Ravinder
After taking her first hot yoga class, Ravinder was shaking. She had just survived 90 minutes of sweating and holding poses that must have looked so easy from outside the room. She couldn’t wait to do it again. And again. From her practice grew a passion….a passion to share this healing practice with her local community. She sent out on a quest to build her practice, become a certified teacher, built up hours upon hours of teaching experience at Bikram Headquarters, Encino and Studio City, honed in her skills and deepened her knowledge and understanding, and built and opened Hot For Yoga in Santa Clarita, CA.
She’s completed trainings/certifications in Bikram Yoga, Inferno Hot Pilates, 500hr YTT (Vinyasa, Prenatal, Restorative, Subtle Bodies, Trauma Informed Yoga, Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Adaptive Yoga) and is a Reiki 1 and 2 practitioner.
Malory
In 2017 she studied the hatha yoga tradition of the 84 asanas in Costa Rica, which included the hot yoga tradition of the 26&2 with Esak and Radah Garcia in Boulder, Colorado.
LINDSAY
Lindsay has been practicing yoga for nearly 20 years, after a friend in college introduced her to the practice to help relieve stress and calm her mind during final exams. Occasionally her yoga practice has ebbed and flowed, but when life felt challenging she always found herself returning to the mat. Through her yoga practice, Lindsay has found peace, balance and confidence, different from other types of workouts. She learned the importance of yoga to both the mind and body.
When the opportunity presented itself for Lindsay to earn her RYT-200 certification through a Yoga-Alliance approved program, she jumped at the chance. Lindsay has gained so much through her own practice and loves sharing the joys and benefits of yoga with others. Lindsay enjoys teaching Hatha and Vinyasa style yoga classes and incorporating pranayama and meditation into her practices. Lindsay’s intent is that you leave her class feeling strong, balanced and restored in mind and body.
When Lindsay is not practicing yoga she enjoys spending time with family and friends, embracing nature as an avid camper and hiker, listening to music, and reading a great book.
Janna
To be honest, I never had experienced any physical body issues before trying Hot Yoga. I was an avid treadmill runner, I took tons of cardio, step, and weight lifting classes, and I also danced on stage professionally. I considered myself to be quite fit. But, until I tried hot yoga, I’ll admit, I got bored at the gym. I often tried to pass the time watching TV while running on the treadmill. I felt like I was just biding my time in cardio class because my body got so conditioned to the movement, and weight lifting tended to make my arms look bulky, not lean.
I tried Hot Yoga in 2008 for the first time in the Philippines. I was doing a show in Manila and the Hotel gym was very small and uninspiring. My first Hot Yoga class, I was completely hooked! It was extremely difficult, even though I was pretty flexible and had decent coordination. The heat was beyond anything I had ever experienced and I had to focus so intently on my breath that it forced me to stay completely present. Even though the class was so intense, after class I felt euphoric. I continued to go to class and felt so renewed it made me giddy, like I had discovered a secret that know one else knew about.
I continued taking class throughout my travels and when I came back home, I knew that yoga was something I would do for the rest of my life. I also wanted to share my passion by becoming a teacher.
I have been a certified Hot Yoga Instructor since Spring of 2012, and I absolutely love teaching. I’ve dealt with personal injuries myself and I feel it has improved my teaching. I experience painful arthritis in my knees, and have bulging discs in my lumbar spine. Because of these injuries, I’ve had to find ways to modify postures and be patient with my body. The act of having to listen to my own body has made me more sensitive and aware with my students. Even though I’m committed to the accuracy and technicality of the yoga postures, I also thrive on creative ways to explore yoga posture modifications so that all students can know that any body type is capable of doing yoga.
I teach the traditional Bikram 90. My class is for everyone at any level in their yoga journey. I can promise you two things if you take my class…you will have fun and you will feel better than you did after completing my class. I can’t wait to see you in the Hot Room!!
Jeff
Jeff Pilson is probably most known as the bass player, songwriter and background vocalist for the legendary band Dokken. He’s also had stints with the bands Dio, MSG and his own band War and Peace. Currently he is with the classic rock band Foreigner, where he not only serves as bassist and musical director but also as the band’s producer on many of their CD releases since 2005.
What people likely DON’T know about Pilson is his passion and commitment to the study and practice of yoga.
Pilson’s yoga journey began in 1978 following a debilitating back injury. Soon after, he was studying hatha yoga and meditation with yoga legend Richard Hittleman who is best known for his PBS television series Yoga for Health in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Through his TV series, books and videos, Hittleman is widely credited for bringing the practice of yoga to more people in the west than anyone before or since. Since Hittleman’s passing in 1991 Pilson has studied extensively with Yogi Michaeline Kiss in both New York and San Francisco.
