Instructors

All our teachers are Bikram certified. BikramYoga™ is a unique series of yoga postures practiced in a temperature controlled environment. Only Instructors certified by Bikram Choudhury and the Yoga College of India are qualified to teach the BikramYoga™ method.

Anika Speedy
Sally Cook
Tyrone Russell
Francie McGirr
Jesse Gartner

Anika Speedy - Director

Anika gained certification to teach Bikram Yoga in June 2003. This is an intensive 9 week total immersion training program at Bikram’s Los Angeles Headquarters. After teaching fulltime in Australia, Anika went to Toronto to complete further teacher training.

Before discovering Bikram Yoga Anika spent 10 years working in senior business management positions in the field of advertising communications and direct marketing in New Zealand and Australia.

After her first Bikram class Anika was hooked and soon after decided to leave the corporate world to complete the teacher training and share her love of the yoga with friends back home in Wellington.

Sally Cook

Sally graduated from Teacher Training at Las Vegas in June 2010. Three years earlier, after several lower back injuries, she decided she was too young to be having trouble getting out of bed in the morning, googled yoga classes in Wellington and decided to try a Bikram yoga class. She was committed from her first class, not only because she was soon leaping easily out of bed, but also because the ‘90 minutes of open-eyed meditation’ helped her cope better with all aspects of her life especially at times of crisis.

She agrees with Bikram that we are “Never too late, never too old, never too bad, never too sick to start from scratch and begin again.”Sally has enjoyed living in Wellington for six years, although her roots are in Canterbury.

She has two adult children living in England whom she likes to visit, especially during the Wellington winter.

Tyrone Russell

I discovered Bikram Yoga in early 2004 while teaching neuromuscular therapy at a massage school in Atlanta, Georgia USA. After that first class I knew Bikram Yoga was my "thing" and not long after I was at teacher training.

I have studied exercise science, done pre-chiropractic studies and recently graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in New Media Design, but the yoga has always been a wonderful constant in my life. When I say that the yoga can change your life I absolutely mean it. If anyone had told me 10 years ago that yoga would take me around the globe, I'd say they were crazy.

Now I find myself living in the most beautiful place in the world surrounded by incredible people. Bikram Yoga has given me the adventure of a lifetime, and given me the courage, strength and flexibility to follow the adventure to wherever it leads.

Francie McGirr

Francie first discovered Bikram Yoga in 2007, intrigued after walking past Wellington studio's 'Hot Body – Cool Mind' sign. After only 'just' making it through her first hot class, but subsequently feeling GREAT afterwards – she's been practising Bikram Yoga ever since.

Francie has been living in Wellington the past 6 years, taking classes as often as possible to stretch out her 'computer neck' and gain more energy while working long hours in the film industry. In the words of Bishnu Ghosh, 'Yoga reenergises, reorganises and revitalises' and this was very much the case. It was the one thing that instilled a sense of calm, balance and groundedness in an otherwise very busy schedule.

Shortly after completing teacher training in LA in November 2012, (one of the most inspiring and challenging experiences of her life to date) Francie moved back to Wellington, where she feels honoured and excited to teach, practise and share this incredible yoga.

Jesse Gartner

Jesse