TEAM

When I took my first Bikram Yoga class in New York City back in 1999 I had a striking experience. Not only was it the best and most intense workout I ever experience….but I also found myself in the deepest state of meditation at the end of each and every class…..I knew this is it!.. and it became my mission in life to bring this yoga as a pioneer to Switzerland and help as many people as possible. I gave up my dream job as Swissair Flight Attendant and ceritified as a Bikram Yoga teacher in Spring 2003. Then I opened the first studio in Switzerland in January 2004 as number 4 in Europe after Hamburg, Vienna and London.

I was a Gymnast and I ran at school. I've always been athletic. Even so i found my first Bikram yoga class physically exhausting and I had to sit during a few of the postures. But I loved the challenge. I came back the next day and I have continued to come back. That was in 2004. Holding a challenging yoga pose while breathing steady has also taught me to stay calm and breath through uncomfortable situations in my everyday life. It has made a huge difference in my relationships and also deal with annoyances, like traffic or conflicts at work. It helps me stay out of a negative mindset. It gives me mental strength.

Es bewirkt auch einen grossen Unterschied, wie ich im Alltag mit meinen Beziehungen, Konflikten, Belästigungen, im Verkehr und Arbeit umgehe. Es hilft mir, mich aus einer negativen Einstellung herauszuhalten. Es gibt mir mentale Stärke.

Bikram Yoga gives me power and energy, it balances me every time.

It helps me to deal better with jet lag and stress-situations. It is not only defining my body but also my mind and perception.

Being a Maître de Cabine with Swiss International for many years this gives me the opportunity to visit and teach in other studios worldwide.

Bikram Yoga is international but nonetheless a “family”.

Since 2004 I have been practising Bikram Yoga, and it is very exciting to notice changes in your body through the same 26 yoga postures.

More mindfulness and awareness not only during classes but also applied in daily life makes life better. My main job is as a flight attendant and I can now manage demanding and difficult situations in a more relaxed and calm way.

Bikram Yoga gives me a balance between body, mind and soul and keeps me well-balanced. Both in practice and in teaching I love the exchange of energy in the room.

Since 2012 I have taught Bikram Yoga in Zurich. I’m also teaching at the Gestaltungsschule GDK Zurich and I’m a freelance art and creative director.

“Give me 30 days of your life and I will change your body – give me 60 days of your life and I will change your life“. Bikram Choudhury’s words about the 30-days-challenge exactly apply to me!

After two serious life events and my own 60-days-challenge, I knew I wanted to change something in my life. So in Spring 2016 I successfully completed the two-month Teacher Training in India. Since my return, I have been teaching at the studio in Zurich with great pleasure. I would like to pass this enthusiasm to as many people as possible and show how they can bring their body, mind and spirit in harmony.

I am one of those who used to go almost daily to the „muscle-gym“.

Stefan has introduced me to Bikram Yoga and he showed me a new way to strengthen my body, build up my concentration and to gain more selfcontrol. I never thought that ONLY 1-2 weekly Bikram Yoga sessions would give me more definition than regular training at the „muscle-gym“. Meanwhile I have picked up my weight training again and realized, that Bikram Yoga and weight training are a great combination, building up my body permanently without the „jojo“ effect. Come and try it for yourself.

“his sparkling strawberry in champagne is legendary”.

Since I discovered Bikram Yoga in spring 2004, still this 90-minutes routine for me is a healing challenge and a fascinating journey to myself. First I was mainly focused on the proper way to do the poses, visited many seminars, learned the advanced series and took part at yoga championships. Later I learned as much as possible about mindfulness and meditation. Actually almost everything I experience in my life inspires and deepens my yoga practice in certain ways….and in the opposite my daily life becomes more balanced and vivid through yoga.

My main profession is playing the violin in the orchestra. Similar to the conductor of the orchestra I try to keep the group together when I teach and finding a good rhythm of the class. Especially important for me in yoga is to have a precise alignment and a relaxed breathing while doing the poses mindfully.

At the age of 20 I moved to Switzerland and it was tough to restart my life. Through a friend I got introduced to Bikram Yoga. It was my first contact with Yoga ever. I struggled during my first class, but at the end I left with power and a clear mind. This is when I realized that this was exactly what I needed to learn to balance my heart, mind and body. The more I practiced, the more Bikram Yoga helped me mentally to stay on the right path. It made me strong, flexible and defined my body.

