Staff -

Current Staff

Sandra Lee - Coolsprings/Nashville - Owner/Teacher

I'm glad to add instructing Bikram Yoga to my list of things I'm passionate about. God, family, friends and teaching Bikram Yoga are all first on the list of a fulfilling life journey for me. Whenever I have the opportunity to share God's goodness I'm fullfilled; whenever I'm able to fellowship with my family and friends, I'm fullfilled; and whenever I'm able to share Bikram Yoga with anyone, I'm fulfilled.

Since completing my 9 weeks of training with Bikram and his staff in 2007, I've had the opportunity to teach in Hawaii, North Carolina and Kentucky. If you've been practicing pure Bikram Yoga you know what a difference it can make in every area of your life. However, if you've never had the "pure Bikram" experience, I encourage you to try it, try it again and try it one more time....you'll experience the results which are often life changing.

I thank the students here at Bikram Coolsprings for being so supportive and encouraging.... you are absolutely the best students on this earth. I thank Kristin, (Hot Spot Yoga - Louisville), Trudy (Bikram Yoga Winston Salem), Bruce (Bikram Yoga Greensboro) and Vicki (Bikram Yoga North Shore - Hawaii) for welcoming me to their studios and for being awesome mentors. I thank Jenny (Bikram Yoga Alpharetta), Cassie and PJ for planting the seed that started me on this journey. A very special thanks to you, Misty. I love you Mama. I thank my husband, Rob for his unselfish, unrelenting and loving support; and I thank God for paving and making a way all the time!

Caroline Pedersen - Nashville - Owner/Teacher

From a very young age, I loved doing physical things. I have always enjoyed the competition of sports and physical fitness. In high-school I was a 3 sport all-state athlete and went on to take a 4 year basketball scholarship to a Division I University. I have also enjoyed playing some competitive beach volleyball. I continued my love of sports and fitness by building a career in brand management in the fitness industry. Eventually, I moved from Chicago to Nashville with my husband and now have 3 beautiful children. After having three babies, however, I began to experience back and knee pain. I was also tired much of the time. Then I found Bikram yoga ... a practice that has healed my back and knee pain and restored my high level of energy. For the first time in all my years of fitness, I found a practice that really spoke to me on many different levels. I wanted to share the benefits of this practice with everyone so I decided to become a Bikram teacher! In Spring 2009, I graduated from Bikram's 9-Week Intensive Yoga Teacher Training and returned to Nashville to teach here in Cool Springs. I want to lead others to a place of healing, fitness and wholeness that this practice can create. The practice of Bikram Yoga is a gift to be shared.

MaryAnne Marciante - Teacher

A New Yorker by birth and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), has always had a passion for fitness and nutrition. In her 20s and 30s, she frequently ran 5- and 10-K races, in both New York and Florida. Not long after moving to the Nashville area, at the age of 43, Mary Anne attempted her first marathon. Not only did she successfully complete it, but she also qualified for the Boston Marathon. Over the next ten years, Mary Anne ran over 30 more marathons, and continues to run annually at least two marathons.

In July 2010, Mary Anne was challenged by a fellow runner to try Bikram Yoga. It was love at first stretch, and the perfect complement to her running. She experienced the “dripping with sweat…heart pounding through your chest” feeling of a long run, while at the same time found the profound clarity and relaxation of a deep, meditative yoga practice. In the fall 2010, she was encouraged by her studio owner, Sandra Lee, to take the rigorous and prestigious nine-week Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in San Diego. She returned to Nashville directly afterward, and has been inspiring and motivating yoga practitioners of all levels with her daily teaching and practice ever since.

Elizabeth Altman - Teacher

I took my first Bikram Yoga class in Washington, DC on Saturday, January 3, 2009.
After making it through a strange breathing exercise and a bit of acting like a
windmill for a few more minutes, I hit the floor for the rest of the standing
series, made a few strong attempts at the floor series and finally just relaxed
for a while on my rented mat… I walked out of the studio and realized instantly
that my life was forever changed. Within six months I had resigned from my
fast-paced, high-stress DC job and applied for Bikram’s Teacher Training. I
graduated in December 2009 and spent the next ten months teaching full time
at Bikram Yoga DuPont Circle and Bikram Yoga Alexandria, VA with my mentor, Jim
Ambrogi (to whom I owe everything I know). Bikram Yoga has brought me great
perspective, unyielding positive energy, and allowed me to realize that simple
breathing, a little bit of stretching and a whole lot of sweating can truly
change a life. I’m ecstatic to be in Nashville now with Sandra and her team of
talented teachers and inspiring students. I’m back to work at yet another
fast-paced, (sometimes) high-stress job but with a completely different attitude
and confidence. Thank you to anyone and everyone whom I’ve had the privilege of
teaching and with whom I’m lucky enough to practice. You all make my world a
bright place. :)

