Harry

In October 2006, Bryony and Harry purchased the Rozelle studio from their former teacher and friend Darren Ma, who built the studio in 2003. Bryony taught at the Rozelle studio when it first opened before heading over to London where she continued teaching yoga. Bryony and Harry were excited by the opportunity to return home and run the Rozelle Studio.

They feel continually inspired by the people who are drawn to the studio and feel blessed with the opportunity to run such a special space. Their dream is to nurture and maintain a studio where people can come and laugh, sweat and groan their way to better physical health, clarity of mind and happiness of heart.

Both Bryony and Harry are keen yoga practitioners of many years who believe in the therapy of yoga to bring a better quality to life, enjoyment of the body and appreciation of each day. It’s not just a practice but a way of life and one that continues to deepen and grow.

As Bryony says ‘One of the best outcomes of a dedicated yoga practice is freedom. Freedom from injury, sickness and old patterns. It is a way of setting oneself free and being all that you can be. It enables living in the moment and allowing for greatness in each and every one of us. Not being held back by habitual behaviours but living in the present and recognising our ability to make a difference not only to our own lives but to those around us and to our community. Through a dedicated yoga practice we are able to discover and unlock our own personal truth’.

Bryony and Harry both believe that all yoga is special. It doesn’t matter what your preferred yoga style is or the name of your teacher, as long as you find enjoyment through practice, growth, health and happiness. They feel that it’s no coincidence that yoga is becoming more popular and accessible throughout the world. It is now, more than ever, that people are looking for and finding peace within yoga.

They wish to thank the students who continue to support the studio and to everyone who together make Bikram Yoga Rozelle a pleasure to work, practice, heal and feel great!

Bryony

I began my yoga career in 2003 when I jumped ship from the film and television industry, leaving it for the more grounded world of yoga. I was introduced to yoga by a friend as a way to briefly check out from my then hectic world into a space that provided stillness and serenity. What began as an extra-curricular therapy slowly became my passion as I returned to a more spiritual way of life.

I did my first Bikram class with Darren Ma and was hooked from the beginning. Having trained in athletics for many years I loved the combination of physical challenge that Bikram offered as well as the concentration and meditation requirements of the practice. I later trained in LA with Bikram Choudhury and began my teaching journey.

Six months later, I took my first Power Vinyasa class with Nicole Goodwin which was the perfect next step for me to take. Power yoga provided me movement with breath, effort with ease, grace and freedom, strength with lightness and offered a glimpse into a different kind of peace through practice.

I then went to live and work in London for a few years and taught Bikram, Power Vinyasa and private one on one yoga.

I recently trained in India, studying dynamic flow with Louisa Sear of Yogarts which was a life changing and magical event. I also spent time at the Baron Baptiste Head quarters in Boston practicing Power Yoga. I have been lucky enough to attend many workshops with some of the world’s most exciting teachers including Godfrey Devereaux, Baron Baptiste, Mark Whitwell, Deepak Chopra and Paul Balch.

I trained with YogaBugs which enabled my teaching of children across schools, music festivals and kids parties while in London. I went on to facilitate the YogaBugs teacher trainings in and around the UK which was amazing fun and offered a particular freedom and creativity which differed from working with adults.

The diversity of working with students from all ages and abilities continues to inspire and motivate me in many ways and is a reminder of the magic of yoga and the joy and health it brings to people of all ages.

I now mainly teach at our Rozelle studio juggling teaching and helping Harry with the studio while looking after our baby Olive. I feel endless gratitude for the amazing teachers and students who we work alongside and for the fact that ‘going to work’ is always such great fun, in a beautiful space.

Finding a balance between playing mother and teacher can be tricky but practicing yoga and mediation seems to help align my world with my heart singing. It’s like coming home to me, returning to the quiet, vast stillness within and is a joy for me - without it my experience of life would be very different indeed.

Anna

One really crappy corporate day at work in 2002 a colleague of mine dropped a Bikram flyer on my desk and it was the best timing ever.

I had come to a place in my life where I wanted to try something new. I knew that the corporate world had its limitations and my passion was more in the area of personal development and alternative health. At that time I didn’t know anything about yoga and instead I was pounding my body at lunch times at the local gym on a step! I knew there had to be more. So off I went to try out this new hot yoga and... voila...I was addicted! I got onto my annual unlimited and within 6 months I was at the death-defying teacher training and my life never looked the same again.

My yoga journey has taken me to all corners of the earth and has been the catalyst to so many amazing opportunities that could not have been possible without taking the plunge into the unknown.

I have taught Bikram in Sydney, New York, Las Vegas, England and Dublin. The best part of being a yogini has been the people who I have been blessed to meet and still do meet at each step of the way. I feel inspired by people who share a love for being bigger, better and brighter in the world, people who want to make a difference and keep it real.

