Every teacher at Bikram Yoga KW and at Bikram Yoga studios around the world, has completed an intensive 9 week training with Bikram Choudhury (born 1946). Bikram Choudhury is the originator of the world-famous Bikram Yoga series and the founder of hot yoga.

This intensive training is equal parts;

• yoga practice: two Bikram classes per day for 9 weeks
• training to be an instructor
• studies of anatomy, physiology and Eastern Spirituality

It is one of the most comprehensive Yoga Teacher Trainings on the planet.

Our Teachers

David Tiviluk

Guiding Teacher, Owner/Director Bikram Yoga Kitchener-Waterloo
David was voted “Best Yoga Teacher” in the Waterloo Region in both the 2009 and 2010 ECHO Reader’s Choice Awards. He began practicing yoga at the age of 16 at a yoga studio across the street from his high school and thus began a life-long love affair with Eastern spiritual practices and philosophy. He has an extensive background in Buddhist meditation as well as yoga practice.

Having graduated with an Honours B.A. in English Literature from the University of Toronto, he then completed a Bachelor of Education from McGill University. He spent 13 years as a tree-planter in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, while attending University and beyond.

It was during his first full year of teaching at an alternative school in Vancouver that he discovered Bikram Yoga. His first class had a profoundly powerful effect on him. Having tried most of the major forms of yoga practice at that time, it was by far the most transformative practice he had ever done: “I had never before experienced such holistic, exhilarating and immediate benefits —physically, emotionally, spiritually – from any yoga practice or any other type of exercise in my life. I was hooked from the first class.” He immediately resolved to become a teacher of this life-transforming series.

David graduated from the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in the fall of 2003. He taught throughout Canada; Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec—as well as in California before opening Bikram Yoga Kitchener-Waterloo on April 12, 2008.

David has a deep passion for and commitment to sharing his love of Bikram Yoga with the public. Posture-by-posture and breath-by-breath he knows from abundant first-hand experience, as well as the testimonials of hundreds, if not thousands of students, the life-transforming and uplifting benefits of a regular Bikram Yoga practice:

“In my teaching, I seek to marry the exhilarating physical, emotional and spiritual benefits of the Bikram practice with a meditative consciousness and direction, whereby each person in the room, regardless of their age, physical and mental condition may leave the room with an uplifted sense of contentment and well-being — ideally with a sense of ease and peace which goes beyond this world.”

Denis D.

Hi my name is Denis. I was introduced to Bikram Yoga in 2005 in Vancouver due to some back issues I was having at that time. Little did I know how much Bikram Yoga would change my life!

Being a strong and able bodied young man I had the world in my palms and took full advantage of it. Having cycled 3000 kms in 2007 from Vancouver Island to California in just 35 days, I felt invincible! It wasn’t until May 2008 when I was faced with one of the most trying events of my life, the universe showed me otherwise.

After just having bought a new motorcycle, going on a ride with no idea what was about to happen. Due to weather conditions and inexperience I lost control of the motorcycle and had to dislodge at high speeds to avoid hitting the car. The car I was trying to avoid hitting ended up running over my body.

This accident left me with a lengthy list of injuries ranging from a dislocated hip to broken femur in three places, broken knees, broken tibia/fibula, broken ankles, and broken shoulder; over stretched ligaments and tendons… And if that wasn’t enough, I had a nasty head injury with bleeding inside the front lobe. I was a wreck!! At that time the doctors didn’t think I was going to make it due to the intensity of my injuries and the amount of blood lost. They suggested my brain wasn’t going to recover. They contemplated amputating my left leg. At one point they didn’t know if I was going to be able to walk again, they told me for sure I would never run again!

7 surgeries and six and a half months in a wheel chair, my optimism and positive attitude persevered and I took my first steps just 6 and a half months after the accident.

Having attempted multiple methods to gain my full range of mobility and strength, I finally settled into a comfortable Bikram regime.

On the one year anniversary of my accident I walked the road to Santiago in Spain… the gruelling 810 kms walk reminded me that there is so much to live for and though it was painful and potentially even dangerous I successfully negotiated the walk with a great sense of accomplishment. With 45 days of nothing but silence and my own thoughts I had come to the decision that I was going to incorporate Bikram Yoga into my life even more.
The next year being 2009 I saturated myself into yoga and came to decide to take the Teacher Training, one of the best decisions I have ever made!

Today, besides the visible yet ‘stylish’ scars on my legs, you would have no idea I had any previous injuries! Not only am I walking, but I also ran for the first time while at Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in San Diego.
Now fully certified I look forward to helping other people who have lost hope and want to make positive changes by pushing themselves further. Bikram quotes: “Never too late, never too old, never too bad and never too sick” and I added “never too broken..to start from scratch once again.”
Namaste~