ALL OF THE TEACHERS AT BIKRAM YOGA ST. AUGUSTINE ARE CERTIFIED BIKRAM YOGA INSTRUCTORS, AND ARE REQUIRED TO PRACTICE A MINIMUM OF 3 CLASSES A WEEK. WE PRACTICE COMPASSION IN OUR TEACHING AND IN OUR OWN PRACTICES. ALL BIKRAM YOGA TEACHERS ENCOURAGE EVERY STUDENT AND HONOR THE TIME THEY ARE ABLE TO TEACH. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COME IN THE STUDIO AT ANY TIME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.. Kate ViVenzio Toy - Director/Owner Certified in June of 03, Recertified in November 08.. I found Bikram yoga after years of searching for the right thing, the next best thing, anything… Practicing other yoga here in town for a couple years, and after hearing through a friend of the amazing benefits of Bikram Yoga, Kate Mitchell opened her doors in 2001. I walked through those doors 8 days after she opened for business, and even after I could barely walk out of those doors, each day took me back. Kate took me in, to her studio and her life, and everything I was looking for was found. I started working at the school, at the desk, cleaning anything I could do to be there more. And the Yoga started working for me. Things started changing, I started changing, and I realized this is what I was meant to become. A teacher. In Spring of 2003 I headed to LA for the nine weeks that would change me forever. I came home and started teaching for the St. Augustine school, and I also taught in Jacksonville, New Smyrna, Amherst Ma, and at Headquarters in Los Angeles. In 2006 I became the owner of Bikram Yoga St. Augustine, and a new chapter of my life started, a studio owner. This Yoga has given me the life I have right now, my health, my body, my mind, and my husband too. I met Eddie at class and we were married in 2006. We brought a little girl Zoey into the world not too much later, and shortly after that we had a second little girl Kaila Mae...A lot has changed in my life since 2001 but each day I wake up knowing Bikram Yoga has not!! and for that I am so thankful… Valerie Mantzoros Certified in Fall of 05, Recertified in November of 08. I discovered Bikram Yoga 5 years ago in NYC as a last resort when I was crippled with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I was tearfully grateful to find a safe and compassionate place to heal by body and my mind. By my second class, even though I couldn’t do 95% of the postures I knew I wanted to teach this amazing yoga. I completed my teacher training in 2005 and am honored to be teaching at this fantastic studio in St. Augustine. I have also taught in New York City, California, and South Africa Jay C Grey Certified in Fall of 08.
I have been practicing bikram yoga for about 3 years and teaching since November 2008. Before finding yoga, or should I say before the yoga found me, I played a wide variety of popular sports. Soccer, tennis, football, weight lifting, shaolin kung fu, and body boarding. I practice 4-6 times a week and I teach about 5-6. The thing that inspires me the most about teaching is when new students, and even regular practitioners, share the joy they experience from doing the yoga. It always makes me think of the first time I realized that yoga can transform the human mind, body, and soul, as I hope they do too. When I was 15 I weighed almost 300lbs. This came after being 130lbs at the age of 13. In 2 years I had gained 170lbs. Before starting Bikram I would lose weight then gain it right back. This cycle happened for many years. It was not till I started practicing this yoga that I became conscious of my habits. The constant facing yourself in the mirror has been a life saver. That was what I was missing! The cosmic mirror. I went to training to make sure that this yoga stays apart of me for the rest of my life and in doing so help spread the message of self-healing. Embrace the moments you feel good, don't focus on what bad could come. Deal with the feelings as they arise, but always remember death will not come from doing the yoga. The class takes a lifetimes of work, thought, practice, worldly and godly connection and compresses it into 90 minutes hopefully giving us a foundation to build on for the rest of our lives. Cindy Toda Certified in Spring 05 , Recertified in Fall of 08. I began my yoga experience falling asleep at a generic hatha class at a health club in Detroit, MI. A few years later I started doing a Power Yoga tape regularly with a friend. It was amusing and challenging, but I still wasn't completely sold on this yoga thing. Then in 2002, while in Jacksonvillle, a friend dragged me to a Bikram Yoga class. OMG. That was it. I was hooked from day one. The heat, 26 postures/2 breathing exercises, 90 minutes of facing myself and pushing it past the limit was exactly what I needed. I gained the self respect and self realization I was searching for and, of course, lost some weight, detoxed and experienced a new level of mental peace I never realized was possible. I graduated from teacher training in the spring of 2005 and since then have taught in many different cities, including Santiago, Chile (in Spanish!), Denver, CO, Lawrence, KS, Asheville, NC, Jacksonville, FL, Sarasota, FL.
I love practicing and teaching at this St. Augustine studio; good energy and hardworking yogis make the torture chamber almost fun. It's a great yoga family here and I'm very grateful to be a part of it. See you in class! Heidi Dessert Certified in Spring of 09. Kelly Stern Kelly, a St. Augustine local, grew up with a love for stretching and movement. At the age of 7, she began gymnastics. Continuing with her love for flipping and flopping she took part in many extra curricular activities that included movement, such as a variety of dance classes and winterguard. At the age of 17, right before graduating high school, she and her best friend decided to take a “hot” yoga class. She had previously taken a few yoga classes before this first experience, but none compared to the feeling that Bikram yoga gave her! She was instantly hooked and dreamed of becoming a teacher. She continued to practice Bikram yoga for six years, while attending a variety of colleges all over Florida. Finally, in 2007, Kelly decided to head to Honolulu, Hawaii to complete the infamous 9 week Bikram Teacher training. After completing the training in Fall ‘07, Kelly has continued to travel and teach yoga in a variety of places, mostly including Maui, Oregon, and Florida. Her knowledge and love for all kinds of yoga has continued to grow throughout the years. Nothing in life has been as rewarding as teaching yoga to a large variety of students, especially her St. Augustine yogis!! Like Bikram says, “you are never to fat, never too late, never too old, never too bad, and never too sick to do this yoga and start from scratch again” Charlotte Ramsey I began my yoga practice at Bikram Yoga St. Augustine when I was a college student at Flagler. I was drawn to practice everyday by a force stronger than myself and with the support of my eachers, fellow yogis, and family, graduated Bikrams Teacher Training in June 2005. Currently, I teach Special Education in a New Orleans Public School. BYCOI St. Aug is always in my heart! Kate Mitchell Certified in Spring of 01, Recertified in Fall 08.
Kate began practicing hatha yoga in 1992, opened Bikram Yoga St. Augustine in 2001, and has been teaching for the past seven years. Currently she works for The Living Foods Institute as an educator, but her heart will always be with Bikram Yoga. She considers it an honor and a privilege to teach and continues to learn through teaching in this loving community. Susannah Dowling, Certified in Spring 2010 Kathleen Dunscomb, Certified in Spring 2010 Patrick Van Haute, Certified in Spring 2010 Stacy Crays, Certified in Spring 2010 |