Nasser "Anthony" Marar

Nassar with Bikram Choudhury

If someone told me four years ago that in 2011 I would be teaching yoga I would not have believed them and certainly not thought Tennessee would be the place! So how did I end up here in Franklin/Cool Springs? Well my first encounter with yoga was a hatha group class at the University of Nevada Las Vegas where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and a Minor in Coaching. In July 2008 I ran into a friend from college (Jon Knoche) at an NBA summer league game in Las Vegas. I had not seen him since 2005 so I asked what he had been up to and when he said teaching yoga I became curious, so as we watched the game he told me everything about Bikram Yoga. When I got home I conducted some research and discovered so many professional athletes practice Bikram Yoga but I was inspired specifically by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because basketball has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. Living in Indiana during my middle childhood is solely responsible for my hoops addiction! Anyways, two weeks later in the first week of August I finally attended my first Bikram class, I went by myself and cannot remember many details from that class except the excessive heat seemed to exacerbate my anxiety and claustrophobic condition! I remained in the room if my memory serves me correct then I went to four more classes in that first week. Next I purchased a one month pass and when that expired I was hooked so it made sense to get the one year membership. I maintained a consistent practice over the next 9 months which leads up to the day after Michael Jackson passed away when I went to the MiddlE East (Jordan) for ten days with my family. Jordan didn’t have any Bikram Yoga and the closest studio was located in Israel however it was not possible to travel to Tel Aviv, therefore I did not practice for two weeks L When I got back to the StateS my body was screaming for Bikram, it was like starting from scratch! Several days after I got back in the swing of things I learned that Bikram confirmed the next teacher training would take place in my backyard beginning in three months so I had to decide soon. When my day job became eliminated due to lack of funding everything started to fall into place for the Fall 2009 9 week teacher training. On graduation day I felt equally proud as when I completed College although I did not teach my first class for almost two weeks and didn’t teach again until I went to Kentucky during week eight of the next teacher training, again in Vegas. It was there that I met the owner of the Indonesia Studio so I pretty much knew after Kentucky I would be teaching in Jakarta for 1 year. There I experienced tremendous transformations that probably would not have happened anywhere else! In the last two months I knew I needed to find another studio to continue teaching and after I put my information on the internet only one person responded, that being Sandra and that’s how eYe ended up here! I think too many options are not always a good thing but if you know what you want in life you must position yourself for success and Bikram Yoga has done just that giving me confidence that some people might consider delusional…for example, my primary dream/mission is to compete at a professional basketball level at least one season overseas somewhere over the rainbow! With most physical goals it comes down to training combined with opportunity, Talent too, but Attitude combined with Timing is Truly everything in my opInIon! There is so much I could write about these topics since composing poetry is my other passion but to make a long story short with the fabulous facIlIty here in Cool sprIngs I can pursue all my passions under one roof! I enjoy sharing my stories with anyone who wants to know specIfIc details about me beyond bIkram Yoga and this bIography…I am an open book and have been fascinated with worms since I would get rIngworms underneath my feet every summer in the Midwest until transforming into a teenager…the reason I mention this is because my parents sent me to Karate lessons when I was little and I quit because I didn’t like taking my socks off and I still don’t, except when sweating in a hot room but don’t worry my worms aren’t contagious lol! I enjoy joking around and try not to sugar coat goat turds as I do do believe being blunt like the Boss himself, Bikram Choudhury is the best standard to set. The truth is becoming a Bikram Yoga Teacher has produced several “necessary” “setbacks” but there’s absolutely no way I could do what I am attempting to accomplish without Yoga, and even if I don’t reach my deSIRed destIny I hope my trials/tribulations InspIres students. My ideal lifestyle would involve living overseas during the hoops season and then teaching yoga here in the offseason, therefore I look forward to forming many friendships in Franklin/Nashville to infinity and beyond! I will finish for now with two adAGEs that I find highly motivational: “AGE is just a number” and “if you shoot for the moon and miss you will land amongst the stars!” Namaste :)

