Sally Flanagan

Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Graduation, September 1999

Sally studied Dramatic Art at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa and went on to discover Bikram Yoga when she was traveling in the United States in 1998. She received her Bikram Yoga Teacher Training certification in Los Angeles, CA, July of 1999 where she studied under Bikram. She was the 1st person from Johannesburg, South Africa to attend the Bikram yoga teacher training. She founded Bikram Yoga Jozi in June of 2003 with then business partner Louise Boraine. In 2006, sally became the sole owner of Bikram Yoga Jozi. Over the past 5 years Sally has inspired 14 men & woman to attend the training. Johannesburg now hosts 3 Bikram Yoga studios: Bikram yoga Jozi, Fourways and Randburg.

While living in Los Angeles, CA, Sally trained in various other yoga disciplines namely Ashtanga, Vinyasa Flow, Iyengar, Tri-Yoga and power yoga. She has attended classes and workshops with Shiva Rae, Brian Kest, Seann Corn, Ana Forrest, Kali Ray, Gurmukh among others. Sally practices Transcendental & other forms of Meditation.
 

Marinus Müller

Marinus Müller, born in '74, has been teaching Bikram Yoga since September 2004.

“A friend invited me to a Bikram class in March 2003, I went back the next week, and the week after that.

"I was privileged to attend Teacher Training in Los Angeles in June 2004. Doing yoga with 200 people, 11 classes a week, for 9 weeks. What a trip!

"Bikram Yoga is simply the most elegant exercise system that I’ve yet come across - it continues to challenge and excite me. Teaching has been phenomenally interesting! I never cease to be amazed by the diversity of people that do this yoga and the changes I see in them.  They become stronger and more flexible, their personalities soften and they become centrally more confident. This is a very rewarding experience.

"In September 2008 I did a 200-hour Ashtanga Teacher Training in St. Francis Bay, with Maria Taylor from Africa Yoga. After practicing Bikram for 5-and-a-half years and teaching it for 4, it was really good to get into another form. Ashtanga adds a lot of things to my practice that I felt lacking, especially upper-body strength and flexibility. It is very different from Bikram and the two combined, in my opinion, is the perfect physical practice. The Training had a strong emphasis on correct alignment and hands-on corrections, learning how to work with different body types and special needs.

"I’m really grateful for my Bikram Practice, I don’t think without it I would have been strong enough to do Ashtanga, the stability and core strength that we get from Bikram has allowed me to get into Ashtanga without injuring myself.

"I’ve learnt that strength is much more important in Yoga than flexibility and that focusing on too much flexibility leads to injury over time. You can't force the body to be flexible, it will get there in it’s own time, but if you create enough strength to support it, flexibility can blossom.

"I am also a qualified KaHuna/Lomi-Lomi Massage Therapist."
 

Tamara graduated from Bikram's Teacher Training in Hawaii, November 2007. She has been teaching since December '07 at Bikram Yoga Jozi and since Feb '08 at Bikram Yoga on Republic. She has attended Ashtanga workshops with Michael Gannon ('06, '07), Iyengar workshops with John Schumacher ('07), and a Kundulini workshop with Gurmukh ('08).

 

Annelize started doing yoga in 2000 and was in the process of completing her teacher training in the Iyengar method when she was introduced to Bikram Yoga in 2003. At first, it was just a pleasant alternative to her regular practice, but the more Bikram yoga she did, the more she wanted to do. A few months later she withdrew from the Iyengar teacher training and emerged herself into a regular practice of Bikram yoga. She completed her teacher training with Bikram in November 2006.
 

Dominique began a daily Bikram practice 5 years ago whilst still living in London where the still mind and oneness of a regular practice, a rare feature in frenetic city life, appealed to her immediately. She subsequently moved to New York in 2005 and started working and practicing at Bikram Yoga Manhattan. It was here that she began to receive so much from her teachers and her love and passion for the practice evolved into something she wished to dedicate her life towards. In spring 2009 she attended The Bikram Yoga School of India Teacher Training course in California to become a Certified Instructor and since graduating has already taught at studios in San Francisco, Tel Aviv and Johannesburg. She loves and enjoys every minute in the studio, whether practicing or teaching, and hopes to give that love and joy for life onto others.
 

Lars first dabbled in yoga by randomly attending Ashtanga classes in London in 1997. Only when living in Cape Town in 2002 did he take up a more regular practice. By chance, he walked into one of David Jacobs’ classes, and his rigorous teachings inspired Lars to stick with what turned out to be the “Iyengar method”. After a 3 year training programme, Lars certified as a teacher in February 2008. Along the way, he studied with numerous well-known American and Indian teachers, most of SA’s senior Iyengar teachers, and he is looking forward to a one-week intensive with Dr Geeta Iyengar in London at the end of May.
 

Maritz and yoga met in 1992. He first attended Iyengar based classes. Over the years he studied with teachers from a variety of schools. Most influential during these years have been kripalu, vinyasa and ashtanga. “I love the strength and flow of Ashtanga,” he says.  He started teaching ashtanga primary series at various studios in Johannesburg. In 2005 he certified with Africa Yoga. He also qualified as a massage therapist, movement fusion practitioner and studied contemporary dance in the UK. He completed his level 3 yoga training in Australia 2007. Maritz teaches ashtanga and flow classes at Bikram Yoga Jozi.
 

Alana came to her yoga mat back in 2003 in search of some balance in
her life. Having been a competitive swimmer for fifteen years she has
always found peace and comfort in the rhythmic physical release of energy. In July of 2007 she completed the Forrest Yoga Teacher Training Course in Kingston, Rhode Island. Forrest Yoga's strong focus on the connection between body, breath and consciousness has allowed her to work deeply in her body and heal injuries she endured during her years as a competitive swimmer. Alana's classes are challenging but offer clear instruction so students feel safe as they begin their journey into their own practice. Her teaching has been inspired by Ana Forrest, Zen Meditation Master Jonathan Bowra, Heidi Sormaz, Caroline Harvey (Director of the Forrest Yoga Program at Boston's Back Bay
Yoga) and Lynne Beiger (Founder and Director of Back Bay Yoga).