Instructors

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Marna, owner of Pacific Blue Yoga, began practicing Bikram Yoga in 2002 when the Laguna Beach studio first opened.  Marna became a Bikram certified instructor and started teaching in 2003, eventually helping manage the studio until she purchased it in 2007. She is also a certified Yoga Sculpt instructor. Since 2003 Marna has taught over 4000 yoga classes. 

In addition to her ownership responsibilities, Marna continues to regularly pratice Bikram's beginning and advanced yoga series as well has Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Yin

Patrice started her yoga practice in 1991 and completed the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in 2001. In 2002 she opened Bikram Yoga, Costa Mesa,CA. For 13 years, BYCM was a leading yoga studio in Southern California, home to over 10,000 students. Closing her studio in 2014, Patrice shared her love of yoga with children, co-founding Smiling Monkey Yoga in April 2010. In November 2014, she published and released her first book, Take Up Your Mat and Walk about being faithful to God, being strong, using prayer and meditation to live a more purposeful life. Having a regular Bikram and (occasional)Ashtanga practice Patrice is considered a Master Teacher of the "original hot yoga"-the Bikram technique and has assisted in many teacher trainings conducted globally. Currently, she is a contributing staff writer for the online (digital) magazine, based in Toronto, Canada-"Shut Up & Yoga". www.shutupandyoga.com. In early 2018, Smiling Monkey Yoga will release it's first published children's yoga teaching manual-Teach Children:Change Lives The Smiling Monkey Yoga Teacher Guide. Teaching the original Bikram Yoga technique is a passion and a mission for Patrice. 

Michele grew up in Laguna Beach and is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Conservation and Resource studies. In 2007, she began practicing Bikram yoga at the Laguna Beach studio and it quickly became an integral part of her life. Bikram yoga changed her life in many ways. She lost 30 pounds, and felt much happier and more focused. In 2012, Michele went to Bikram teacher training. She says that every class is an honor to teach. She loves that teaching gives her the opportunity to affect peoples lives and encourage them to make good changes. Her favorite thing about teaching is working with students who have never practiced yoga. "I’ve watched students who cannot stand on one leg or touch their toes but do not give up. They practice consistently with determination and within a few months do things they never thought possible. It’s truly amazing to see these transformations!"

David had the great fortune of meeting the renowned yogi Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (Guruji) in 1989 just a few months after beginning yoga in Santa Barbara. David has learned Ashtanga almost entirely from Guruji, his daughter, Saraswathi, and his the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (AYRI) and, more recently, the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI). 

In 2000, David received Guruji’s blessings and permission to teach, and from Sharath in 2009. In addition to his continued studies with Sharath Jois, David studies Sanskrit with Vidwan Shrikantha Shastri and the Yoga Sūtras in the lineage of TKV Desikachar.

David has been teaching yoga since 1990, including 13 years of continuous Mysore Style Ashtanga instruction. He also teaches Sanskrit chanting and philosophy, and is the author of “Sanskrit and Chanting: a workbook for yoga practitioners.” David has great respect for the depth of yoga and a commitment to the three tenants of yoga practice (practice, study, and devotional non-attachment). The knowledge he has gained from decades of devoted practice and study, complimented by an understanding of the structure and energetics of the human form gained from studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine, shine forth in David’s teaching in a way that is both fresh and authentic.grandson, Sharath Jois, making numerous extensive trips to South India to learn from them at

Chris began practicing Bikram Yoga in 2005. He originally sought out yoga as  a way to stay balanced and flexible. His first week in the room was overwhelming but he continued to come. What started as merely exercise became a tool to calm and focus his mind and push himself to be the best he could be.

He competed in the USA Yoga 2007 Asana Championships. Later that year he was faced with an unavoidable spinal fusion surgery due to extreme scoliosis. He was told yoga would no longer be a part of his life. He did not take no for an answer coming back to Bikram Yoga ten months after surgery. He focused on Bikram’s motto: It's never too late, it's never too bad, and you're never too old or too sick to start from scratch once again. Getting back to his practice was one of the most challenging yet rewarding times of his life.

In 2010 he decided to attend Bikram Teacher Training in Los Angeles. It is an honor and joy to share the benefits of this yoga with students. Chris says Bikram Yoga will be with him for life, because of the results, both physical and mental.