Kylee Brinkman

I started Bikram Yoga in Naples, FL in March 2010. It was a pre-wedding gift I was giving myself. I figured it would tone me up for the big day and keep my mind and body relaxed and calm. I immediately started seeing a change, not only did I get the physical results I was expecting, but every day I left class with more energy than when I got there, I felt an overall sense of true happiness and accomplishment, and I loved having 90 minutes of “alone time”. Although you’re surrounded by a room full of yogis, you begin to find that it’s just you in that room looking straight ahead in the mirror at yourself.
I’m pretty sure I was more proud of myself when I graduated from the Fall 2011 Teacher Training in Los Angeles, California than I did at my own college graduation! What a huge sense of accomplishment and excitement for my life. I love that teaching and practicing are such a big part of my every day and that I can live a happy, healthy, balanced life because of it!

Jennifer Rodgers

Jennifer with Rajashree Choudhury

I took my first Bikram Yoga class in Tempe, AZ in February 2010. After years spent in the gym believing yoga was just a bunch of stretching and not really a workout, I was convinced I had just found something amazing. I had no idea how much this yoga would actually change my life. I quit the gym and practiced for 8 months and loved every minute of it! In September of that year a friend from my hometown in Knoxville, TN came to visit me in Phoenix and took a class. He loved it and wanted to continue practicing but wasn't sure there was a studio back home. I jokingly said, "If you don't have a studio in Knoxville, I'll just come open one." That night when we checked and realized there was no studio within two hours of Knoxville, I had one of those light bulb moments and knew exactly what I wanted to do. My company in Phoenix sold and I moved to Chicago to continue practicing for six months before heading off to Spring 2011 Teacher Training. I graduated June 2011 and returned to Chicago to teach and learn from some of the most amazing instructors and students. Now I'm in Nashville for 6 months to help with the grand opening of the new studio and then I'm off to Knoxville next year to open my own studio! I have so much gratitude to all of the teachers in Tempe and Chicago who encouraged and supported me along this journey, and I look forward to the next 6 months in Nashville to continue to learn and grow in my practice and teaching.

Visiting Staff

Molly - Teacher

Molly now runs her own studio in Pawtucket, RI. Ocean State Bikram Yoga.

Kate Jenkins - Teacher

Kate now runs her own studio in Birmingham, Al. Bikram Yoga Birmingham.

Christian Davidson - Visiting Teacher

Christian, a visiting teacher from Marietta, GA. Bikram Yoga Marietta.

Cindy Toda - Visiting Teacher

Mark Crawley - Work/Study

Elise Addington - Work/Study

Rob Manosca - Visiting Teacher

Rob, a visiting teacher from Jacksonville, Fl, where he owns Bikram Yoga Jacksonville

Sarah Naples

Kristina Vecsesi

No stranger to the heat, Kristina is a native of Miami Beach. She has always maintained an active outdoors lifestyle. From running, dance gymnastics and martial arts, she never feels better than when she is moving. Kristina was exposed to yoga early on.
Her Grandmother in Hungary always hailed the benefits of stretching everything from the eyes and face to the toes.
Kristina took her first Bikram class in 2001 and immediately knew it would be part of her life foreever. She attended Teacher Training in summer of 2004.
She practiced Rajashree's pregnancy series through her pregnancy and is convinced her little boy 's even keel and good nature is a result of hours spent in the hot room in utero.
Kristina founded Bikram Yoga North Miamia in 2006 and is honored to share her love and passion for Bikram Yoga with you.

Kristina owns Bikram Yoga North Miami

Jason Minx

Kristin Olsen

Kristen owns Yoga Hot Spot in Crestwood, Ky.

Angel Colon, Jr.

Dell Watkins

Nandra Thompson

Nandra discovered Bikram Yoga while on vacation in California in 2004 and was hooked from the very first class. Shortly thereafter she moved to Memphis and had to wait 6 seemingly endless months for a Bikram studio to open. Nandra was there on the first day and has never looked back.

In 2006, she decided to give up the nomadic urban hippie waitress career she had been working on and attended Fall Teacher Training in Los Angeles. ‘It was the best decision I ever made. Bikram Yoga brings balance to my life – my moods, my sleep /wake cycle, my metabolism. The yoga has helped me through two personal losses, and I don’t think I’d be able to live in this fabulously crazy city without it.’

