Kari walked into BL back in 2016 with the intent of healing an ankle injury. Little did she know that 7 years later she would be calling BL her home away from home and would have developed so many deep friendships. Kari shared with me that after that first class she left so “chilled out that I was immediately hooked.” She found that yoga calmed her anxiety more than anything before and she had a new passion and drive to want to teach. So in 2017 she went through BL’s teacher training. Although her intention of taking teacher training was to teach, she told me that she was super intimidated because the yoga classes were the best around, but she passed her feedback and has been teaching for us ever since. She said that one of the things she loves most about teaching is sharing her love of music with her students. She also loves creating challenging flows to go along with the music. One thing you might not know about Kari is that her “real job” is working at her mom’s accounting office. But when Kari is not in a yoga room or sitting at a desk, she is a very fun-loving person. In her free time, she loves to embrace lake living…surfing, paddle boarding, tubing, and floating on her boat. She loves hanging out with her friends, listening to podcasts, and reading (her favorite genre is mystery/suspense/true crime). Another example of Kari’s fun loving nature is that she drives a jeep often with the top down. She says if you’re wondering if it’s her - look for her crocheted wheel cover…it’s a dead giveaway. Kari we are so glad that you found your way to BL. And even if you came in thinking yoga could simply fix your ankle, you were quick to realize the myriad of other benefits of practicing yoga. And the best part is that you stepped out of your comfort zone, took the risk and became a teacher. What a gift this has given all our BL students for the past several years. Cheers to you Kari!!
I bumped into Steve coming out of a yoga class in Southfield at Center for Yoga back in 1998. At this time BL only offered fitness classes but I was fast becoming a fan of yoga and wanted to start offering it at BL. I asked Steve if he might be interested in teaching for me and, of course, he agreed and became the very first yoga teacher at BL!! Things that I’ve learned about Steve since that day we first met is that he is extremely kind and caring, not only toward his students but to everyone he crosses paths with. Way back when I first opened BL, we had some major flooding issues and Dave and I spent hours up at BL trying to prevent the flooding from ruining our carpet. Steve showed up multiple times to help us bringing a wet vac and carpet cleaners sometimes even late at night. Now I must admit that Chris and I have butted heads with Steve over one thing from time to time and that is time management. Steve’s generous mentality of wanting to make sure he thoroughly cares for each of his students has resulted in him consistently going over his allotted class time. Although we attempted to encourage him to shorten his classes, we eventually just gave him more time for his classes and learned not to put any class after his. (So don’t be in any hurry if you’re going to his class!) Although Steve has studied with many well-known yogis, he has developed his own eclectic style of teaching. He individualizes his class based on the needs of his students. Steve is a wealth of knowledge and has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Tulane University. But In his words…”I found that my true calling was to be a yogi.” Steve, we so appreciate your 25 years of helping so many students restore range of motion through your gentle and therapeutic approach to yoga. Biggest gift you have given me is that you taught me the value of “listening to my students” and to formulate verbiage and flows based on what I learned from watching and listening to them. This was some of the best advice I have ever been given and has stuck with me all these years. You will forever hold the claim to fame for bringing yoga to BL. As a result, you have been instrumental in allowing BL’s yoga program to better so many bodies and minds. Grateful for you Steve!
