Keri McCook

Owner / Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher

Perhaps growing up in the Valley of the Sun is what instilled in me a LOVE for the heat! Being born and raised in Arizona has offered me some of life’s most treasured opportunities.  My parents taught me through their tenacious examples to tackle adversity with fearless faith. Simple principles like this have prepared me to accomplish what others have thought to be impossible!

I’m blessed beyond my worth to have married my best friend, Ron. Together, we are raising our 5 greatest blessings! As a busy mother and wife, it hardly seemed possible to add “Bikram Yoga Teacher“ to my résumé.  However, I was incredibly motivated to be a teacher after my own personal experience  which confirmed BIKRAM YOGA CHANGES LIVES! My body had become badly injured from miles of running on pavement, emotional damaged from personal loss, and trying to cope with the stress due to a jolted economy. I found increased strength, improved health, and renewed hope in a 90 minute class utilizing 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises that literally rescued me!

Bringing Bikram Yoga to Chandler is such an honor and a privledge! I am so excited to share my passion with you and hopefully making our studio feel like your home away from home! Please accept my personal invitation to experience a better way to achieve optimal health from your very first class. I look forward to helping and serving every person who walks in the door here at BYC!

No judgment, No expectations, No excuses!

Just BREATHE!….

Namaste

Mandy Manus

Studio Manager / Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher

I’m originally from Philadelphia Pennsylvania and received a degree from the University of Delaware. My study of Kinesiology and Exercise Science fueled my passion to become a fitness specialist and health coach.Upon graduation I soon moved to sunny Arizona to continue my professional ambitions within the health industry. Although helping others obtain a healthier lifestyle brought me a lot of satisfaction, something was missing. After several years of searching, I discovered, Bikram Yoga was the piece to total fitness I had been looking for. Bikram Yoga became a strong and positive force in my life and I was determined to help others find this missing piece too.

I became a certified Bikram Yoga teacher a few years after completing my first yoga class. I remember my teacher that day had demonstrated a posture called Standing bow pose. The grace and unwavering confidence she expressed truly changed the coarse of my life. I was inspired by her energy and knew going forward I wanted to do the same thing for others in a similar way.

As a certified Bikram Yoga teacher, I cherish the connections I have made with my students and am honored to be able to witness their growth and achievements. I am deeply thankful, proud, and honored to say that Bikram Yoga provides me with the essential tools for me to become the best version of myself. Being able to share and teach yoga to others is the greatest and most profound experience I have ever been a part of. I look forward to helping you find the best version of yourself through Bikram Yoga, the missing piece to optimal well being.

Uyen Carlson

Studio Manager

I am a native of Arizona and from the moment I could stand, I was either walking or dancing. I was always taught that hard work and dedication will always lead you in the right direction. Being the youngest of four girls, I have the greatest examples and of course have learned patience from my sweet parents.

Physical activity has always played a big role in my life.  I have danced with the Phoenix Suns for three seasons as well as for the Phoenix Mercury Hip-Hop squad for two seasons. My participation with these organizations provided me with a great opportunity to get involved with the community. I was privileged to travel to New York and China to represent the Suns organization.

Not only is dance an important part of my life, I am very active in the world of figure skating. I have been figure skating in the valley since I was 10 years old. Yes, that’s right… there are ice arenas in this heat. I now teach figure skating to skaters of all levels and ages.

I am a strong advocate for health and fitness. I think it’s important for individuals to challenge their mind and body in order to elevate their health to a new level. The first time I tried Bikram Yoga I was hooked. Bikram Yoga allows me to push myself as far as I want to go and continues to challenge me in every way.

I am so eager to meet everyone and answer any questions you may have. I look forward to becoming a familiar face to you at BYC.

Heidi Parrow

Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher

Having grown up in Scottsdale, not too far from a Bikram studio, I have always been a very active person, enjoying running our desert trails, biking the green belt, and at one point running the PF Chang’s half marathon.  I had never done yoga as an adult, and was in fact, very turned off by the idea of yoga.  Have you ever heard the phrase, “You don’t know what you don’t know?”  Well, I definitely did not know anything about yoga.

But, as luck would have it, in 2004 I had extensive reconstructive surgery on both of my feet which kept me from working out for 8 months of that year while my feet healed up from the surgery which included titanium pins, screws, and bone graphs.  I was totally crushed, as the weight began to pile on and the comfort eating began.

In search of some form of exercise I ventured to a local boxing gym, which had yoga classes.  It was then that I was hooked on the practice of yoga, and the flexibility, strength, and overall meditative benefits it provided me.  I was almost 20 years into an extremely stressful career as a police officer with the Scottsdale Police Department.  One day around Christmas time 2008 I was headed to the gym for my almost daily yoga practice when I found a note on the door which stated they were closed for two weeks for remodeling.  What how dare they?!?  I can’t go two weeks without my yoga.

