Julia was first introduced to Bikram Yoga in 2003, when she and a friend decided to try out a class.  She remembers experiencing mediation for the first time while attempting to lock her knee in Standing Head to Knee Pose. After class she felt relaxed and energized and knew her life was going to change with the discovery of this new form of exercise.

Bikram Yoga soon became a constant in her life, helping her stay calm, focused and confident while completing a degree in Communications from SFU and as she started working in the field of marketing and public relations. In 2006 Julia moved to England to work and lived there for almost two years.  The city she lived in did not have a Bikram’s studio and this absence showed her how much she had come to rely on the yoga to bring peace, balance and physical fitness to her life. When she moved back home to Richmond, Julia decided to make a stronger commitment to include Bikram yoga in her life by attending teacher training in fall 2008, based in Acapulco.

Since returning, Julia has been enjoying teaching in Coquitlam. She has been amazed at the students’ as well as her own physical and mental transformations and is finding teaching is just like practicing – a lifelong, constantly evolving journey.

Teaching Style:  My teaching style is inspired by a quote from the dialogue, “If you do 1% correct, or 99% correct, both of you get 100% benefit, medically, biochemically, physiologically, psychologically. As long as you are trying the right way, and you don’t give up. That’s the ultimate destination.”  I emphasize a focus on form over depth because practicing with the correct foundation allows your body to transform in the ways that will make you grow stronger and able go deeper into each posture. I also try to be encouraging in class because I know how tough it can be in the hot room!

Favourite Posture: Camel Pose because it is such an emotional release, it is a posture where you allow your heart to be fully open. It’s an intense backbend in the part of class where you are at the deepest point of your meditation, and it also causes your body to secrete endorphins so you feel happy afterwards.

Least Favourite Posture: Standing Bow Pulling Pose, because you need tremendous stamina to create the marriage between strength and balance and hold it for a full minute. I always feel like I’m kicking hard enough then somehow end up falling out of the posture!

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