Later on I became staff working at the front desk. It was a complete new territory for me. I love the positive and happy energy at the studio and to meet so many international students and I can also use all my handyman skills to repair and fix things at the studio.

Bikram yoga for me is my healing, my meditation, my therapy, my fitness, my physiotherapy, my spa/wellness treatment,.. 90 minutes of self care, self love. 90 minutes of balancing, strengthening and stretching not only the body, also the heart and the mind, all together as a whole. Every practice is an opportunity to fall in love with yourself, to re discover your full potential and empower yourself. I started practicing Yoga (Kundalini, Ashtanga, Vinyasa) in 2010, then in 2013 I took my very 1st Bikram class and completely fell in love with the practice, it was challenging.. I felt that I "died" to reborn.. like a phoenix. And still now every single practice feels the same. I am very happy and grateful to share the magic of this practice with all of you!

As an airline crew member, I had irregular working hours and I appreciate the wide range of Bikram yoga lessons, several times a day, seven days a week. There are also Bikram Yoga studios at practically all destinations. Bikram Yoga is an extremely effective way of balancing work, a kind of recharging your batteries and helping you to "digest" time differences and sleep better.

Through Bikram Yoga I keep and improve my mobility and strengthen my muscles, especially for my back. The 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga are also good training for concentration and a good portion of meditation training. I feel full of energy after every hour - and have been for more than ten years. "He was our very first annual subscription customer in 2004".

Das Leben besteht aus Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen. Das Gleichgewicht dazwischen zu finden, ist eine Kunst. Bikram Yoga hat mir seit der ersten Lektion aufgezeigt, wie ich meine innere sowie äussere Balance erreichen und ausleben kann. Durch die Hitze im Raum geniesse ich den Prozess. Das «Leiden» während jeder Übung ist zu meiner Leidenschaft geworden. Es ist meine innere Kraftquelle, die mir Ausgeglichenheit, Zufriedenheit, positive Energie und Willenskraft gibt.

Bikram yoga has fascinated me since January 2005, when a completely frozen Portland (Oregon) and an airport closed for 4 days led me to experience my first lesson. Since then, it has been an integral part of my life. 

During my subsequent marathon, Ironman training and competition time it helped me to stretch my whole body regularly and to prevent muscle shortening caused by training. 

The competitions are long in the past but the Bikram yoga has remained. No, it has even intensified: In the fall of 2022, I used my 3-month sabbatical for Teacher Training in Thailand and Australia. In December 2022 the next, interesting Bikram time as a teacher has started and of course you will still find me practicing on the mat. 

I've been doing sport/fitness since I was a child and have practiced and tried out lots of different sports. I'm no stranger to competitive sport. I never really had any real access to yoga, but I wanted to find a balance to regular sport and tried a few things, but it wasn't for me (yet). Then I saw/heard about Bikram Hot Yoga for the first time in a TV report and thought it might be something for me. "No sweat, no gain"! Then in 2015 I had my 1st class in Berlin. WOW! That's exactly what I was looking for and found. For me, Bikram Yoga combines all the attributes that make up an athlete and life in general (balance, focus, continuity, concentration, mental strength, not giving up, working on yourself, improving and much, much more....). My desire to work on these attributes together with you and my journey as an official "Bikram Yoga Teacher" started in October 2023. Of course, you will still find me practicing either behind, next to or in front of you on the mat. Remember, every day is different, but don't give up! 

My favorite pose: 

Standing Head to Knee Pose

After I ended my dancing career as a young person, I searched for a long time for a training substitute. A friend recommended Bikram yoga to me with the words: "Torsten, that's something for you". And yes, he was right - everything is right: Space, time and body. We are all learners and teachers and so it was only logical for me, to pass on what I had learned as a teacher. So I completed the Evolation Hot Yoga Teacher Training in Paris in 2016. Since then, I have seen many practitioners come to class and leave with a smile. (whether with physical or mental ailments or simply to improve their physical or mental state)

Guiding people to become a better version of themselves through consistent practice also makes me a happy person and I am happy and grateful to be able to teach.