Michele Pernetta

London's leading Bikram Yoga teacher Michele Pernetta, brought Bikram Yoga to Europe in 1994, and after teaching for 6 years she opened the first Bikram Yoga Studio in the UK, in London in 2000. She now co owns 3 studios, and spends her time running the studios, teaching, doing internships with newly qualified teachers and supporting their growth, as well as yoga workshops and retreats abroad.

Michele has 17 years Bikram Yoga teaching experience and nearly 20 years Bikram yoga practise. She is a Yoga Alliance certified Ashtanga Yoga Teacher and is also a martial arts black belt, with 8 years experience in Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do and is a certified massage therapist which gives her nearly 25 years experience in working with and understanding the body.

She has been a judge three times at the International Bishnu Charan Ghosh Yoga Championships held in Los Angeles, and a judge at the European, Ireland, Dutch and the six British Regional Yoga Asana Championships as well as head coach for the UK contestants. She has studied closely with Bikram Choudhury for many years, and has written and contributed to magazine and newspaper articles, TV and radio programmes on the subject of Yoga.

She also has been running popular yoga retreat holidays abroad for over 9 years.

Michele came to Bikram Yoga after both her knees were damaged by her martial arts training, and she was advised to have surgery. She healed both knees through Bikram Yoga and avoided surgery. Michele now has a special interest in working with people with injuries and special needs, "I find working with people's physical and emotional difficulties so inspiring, challenging and interesting. People's bravery, application, and patience always lifts my spirits and communicates to me the power yoga has to unleash the body's own healing mechanisms. These people are my teachers, and through them I am continually learning about how the body works, what it needs, and how yoga can be used as a tool for healing".

Harvey Koniak

After an illustrious career as one the UK's leading hair stylists with Vidal Sassoon tending to many renowned pop stars and actresses of the sixties, Harvey founded one of the first natural hairdressing salons in the world Molton Brown. inventing finger drying and bendy rollers, now staples of the industry worldwide. Harvey also founded a range of cosmetics and toiletries with his then wife  which is now the preferred choice of major hotels and airlines across the globe.

The years of hairdressing had a bad effect on Harvey's posture and he consequently took up yoga, finding that the effects of practising proved beneficial in many different ways. One day at his health club, his normal teacher was sick and his now business partner, Michele Pernetta, arrived with four heaters and proceeded to heat the room up. He hated the class and hated the heat, but the next day his body was humming! From then on, he became a Bikram devotee.

Two years later, he joined Michele as co-director to open the second London Studio (Michele had already opened Bikram North to great success) in Kilburn Lane, followed by another in Vestry Street. He completed his training with Bikram in LA in 2003 at the age of 57, awarded the Bengal Tiger award for his courage and commitment on the training.

Harvey feels blessed to be able to bring health, strength, flexibility and vitality to so many people as a teacher and facilitator.