Pilson credits yoga postures and meditation as the vital tools to keep him “sane and healthy” in a vigorous road life that often entails travelling 10 months of the year. His teaching of yoga meditation and mild postures is designed to introduce students to several time tested ancient meditation techniques and then allow them to naturally adapt to whichever one or ones best suits them.
There is no such thing as too old to start a successful yoga practice, and meditation often proves to be a life changing experience that has no equal.
“The Self Realized state is the natural state. All one need do is remove the obstruction of the mind.” –Ramana Maharshi/ Guru to Richard Hittleman
LACEY
TOSHA
Tosha Kemper, a seasoned yoga instructor with over seven years of experience, specializes in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Restorative practices. As a dedicated practitioner, she is not only a skilled yoga teacher but also a Reiki Master and Thai Massage Therapist. Tosha’s teachings extend beyond the physical postures, emphasizing the importance of breath techniques and meditations to cultivate a holistic mind-body connection.
With a profound belief in the transformative power of yoga, Tosha encourages her students to connect with the present moment, fostering a sense of unity with others and a deeper connection to their highest selves. Her approach to yoga extends beyond the mat, advocating for simple everyday practices that facilitate mindfulness and self-awareness. Through her guidance, Tosha inspires her students to embrace the journey of self-discovery, finding harmony and balance in both their practice and daily lives.
Lexy
Lexy is a bit of a gypsy. Born in Texas and on her journey through life has called Colorado, New York and California home as well. She loves to go on adventures, connecting to nature, living holistically, hugging, laughing and being in the moment.
Yoga Journey:
Having discovered yoga over 30 years ago, Lexy would find herself going in and out of her practice over the years. Moving away from it in times that she needed it most. For her, yoga represents a safe and peaceful place where she allows herself to explore and find stillness. It’s like connecting to a source of energy that fills her up and allows for her to move through life with more grace and confidence.
It wasn’t until she got pregnant 2011 that she made a promise to herself to always keep connected to her practice. After becoming a mama, yoga became even more important to her and she had to make conscious efforts to not let her mama gig pull her away. In 2019 she decided to take teacher training at her local studio as a way to carve out time for herself and deepen her practice. That led to her becoming a yoga teacher and eventually managing a yoga studio.
Along her journey she discovered a true passion in teaching Restorative and Yin Yoga. She went on to study with Judith Hanson Lasater and Paul Grilley. She is also a Sound Healer, Master Reiki Practitioner, Tea Ceremonialist, Herbalist in training with School Sacred Wild, and Founded EARTH MAMA HEALING
What should you expect from a class with Lexy?
It’s Lexy’s hope that from the moment you enter her class you feel a warm and welcoming vibe. Her classes are accessible to all, meeting you right where you are. Being a Restorative and Yin Yoga Teacher, you can expect her classes to remind each person to honor where they are as she gently guides you offering variations and encouraging you to discover the beauty of using props and exploring.
Olivia
Neetu
Neetu Chawla was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and has practiced yoga for over 20 years in both the United States and India. As a woman of Indian and Hindu descent, she learned from an early age about the way that spirituality is interconnected with yoga asanas from her mother. She also has a deep understanding of the significance of Hindu philosophy and Ayurveda and weaves these elements into her yoga practice. She is a 200 hr RYT who completed her training from the Body of Light School of Yoga. She also has a PhD and Masters in Public Health from UCLA and is a cancer researcher. Her work focuses on breast and colorectal cancers as well as cancers affecting adolescents and young adults. With this background, she brings an awareness of the many positive impacts that yoga has on the body from a scientific perspective.
For her, yoga represents the intersection of physical movement with breath, meditation, and spirituality that restores a sense of stillness, mindfulness, and balance to our busy lives. She is also a former tennis athlete and dancer who brings a passion for physical fitness and dynamic movement to her yoga practice alongside a deep and personal understanding of working through injuries and optimizing recovery. While bringing these elements to her practice, she also approaches yoga with a sense of curiosity, joyfulness, and innocence. She believes that the journey which begins on the mat, leads each student to their innermost and highest self –a place of empowerment, depth, and self-evolution. In her classes, she invites her students to explore their own unique path towards spiritual, mental, and physical growth and engage with their own journey of self-discovery.
Michelle
Yoga is my absolute medicine. I started practicing yoga 10 years ago and was completely hooked.
I was going through a rough time, and yoga opened up a door of healing and presence that I so deeply needed in my life at that time. I knew that it was going to become apart of my everyday life and it did. I started doing free youtube yoga videos and meditating and immediately started to feel the positive effects. I would attend classes and go to the only studio that was really open out here in Santa Clarita and local gyms and continue to deepen my practice. I started to feel the call to teach and would hold impromptu yoga sessions for friends and family and felt so aligned doing it. I knew I wanted to become certified and teach officially!