So began my Bikram journey.  I had been in a local studio once or twice making business contacts with the merchant owners while on the beat.  I had met the owner and had a couple of conversations with her about her studio.  You what?  Stay in a heated room for 90 minutes, have you forgotten we live in a desert?  You are crazy.  But, with my own “type A” personality and desire to keep my workouts going, I tried a class.  It was two weeks for $25.  In the middle of my first class, I was looking around the room wondering when this hell would be over and at all of the other students.  “They must be nuts, they actually look like they are enjoying this.”  So why did I go back?  I didn’t want to waste my $25, as you can see I am very cheap.  So with the two weeks completed around the holidays, one of the instructors announced the 30-day challenge.  OK, I am up for it.  And wouldn’t you know it; I won a year of free yoga.  What an amazing gift for me.

Now I completed training Summer of 2012 and have embarked on a new chapter in my life.  Since retiring from the police department and with my children almost grown, I have thought long and hard about becoming an instructor and being able to share my own story and passion for health and fitness with others. I absolutely LOVE teaching, connecting with the students, and seeing them make improvements.  I am excited to teach at Bikram Yoga Chandler and to meet all of you. May peace and grace by yours abundantly.

Gabi Garrisi

Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher

I was born in Hollywood, CA but grew up in Whitefish, Montana. I traveled around Europe for a few years before settling into Arizona in 1990. In the early 1990′s I got into the fitness industry, teaching group fitness classes and weight lifting. I had never “worked out” indoors before and became really fascinated by the human body and eventually the body/mind. Over the years I have had extensive training and have taught classes in human anatomy, kinesiology, and nutritional wellness. Today I continue to teach and study these topics as well as yoga and the energetic/spiritual aspect of the human body/mind.

I came to Bikram Yoga in 2005 after 9yrs working in law enforcement. I had decided to change careers, cashed in my retirement and enrolled in Arizona College of Massage Therapy. It was one of the best decisions I could have made. I had just started practicing massage therapy and I was looking for yoga that didn’t have any weight bearing poses on my wrists (ie no downward dog, handstands, etc) and also involved some meditation. One of my colleagues was doing a 30 day Bikram Yoga challenge and inspired me to check it out. It was love at first “inhale”, I remember the class well and remember thinking to myself “I want to teach this one day…” That day came after teacher training in 2007! It has been an amazing journey so far. My wrists and hands are “holding up” well for my work, thanks to Locust Pose, and my mind is more and more calm and centered thanks to the powerful moving meditation this yoga has to offer. I will, God willing, practice yoga for the rest of this life and am so thankful to all who continue to inspire me on a daily basis.

Currently, I have my own private massage therapy practice in Tempe, AZ where I get to help people in chronic and acute pain as well as assist in their preventative health care. Life is Good!

Shyam Avvari

Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher

I always thought I knew all about Yoga and also thought Yoga is for people who leave everything behind and run after spirituality.  Well!! You can make out how wrong I was on both the fronts.  I was down with stress disorder in 2005 and after spending considerable time on medication to “cure” myself of that problem, I stepped into my first Bikram Yoga class.  Of course, the room was hot but I did not pay much attention to the heat and humidity as I am used to those living conditions.  What caught my attention was the way the dialog was put together.  It was to the point – neither preachy nor casual.  There was a flow to it and considerably challenging.  So my Yoga journey began…
I lost my only brother in 2008 and that left a vacuum in my life.  This time I turned to Yoga for emotional support and started going to the studio regularly.  As a result of all this practice, I started appreciating the greatest gift – LIFE.
I finished my Teacher training in Fall 2010.  I love teaching and I very much love sharing.  I consider myself to be a learner and finding that the more I learn, the more there is to learn.  I think this one lifetime is not sufficient in trying to learn and understand what Yoga is all about but I will keep trying.  Part of my learning comes from my students – who are my best teachers.  I want everyone to understand that we are practicing all 8 forms of Yoga in our class although it might appear that we are just doing the physical form of Yoga.  I can always make myself available if anyone one wants to discuss about this more
My philosophy:  Form is more important than Depth;  Breathing is far far far more important than Form.  Just Breathe!!

Sabre Deterding

Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher

Yep, I am a motorcycle enthusist.  There.  I said it.   ;o)  I love riding my bikes.  And, yes, it is all because of Bikram yoga that I can continue riding.  I could tell you all about what hurt and how messed up I was before finding Bikram yoga.   We all have our stories and mine is no different.   I would instead like to tell you that the yoga works.   I have my aches, pains, bad attitude, terrible things I like to eat and on and on and on!  I think it is called “being human.”  Even with all my “good, bad, and the ugly,” this yoga works.
All “YOU” have to do is show up and let go of the stories we have attached ourselves to.   Letting go of the drama, the judgments, the controlling — and don’t forget about all the negative-destructive self-talk –  is easier said than done!   But getting on your mat for 90 minutes works!  Doing this yoga the right way, is difficult but I can also tell you it gets better.   Doesn’t mean life and taking Bikram yoga is a bed of roses, but my life (and body) is definately going in a much better direction than it was five years ago.   Yes, I still have aches, pains and that darn negative-destructive self-talk, but I can turn it off and turn it around because I am a Bikram yogi!   Stronger mentally and physically every day I am on the mat in a hot, humid, sweaty, fricken crazy room.

I do know your journey will be awesome too.   Come and start your journey.   Give yourself no choice.   Do not get to the point of “I no longer have a choice”…..  That is all I can tell you.

Looking forward to seeing your smiling-happy faces.