Teri Almquist - Studio Director

Teri Almquist is a life-long resident of Massachusetts.  Teri was raised with her four sisters in Medford, Massachusetts by her parents, Jane, a stay-at-home mom, and Henry, a firefighter. Her parents, as well as her grandfather, who was the sergeant of police in Medford, instilled in her a sense of community and duty of service to others.  

In 1984, Teri started a family, and now has two daughters.  While her children were younger, she worked as a mental health care worker in a variety of setting including group homes, day programs and hospitals. This work focused primarily on working with the Deaf Mentally Retarded/ Mentally Ill population. In 1995, while at work, she sustained a spinal injury to her neck that severely impaired her ability to move her head. Despite her injury, she continued to work in the mental health field for many years.

In 1996, Teri moved her family to Haverhill to continue her education at Northern Essex Community College. She graduated in 1997 with a degree in Deaf Studies and became a Sign Language Interpreter. Teri went on to work as a freelance interpreter as well as running the Deaf Studies Lab at Northern Essex Community College a position she held for eight years.

Teri was introduced to Bikram Yoga by her sister, and instantly she realized that yoga would heal her neck injury.  After just a few months of practice, she saw great improvement to her head movement. She continued a regular yoga practice. Teri left her job at Northern Essex in 2005 to pursue her new-found passion for yoga, and went to Los Angeles, CA to train to become a Bikram Yoga instructor. Today Teri is a certified Bikram Yoga instructor who  taught in West Roxbury, Stoughton, Swampscott and other Bikram studios in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Her goal was always to open a Bikram Yoga Studio in the Merrimack Valley area to allow others to reap the benefits this practice brought to her.

Louise Giordani - Instructor

Louise went to her first Bikram Yoga class in 2000 while recuperating from knee surgery. She was looking for an activity to temporarily supplement her daily running routine. That first class was as exhilarating as it was humbling - it was nothing that she expected from a yoga class. Louise was intrigiued to think that she actually liked being indoors,in just one spot for 90 minutes and then finished feeling reenergized. A foot injury finally forced her off the road and into the yoga room on a permanent basis. She believes that the yoga fills its promises to "reshape and heal your body, reduce tension and stress, change your body, change your mind." The yoga helps her work through years of daily life - car accidents, broken bones, falls, sports accidents, 20+ years of running, habitual behavior, and a sedentary corporate career. After 4 years of a regular daily practice Louise went to the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training and received her certificate in June 2007. She continues her dedication to her practice and teaching while running her own internet development company.

Norman O'Neil - Instructor

Norman's first yoga experience was watching Nadar Shagagi's 2-hour Hatha Yoga DVD. Everyone in the family was interested in what was going on - the dog, the cat and the 2 parrots were all fascinated watching Norman as he attempted sun salutations with a cigarette in his mouth and a cup of coffee at his side. This was obviously not going to work. Too much distraction, so he took a hiatus from yoga for a couple of years. Then in April of 2003 after playing squash all winter and overextending everything he went to his first Bikram Yoga class in Portsmouth, NH. Wow, incredible, the rush of fresh oxygen to every nicotine soaked part of his body hooked him and he was on his way to a daily yoga practice. Norman went to class every day for 78 days and then continued practicing 6 to 8 classes a week for 4 years. Finally he quit smoking after 30 years; there was not enough room for the smoke, nicotine and Yoga. After practicing 4 1/2 years, Norman went to Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in the Fall of 2007. He now teaches in several studios in the Boston area and runs an internet development business.

Michelle Rodham - Instructor

Michelle took her first Bikram Yoga class in the Winter of 2002 in Key West, Florida. She has been a dedicated practitioner ever since. She loves the challenge of the postures and the mental focus of the class. She had never thought a 90-minute class could change the rest of her life in so many positive ways.

In Spring 2006, Michelle finally headed to Los Angeles to complete her Bikram Yoga teachers' certification training. Since her return, she has never looked back. She finds teaching as rewarding as being a student and encourages anyone and everyone to come and experience the healing power of Bikram Yoga.