Will Painter

Aimee Moralez

Walter Bow

“Bikram said to me: “Your brother’s a smart man. You should thank him…he saved your life.”

       Playing golf is a major passion ofWalter Bow ’s, and if you ask him how often he plays, he’ll tell you “not often enough.” But one thing Walter does with consistency is Bikram Yoga. Walter generally teaches the 7 a.m. weekday class before going on to his other profession, truck driving, for the rest of the day. “I go from one extreme to the other,” Walter says.

       Walter has been teaching Bikram Yoga since July 2007, and he still remembers the date of his graduation – June 16, 2007. Why? “It was intense,” says Walter, looking back on the required two-a-day practices, posture clinics, and group of 315 in his class. “It was fun, but it was work, too. A life-changing experience.”

       But Walter is grateful for it. Bikram Yoga could not have arrived in Walter’s life at a better time: he wasn’t exercising, didn’t drink water, and he had just quit smoking after 30 years. It was a challenge, and it took nearly four years. “I told myself that as long as I don’t quit quitting, I’ll be able to do it some day,” he says. Walter likens having that kind of persistence and dedication to practicing Bikram Yoga. “As long as you keep trying and you continue to push yourself a little more each time you come, you’ll get better.”

       Walter says the best thing about teaching Bikram Yoga is helping his students become healthier, and, ultimately, changing their lives. “Just to see the change in people’s lives is unbelievable – from when they first begin to after they finish a 30-day challenge to three months later after they first started. It’s amazing,” he says.

       Walter bore witness to one remarkable about-face, however, that didn’t involve one of his students. “There was this older guy who stayed in the hotel with us during teacher training. He wasn’t there for Bikram Yoga, but he would watch us through the doors. He told me that there was no way he’d ever try Bikram Yoga in all his life. Well, I told him that if they [doctors] told you that you have three months to live, you’d be right in there with us. And the man replied, ‘You know what? You’re right.’”

       Walter has one daughter, Chanelle, and comes from a large family of eight sisters and three brothers. In fact, Walter credits his brother, Arden, also an instructor at Bikram Yoga Plymouth, with introducing him to Bikram Yoga in 2003. What started as a good-natured brotherly wager ended up having a lasting impact on Walter: Arden told Walter that if Walter tried Bikram Yoga, then Arden would give golf a try. The bet succeeded in getting Walter into the studio, and when he went to Bikram’s teacher training, Walter told Bikram the story. “Bikram said to me: ‘Your brother’s a smart man. You should thank him…he saved your life,’” Walter remembers.

       It’s a good story with a happy ending, but don’t stick a fork in the bet just yet: Arden has yet to try golf. But Walter remains optimistic: “This is the year I’m going to get him to try it.”

Hannah McLemore

Grace Maltese

Coni Johnston

Ellen Guzouski

Shannon Fuller

Lisa Fisher

Scheyler Ferguson

Dianne Epps

Tiffany Cofer

Frank Clare

Jodi Chmielewski

Angeline Chase Priefer

Jackie Mistler

Jackie was headed to Eastern Kentucky University on a full basketball scholarship when a serious accident left an injury to her leg that ended her hopes of a professional athletic career. Instead, she received a BSN in Nursing working with dialysis patients, mentally challenged adults, and as a paramedical in the insurance business. She kept herself athletically challenged by teaching spin classes and maintaining a low handicap golf game. Jackie discovered Bikram Yoga in 2001, then became certified to teach in LA Fall 2006. When she is not leading class, practicing nursing, or teaching spin she heps tend to her husband/high school sweetheart, three children, and her 150+ rose garden. Jackie credits Bikram Yoga as a savior to her both mentally and physically – teaching with compassion, kindness, hope, and playfulness befitting her personality. My favorite phrase – “What doesn’t Kill you will make you Stronger.” Simply put – “Never Give Up.”

Ariel Russell - Teacher

Ariel Russell graduated from Bikram’s Yoga College of India in the fall of 2010. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After noticing the positive influence Bikram yoga had on her life and performance she decided to become certified as an instructor. As a passionate teacher she loves answering questions and helping students excel and break through barriers. When not teaching or practicing yoga she enjoys dancing, ice skating, and living life to the fullest.