In 2019 I completed my 200 hr ytt in Thailand in vinyasa style yoga and was so excited to share this practice back home. I started to teach private lessons, and kid yoga at a local preschool and felt so embodied in my purpose. After that I landed in Brazil and was teaching at a Surf Hostel while also practicing daily to again dive deeper and learn more about yoga as a way of life. Coming back to the US, I started to teach more private lessons and then eventually landed at my first studio job! I am so happy to be in studio spaces mainly now as my way of offering yoga to my community.
I teach Vinyasa and Hatha style, but also love intuitive movement and listening to what the body needs. Maybe that’s a power flow one day and slow juicy hip and heart openers the next day! I am merely a guide to help you feel empowered in your asanas and breath, and hope to hold space for you to find your greatest strength and awareness. ♥️
I am forever grateful to have this beautiful philosophy in my life and even more grateful that I get to help others receive it’s teachings as well.
Ana
Bailey
Bailey is not only the official greeter and protector of Hot For Yoga, she also successfully completed obedience training at a very young age. She is a master at savasana and downward dog. She loves to hike, and would love for you to join her on a guided tour. She’ll show you all the best smelling places along the trail and also the best places to rest and take a sip of water!
Keep an eye out for pop-up hikes on the schedule, and please join her…feel free to bring your friends, family and hiking dogs!
Gloria
At the age of fifteen, Gloria received a Certified Title as a dance instructor from the prestigious Conservatorio Alvistur in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At that early age she formed her own Dance Troupe and started to teach children of all ages how to dance folklore Argentino (Gauchos) and tango. Gloria has worked as a professional dancer alongside the stars in Argentine Tango, sharing the stage with the most international renowned artists. She has toured receiving accolades throughout Asia, Europe, South America and the United States. Her passion and advocacy for the arts, education and wellness has led her to create a different approach of teaching, thus creating different programs to meet the needs of each individual person. Gloria has created a tango dance program for the blind at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles, where she has volunteered for several years.
Gloria is a certified kids and teens Yoga instructor. She combines Yoga, meditation and mindfulness in her classes, bringing a greater health, happiness and well-being into the children’s lives. She has created an Art, Science, Technology and Mindfulness educational program called Kids of Tomorrow. Her vision is to help and guide children around the world to embody their infinite potential in ways that are healthy and positive for their physical and emotional well-being. Helping kids to discover and actualize their talents, gifts and life purpose. Gloria believes that more than ever, young people need to find hope, direction, and passion to live healthy and inspired lives.
Gloria is a natural born healer and mentor. On her passionate quest to help others, she became a Reiki Master, Past Life Regression Therapist (QHHT), Sound Healer and Akashic Records Practitioner. She helps and guides people awake to their missions and life purpose as well as to make positive changes in their lives and achieve a healthy balance of body, mind and spirit.
As a Sound Healer she has created a music album called “Creation to Ascension”. In this album she combines binaural sounds with healing energy, helping people to relax, meditate and reach an optimal health. Her music can be found in Spotify, Apple Music, ITunes and Pandora.
Gloria shares her wisdom and knowledge with us at Hot For Yoga during monthly Sound Baths with Reiki.
YOU?
Join Our HFY Team!
Hot For Yoga is expanding!
Here are some marked characteristics of our current team. If this sounds like you, let’s talk about you joining us:
- Are you comfortable engaging with people?
- Do you actively seek joy in life?
- Are you driven to deliver a fantastic class…every single time?
- Do you thrive on helping others become their best selves?
- Do you enjoy supporting others in their successes?
- Have you ever been face down at another yoga studio, smelling other people’s stink and staring at dust and hair on the floor, and thought to yourself “OMG, if I could just get my hands on a mop, I would clean the heck out of this floor!”
- Do fingerprints and sweat on mirrors make you insane?
- Are you a problem-solver?
- Are you a team player?
- Would you like to have a voice at your workplace?
- Are you reliable and committed?
We’re currently looking for:
- Hot Yoga Teacher: We are looking for an experienced Hot Yoga Teacher who can teach a solid 26 & 2 or Bikram class. Plus, if you can teach other modalities.
- Hot Pilates Teacher: We are looking for an experienced Hot Pilates Teacher to join our team! Plus, if you can teach other modalities.
- Vinyasa Teacher: We are looking for an experienced Vinyasa Teacher to join our team. Plus, if you can teach other modalities.
- Yin/Restorative Yoga Teacher: We are looking for an experienced Yin and/or Restorative Yoga Teacher to join our team. Plus, if you can teach other modalities.
Email hotforyogascv@gmail.com to discuss!