Four years ago I set out on what was meant to be a short journey to take the Baron Baptiste Teacher Training in Mexico and they were the most inspiring and challenging 7 days of my life. It was a like an emotional, physical and mental boot camp that made me realise that THIS is what I need to be doing with my life.

Yoga has taught me how to find my courage on and off the mat and create the life that I had only dreamed of. Life has more meaning than ever and I look forward to growing with the Body Mind Life studio to create a close community which embodies a friendly open-hearted environment where we can continue to learn from each other!

Persia

Before becoming a teacher, I worked for years in natural health and healing stores.  I have always been drawn to healing practices and fascinated by the variety of tools out there to help us along the way.

I am a Certified Herbalist, an RHN (Registered Holistic Nutritionist) with a Certificate Level 1 in Bach Flower Remedies. After much convincing from teachers that knew me, I finally went to my first class of Bikram in 2003 wearing sweatpants, a big t-shirt and no clue what to expect! I loved it and went back for the sole purpose of energy and weight loss. Through regular practice the weight ‘that was extra’ fell off as physical and emotional injuries healed. Once I adjusted to the heat, intensity and accepted my image in the mirror, meditation began.
 
I feel Bikram’s Method of Yoga gave me the strength of mind, taught discipline, focus and determination. Physically it changed my life and shaped the path I now walk on.

After a few years my body plateaued, and insights grew less. I often ignored a continued thought in mind. The thought that everything evolves and shifts! Cell by cell, season by season, year by year. I knew my heart yearned for the next layer of depth into self. After trying Power Vinyasa in Vancouver last year on a visit home, I was moved deeply to tears of joy from the practice. The freedom of rhythmic breathing, flowing movement, candles, music, and a practice that accepts all moods and energy levels just felt so real, holistic and yummy!

The spark of life hums yet again and I feel so honoured to be training with Body Mind Life under amazing, supportive educators and within a beautiful group of Bikram teachers and students. People who inspire, embrace change, and are willing to get out of comfort zones, routines and habits. People who are yet again ready to embark on a new journey.

While Bikram was an amazing discovery for myself as an individual, Power Vinyasa is sparking a great sense of community, playfulness and union. I hope to share this next step with all!
 
One Love
Persia

Dajana

My first introduction to yoga was in 2003 - a Bikram class in Darlinghurst. I was drawn to the physical intensity of the practice as well as a state of calmness after class. Before long it became a natural part of my life.

I completed my Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in June 2006 and have since been balancing a life of corporate marketing job (by day) and teaching & practicing yoga (by night and early mornings). I have realised that 1) perhaps I can be a morning person & 2) we don't always have to choose path A over path B, instead welcoming all paths can make life that little bit richer & sweeter.

Yoga for me continues to be a remarkable journey of self-awareness and personal growth. It helps me maintain a healthy work-life balance and brings lightness and space into my life.

In 2008 I completed the Certificate in Power Vinyasa Yoga and The Art of Alignment & Assisting Teacher Training Workshop with BodyMindLife Surry Hills.  As a student and teacher I am continuously discovering the beauty of learning new things, including how the Power Yoga practice beautifully compliments the Bikram Series.

I look forward to attending the Journey into Power Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste in Feb 09, and I am so thrilled to continue to learn from my fellow yoga teachers and students at BodyMindLife Rozelle.

Dajana x

Sumi

Name, rank, serial number …?
Sumi, amateur yogi and occasional seeker of truth.

Why did I start practicing Bikram Yoga?

Many moons ago my friend Vince told me 'it would be good for you, you should try it’. At the time I wasn’t aware of the wisdom in his words, nor could I foresee the series of events that was about to unfold. But now looking back I am so thankful I was pushed into taking that first step. Cheers Vince! I owe you one – many times over.

Why do I keep on practicing Bikram Yoga?

Make no mistake Bikram yoga is a beginners' series – we do the same 26 postures each and every time. But I think that’s why it has given me so much – bringing me back to basics. Over time I have come to realise that working from first principles is so powerful in re-energising my body, mind and spirit each time I step onto the mat.

Why do I think you should practice Bikram yoga?
Well you’ll probably find that Bikram Yoga has very little to offer you if you are someone who doesn’t suffer from any physical pain, doesn’t struggle with a wandering mind or doesn’t find themselves challenged by emotional upheaval. But if you find that you carry one or more of these things around with you then Bikram yoga is definitely for you.

Give it a go – what have you got to lose?

Dorothee

My love story with Bikram Yoga started four years ago at a time when my life was revolving around work and partying. A friend of mine told me about it, I tried it and was hooked!! It was love at first stretch! I felt so energised, jumping up and down, couldn’t stop talking about it. After 2 years of intense practice, Bikram Yoga was all I could think about so I went for the teacher training in April 2005 and qualified as a Bikram Yoga instructor.

