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Staff Heather DeAngelis, Studio Owner
I took my first Bikram yoga class, having never done yoga before, with a friend in San Diego. At the time, I was training for a marathon and thought the yoga would help with my running. Not only did I get stronger, but it helped with my breathing, my runner's knees, and my sleeping. I continued to practice when I moved to Providence, Rhode Island and then to Portsmouth, NH. As time went on, the yoga became a more permanent part of my life and I found it to have a huge impact on me physically and even more so, mentally. After graduating from college, I worked in marketing and advertising in a variety of industries, but was never satisfied. I wanted a career where I could make a difference in people's lives...make the world a happier, healthier place. Then it clicked. In the spring of 2005, I went to the 9-week Bikram teacher training in Los Angeles and become certified. One of the most important things that Bikram yoga has taught me is to be present, a true gift in life. When you're in class and you're trying to balance, or pushing yourself through camel, your mind cannot wander, you need focus. I've found this ability to stay focused and present has positively affected the rest of my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I feel blessed to go to work every day and witness and enable the positive changes that Bikram has on students.
Mike Morris, Bikram Instructor
Mike was a full-time singer-songwriter when he took his first Bikram Yoga class in August of 2008. "I had done an on-air interview at a local radio station, and left the station with a 30-day certificate to Bikram Yoga Portsmouth. It took me about three months to use it, and I walked into that first class wearing those baggy mountain bike shorts with all the pockets and pads on them. Those shorts weighed about twenty pounds after that class. I has hooked from the start, but it still took me a few months to get a proper pair of shorts." "I had been living with significant pain in my lower back, neck, and shoulders. Having attributed it to getting older, and the end result of years lugging gear, I was surprised to find that Bikram Yoga was healing my body. It takes patience and a commitment to practice consistently, but it works." After about a year of regular practice, Mike was leaving the studio in Concord when he heard the words: "You should go to training." "I thought I was too old, not strong enough...but I really wanted to do it. I was just afraid to try something new." Mike completed his training on December 6, 2009, and taught his first class the next day. "Bikram Yoga is like a series of hard-fought miracles: accepting yourself, healing yourself, and ultimately, openeing yourself up to the world around you. One day at a time, one posture at a time, one breath at a time."
Laura Richardson, Bikram Instructor
In the summer of 2001, Laura was reading VTs Burlington Free Press one Sunday with an extra large cup of Joe when she saw a human pretzel looking back at her. She read the article about Bikram Yoga and joined the 4:30 class that day. She loved it and was hooked from day one. She hasn't been able to tear herself away since. She embraced the teachers, the hot, intense workout and the post-yoga high. It was the first time she realized her calves could sweat. After finishing college in 2003, Laura headed to L.A. to achieve certification as a Bikram instructor. She has been teaching in Portsmouth ever since. Laura knows Bikram will be a part of her life for years to come and welcomes others ready to take the challenge. Allie Foy, Bikram Instructor
At the age of 16 I was diagnosed with Anorexia. My Dads girlfriend at the time was a yoga instructor at the Racquet Club in Concord and she told me I should come to class. Having a disorder surrounding body image I knew that yoga would be a good way for me to reconnect with my body. I went to class and from that point on was
The instructors at the studio told me I should compete and at first had no idea what they meant. They told me there were yoga competitions all over the US and the one in Florida was a couple months away. I decided to take on the challenge. I had a really tough semester being so far away from home and the Bikram yoga and the competition kept me going; the studio became my second home. I didn't place in the Florida regionals, and after that semester I moved back home to NH and started going to school in Plymouth, NH and practiced yoga in Manchester. Some days I would commute to Manchester in the morning at 6 am for class and then drive for a full day of classes in Plymouth until about 9 oclock at night, but it was worth it. I stuck with the practice, and in June decided I wanted to go to the next teacher training (which started April 2009). Between then I competed a second time, in the New England regionals (October 2008) and got third place. Heather opened her studio in September 2008, two miles from my house and all of that combined I knew that it was meant to be that I go to teacher training. I took time off from school and from December to April studied my dialogue and spent lots of time in the hot room. I left for training this past April and completed the 9 weeks, and stayed an extra week for the advanced seminar. Throughout the training I overcame a few injuries including sciatic pain, as well as a fractured rib which kept me out of the room for a week. Nonetheless, the injuires made me stronger, a more compassionate teacher, and I had the best experience of my life. I got back home the first week in July and have had the greatest time teaching. I've never had a job that I've enjoyed more, and I've never been happier or healthier. I feel so blessed to have found this yoga so early in my life. Each day I am thankful that I get to come to work doing what I love, and what I'm meant to do; which is pass on to each and every student that comes to class all the good this yoga has to offer.
Jennifer Sampson, Bikram Instructor
I started doing Bikram Yoga about four years ago to help me with my flexibility. As a runner, my hamstrings are really tight, especially during the times when I am training for a marathon. Bikram Yoga not only helped me run my fastest marathon yet, it helped me survive completing 2 marathons within 3 weeks of each other. The benefits of Bikram Yoga have far surpassed just helping me with my running and flexibility. I’ve gained a lot more mental focus and determination. I know anything is possible if you set your mind to it. I love that Bikram Yoga is very challenging. You learn something every time you take a class, regardless of whether you’ve been doing yoga for 1 weeks or 10 years. Like any new experience, people might be a bit intimidated to try this type of yoga. You walk into a room that is hot and there are mirrors everywhere. But, no one is judging you; they are focused on their own postures and their own practice. All of the instructors are really supportive and positive and there’s a great camaraderie in class too. People feed off each other’s energy. If someone next you is holding a pose for a long time, it can make you stronger. It’s really inspirational to see people’s determination to become better and more comfortable in their own practice.
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