INSTRUCTORS

In 2007, Bixi was still a high school student and spontaneously attended her first Hatha yoga class at a gym. However, yoga did not impress her very much at that time. Coincidentally, a few months later, she received a book from her mother called "The Light of Yoga" by well-known yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar. In the book, Mr. Iyengar explained about yoga therapy for treating chronic diseases. Young Bixi was dubious about this therapeutic aspect of yoga, but this information remained in her head. Then in 2010, she suffered from a serious hyperthyroidism disease. While receiving medical treatments, she remembered the yoga asana practice described in that book about treating chronic diseases and signed up for her first yoga teacher certification training – as a patient. One month later, not only did she gain the qualifications of a teacher but she also recovered from all the symptoms. Even the doctor found it incredible. More importantly, through this short training, she started to become aware of her body and mind and finally understood the reason for her illness. From that moment on, her curiosity for learning about body and life and the desire to learn about the wisdom of controlling the mind arose in her heart. It is this kind of curiosity that has led her to go deeper into yoga practice and teaching. If the first training helped Bixi regain physical health, then the second training revealed to her the essence of yoga. At that time, she had lived in New York for years as an advertising creative at a 4A agency. In the intensity of daily battles with yearly advertising competitions, she had been attending Mysore practice every morning at her favourite studio ‘The Shala’. There, she was exposed to the most traditional practice and teaching methods as well as many excellent teachers. Some of them were funny and humorous, others were rather poetic, some teachers were strict but very professional and others were warmly encouraging. It was then that Bixi understood how the energy of a teacher has such a huge influence on students! Later, Bixi was fortunate to participate in the Atmananda Yoga teacher training by well-known New York teacher Jhon Tamayo. Jhon paid great attention to the language of teaching and the alignment. During the training, she learned to list 15 alignment points of downward facing dog in under one minute. She started to observe and study the body and emotions in each asana and also learned the art of teaching language. ‘Atmananda’ is a Sanskrit word, which according to Jhon means "Everyone has the potential to reach the peak of blissfulness." So he has been teaching students how to fish instead of feeding the fish, and Bixi always carries that with her in teaching. It is for this same reason that she never forces students or tells them how they should feel. Instead, she gives them freedom and guides them to feel the body, thereby helping them to awaken awareness and interest in their body and mind. She believes that when one becomes interested and aware of one’s life, one will truly want to be better from the inside. After leaving the advertising agency, Bixi taught at various yoga studios in New York as well as the Chinese Consulate in New York. She also went to volunteer and teach yoga in the Amazon rainforest and orphanages of Costa Rica. With these experiences, her classes always provide a sense of space and freedom. In a flow yoga class, she expresses the art of coordination between breath and body while in Yin Yoga, she focuses more on expressing the inner emotions. Bixi acknowledges that people have different bodies, personalities and postures – so teaching methods should also be adjusted accordingly. She tries to treat everyone individually and give corresponding guidance and corrections. In the process of teaching, she hopes to establish a unique connection to understand each student whilst simultaneously helping them to understand about their own body and mind. QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS • 50-hr Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification (Yin Yoga) – Certified by Chris Su, Chengdu, 2019 • Chuck Miller Ashtanga Workshop – Beijing, 2019 • Guy Donahaye Ashtanga Workshop – Jiaxing, 2019 • Philippa Asher Ashtanga Workshop – Jiaxing, 2019 • Meditation, Yoga Nidra and Pranayama – Swami Viswarupan, India, 2017/ 2018 • 200-hr Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification (Ashtanga Yoga) – Tattvaa Yogashala, India, 2017 • 200-hr Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification (Atmananda Yoga Sequence) – Atmananda Yoga, New York, 2016 • 150-hr Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification (Vinyasa Yoga) – Fine Yoga, Beijing, 2010 • 200-hr Hatha Yoga Teacher Training – HKSCA, Beijing, 2010 • 100-hr Pilates Training – HKSCA, Beijing, 2010