I taught in London at the Chiswick and Fulham studios for a couple of years and was supervised and supported by some fantastic teachers. Having lived in the UK for 8 years, I thought it was time for a change and luckily Bryony and Harry (who I met in the London) invited me to come to Australia to share my love for Bikram yoga with all of you.

It has been an amazing journey; my life has changed so much since my first class - beyond recognition and there is no word to describe how grateful I am…

Jordan

Jordan Johnson was born in California, of Black American and Native American decent, and has always been guided to have a strong connection to the Earth, through movement and song. Very early on she learned a deep respect for energy and expression from her elders, and Jordan found her vehicle of expression through dance.

From an early age, Jordan has worked as a professional dancer with different cultural groups around the world respectfully learning the history, stories and foundations of many dances. Finding a new way to express spiritually through movement, Jordan now specialises in teaching Bikram and Power yoga focusing on breathing techniques to counteract stress and anxiety, and increase calm and mental clarity. Jordan has a lot to draw from when teaching Yoga with her studies in Reiki, massage, nutrition and a continued study with the Body Mind Life teacher training program in Sydney.

But perhaps most influential is her understanding of the body through her love of dance. Since moving to Sydney in 2001, Jordan worked also as a dance teacher, commercial dancer, choreographer for stage, film and television, and has represented Australia for Salsa at the world championships in Puerto Rico, Miami, and L.A. Jordan has won many competitions, but most importantly to her, she's won the title of “Australian Salsa freestyle champion”.

“From very early on, the more I travelled around the world and learnt the different cultures through dance, Afro Cuban, Salsa, Samba, Cha Cha, traditional Indonesian, Bollywood, and West African, the more I understood the connection we all share no matter how diverse our explanations on life. My understanding of movement has definitely been heightened through my studies in dance and now scientifically through studies in anatomy… Movement has always been key to me, and I find the body never lies! Yoga is like my atlas in understanding myself and helping others understand and consequently heal themselves”.

Jordan is committed to nurturing a peaceful, common global future for family, colleagues and friends. She carries the strong motivation to learn and share, as fuelled by deep morals from her Native American background.

“My Father showed me an old Cree saying... Only when the last tree has died, and the last river has been poisoned, and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money”.

Melanie

Melanie has been practicing and studying yoga for ten years since taking a six-month sabbatical in India to learn the arts of yoga meditation and pranayama. Leaving behind a corporate life, she took a Hatha Yoga teacher training course with the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala and it changed the course of her life forever.

Upon her return to Australia, Melanie continued to deepen her personal practice by assisting and shadowing classes with Sydney-based teachers Nicole Goodwin and Duncan Peak. Inspired by the profound changes she realized from consistent practice, Melanie then trained with Baron Baptiste in the style of Power Yoga and Twee Merrigan in the style of Vinyasa Flow. This training gave her the platform she needed to find her own teaching style, which is a blend of modern Western and more traditional Indian approaches. During this time Melanie also began four years of study with her metaphysics teacher, Paul Balch. She is now certified at the teacher trainer level and shares many aspects of her energetic work in her yoga classes. Now residing in Sydney, she is a senior teacher at both Bodymindlife Surry Hills and Rozelle, and Power Living studio in Neutral Bay.

Melanie’s classes are a strong flow with alignment taught from a gentle heart, drawing upon all her knowledge and experience of yoga, metaphysics, healing, dance and massage. Her classes are peppered with the yogic philosophy that truly changed her own life and she hopes to lead YOU on an exciting journey into your own innate goodness, balance and being-ness.

Murray

Murray (Muz) has been studying the art of yoga and its many facets for 14 years. He has practiced most styles/disciplines and has taught many. Continuous study throughout his career has given Muz tremendous knowledge and understanding of the human body. He teaches classes and runs workshops and seminars regularly.

In 2002 Muz met his spiritual mentor and began training and working with him full-time for the next six years. During this journey he got to truly experience and appreciate the depth of the human being and its potential not only on the physical level but well beyond it. This knowledge inspired him to start working more deeply with people on the spiritual and energetic levels. He has worked as a spiritual and metaphysical teacher and healer since 2005.

Muz has held a senior teaching role at Bodymindlife Surry Hills since the doors opened in 2002 and also holds the same teaching position at Bodymindlife Rozelle. He is totally committed and passionate about his duty in this world. He teaches his students and clients to be confident and true to themselves. Through experience Muz knows this does not come from dogma or ‘following’ any one road.

Muz’s classes are very holistic and rich in depth…and they’re fun! In his classes you will experience physical challenge yet strength and vitality, freedom to flow yet remain connected to the earth, mentally present yet light, and totally emotionally and spiritually supported. Most importantly, Muz leaves his students feeling free to be their true selves.

Muz only teaches from his heart and from his experience. Are you looking for change and growth that’s ongoing and self-perpetuating? Muz can facilitate you!