visit the "world". I came to the U.S. as a chef. I enjoyed it a lot and was working towards opening my own restaurant one day. At the same time, I was doing some modeling which required a lot of time in the gym. Chef and model was not the best combination. One personal trainer told me I needed to stretch more. I knew it, but I didn't have time for it. When my trainer told me she goes to some yoga class that is done in some kind of sauna, I was in. In my first Bikram Yoga class I almost died, but that night I found the answer, and I was hooked. I practiced a lot; I was less and less in the gym. People started asking me what I was doing different, because whatever it was, it was working. I had a hard time explaining how and why it worked. Less than a year later in Spring of 2009, I decided to go to Teacher Training in Palm Desert. I spent 9 weeks of the best time of my life. When I came back to Vermont, where I was still chef, I realized that people in restaurants love me for about 90 minutes when they are enjoying my food and having fun, but then when they leave stuffed and feeling guilty, they kind of hate me for awhile. In yoga, people hate me for 90 minutes when I'm telling them to do things with their bodies that they either don't want to do or don't think they can do. Plus, cooking people is much more fun! So a couple months later, I decided to quit my job, and I became a traveling yoga teacher. I was traveling and teaching for about four months and my last "stop" was San Diego. I planned to stay for a few weeks, but somehow I'm here already more than year. I guess I found what I was looking for; I'm home! ;) I'm loving my new life. It's awesome to be able to share with people all what I learned from Bikram and to see how their lives change. I still have a lot to learn and I'm willing to do so step by step, one breath at the time. I hope to see you all in the hot room soon. NAMASTE ;-)

Jake Goertz Certified Spring 2009

Over 14 years ago Jake climbed the stairs that led to the Greenlake Bikram Yoga studio in Seattle, knees probably shaking, in search for his first ever yoga class. Since then he has practiced in 123 different studios all over the Bikram world and is proud to have graduated from the Teacher Training in Palm Desert Spring '09. A Canadian-American, Jake moved to San Diego from Seattle on September 1, 2010 and loves the yoga community in this area. “Teaching Bikram Yoga full time is a dream come true. There is something special about being part of people getting the yoga,” says Jake. “The positive overall change Bikram Yoga brings to a person’s life is incredible and unique to the individual.” Jake was involved in hockey for thirty years and was part of the 2004 Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay Lightning before becoming a Bikram Yoga instructor.

Barbra Chakos Certified Fall 2009

Barbra Chakos graduated Bikram's teacher training in the fall of 2009 at Las Vegas, Nevada. She has a B.A. in Spanish. Barbra suffered a traumatic brain injury in October of 2002. Barbra attributes the many improvements and acheivements in her life to Bikram's yoga. After her accident and during the healing period, Barbra was admitted to a four-year university, where she made the Dean’s list. Her body healed, beyond full range of motion, from the once broken bones of her accident. She says that not only did the physical ailments fade away, but she also grew more confident and stronger in her day to day life. She is internally and externally revitalized because of Bikram yoga and the strength buried deep down in her soul. Ask Barbra about the time she walked over 500 miles the summer of 2007 in the north of Spain, just like Shirley Maclaine. In her own words Barbra says, "I'm so happy to share the key to the kingdom of health and happiness with everybody!"

Holly Guzanick Certified Fall 2010

I was inspired by my twin sister to try Bikram Yoga. After noticing the tremendous changes I had seen in her body, her mental strenghth, and her will power for life, I decided to give it a try. I was immediately interested in suffering through the class, and the tremendous amount of accomplishment I got. One year later, after being committed to a daily practice, strength and clarity began to fill my body and mind. I decided I wanted to give away what I had found. If I could be so inspired by the changes I saw in someone, then I too, wanted to inspire others! I completed the teacher training in Fall 2010 in San Diego. I continue to be amazed at what Bikram Yoga has to offer the world! Yoga creates self realization. "You have no idea, what your best truely is-yet."

Elana Thalberg Certified Fall 2010

Bikram's beginning yoga has something for everyone. I love to share the practice with friends and family. It keeps us fit and healthy. Thanks bikram!