Diane Ducharme was the first Bikram Yoga College of India graduate to open a Bikram Yoga studio in Massachusetts. Yoga for You was established in West Roxbury in October 1995.

We are a group of dedicated teachers here to serve you. Come in and feel the difference experience makes. For new students, the most important thing is learning and trying the right way from the very first class, and for students already doing Bikram yoga you will go to a deeper level of practice I promise.

Director, Diane Ducharme: I took my first Bikram yoga class in 1985 with my original teacher Madelyn Mederois. I knew from that very first class that this yoga would be part of my life and that I would teach it. I began teaching the yoga shortly after I learned it and long before teacher training. There were no Bikram certified teachers in Massachusetts at that time. I did many practices on my own or with groups of people as I taught them.

Bikram started his certification program in 1994. I rearranged my life in a big way and went to his second training in January 1995. There were only 30 people in my training. I felt an instant connection with Bikram. In postures clinics I was taught directly by Bikram how to read bodies (when to correct, how to correct, how much the individual body is capable of doing), how to teach people with positive outcomes, and how important this yoga is to the human body, mind, and soul.

I am committed to teaching Bikram yoga the very same way I was taught.  I continue to stay connected to Bikram, the Yoga College of India, and the teacher training and continue my study of this incredible series.  I am a senior Bikram Yoga teacher endorsed by Bikram to conduct seminars, workshops, and posture clinics around the world.  Feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   for more information on conducting a seminar in your school. 

I am grateful to my teachers and especially to my students who help me to continue to grow.

Bikram Choudhury certifies ALL teachers at Yoga for You. Learn more...

STAFF:

Ron Bourque began taking Bikram yoga at Yoga for You in 1996 because of frequently pulled muscles from gym workouts and really tight quads due to his love of bicycling. He completely healed a 10-year old, reoccurring shoulder injury as well as chronic hip problems he was having as a result of a broken toe. He graduated from the Yoga College of India in June, 2000 while still a Brookline firefighter.  Today he is a retired firefighter and a part-time carpenter.  He still enjoys his passion for bicycling and travel. 

Deborah Bluestein stumbled upon Bikram yoga in 1994 in Los Angeles and took her first class at Yoga for You when it first opened in October 1995. She had been interested in hatha yoga since the 1960's. Deborah graduated from the Yoga College of India in November, 2000 and considers her practice a tool that energizes her creative work in writing and design, and her teaching as an opportunity to share her love of this healing practice with others.

Sarah Canfield returned to Bikram Yoga for You after a four year hiatus where she had studied other yoga styles.  Sarah says, "all yoga is good yoga, but I feel most connected to the Bikram Yoga.  My own practice has been a major component in healing from and overcoming addiction, depression, and anxiety."  Sarah graduated from the Yoga College of India, Palm Desert, California, in the Spring of 2009 and has been teaching full-time since then.  "I feel privledged and honored to be able to share yoga with others."

Ralph Donabed came to Yoga for You in 1999 ready for a meaningful change in his life and graduated from the Yoga College of India in June 2002. The yoga did change his life, and he found the path to the mind/body connection he had been looking for. Ralph says, "being able to teach Bikram yoga is an honor. I've never learned anything more valuable that I've wanted to be able to pass along."

Audrey Holst began practicing Bikram yoga in June 2006 at the urging of a co-worker.  Injuries sustained from running cross-country competitively in high school had left her with chronic back pain. She had been unable to find any exercise that she could do without extreme discomfort.  Even though the first class she took left her feeling like she was run over by the "yoga bus", she loved the challenge and became a regular practitioner.  The consistent practice restroed her health and eliminated her back pain.  Audrey graduated from the Yoga College of India (Hawaii) in November, 2007 and now teaches yoga fulll time.  She thinks helping people to heal their bodies is the best job in the world.

Scott Robinson was looking for an alternative to the gym as a means to lose weight and stay healthy.  Despite feeling dizzy and having to sit down and rest 3 times in his first class at Yoga for You, Scott was awe-struck by the power of Bikram Yoga.  After nearly 4 months of consistent practice and a 30-pound weight loss, he saw Bikram Yoga as a wellness program designed to heal and maintain both physical and mental wholeness.  He loves the "we're in this together" attitude and feels that just by showing up and working hard, both students and teachers provide each other with tremendous support.  In Spring of 2007 Scott attending the Yoga College of India Teacher Training (Hawaii) and now helps and guides others to living healthier lives.  In addition to practicing and teaching Bikram Yoga, Scott maintains a full time job as a Registered Nurse.

Margie J. Topf  "I love practicing and teaching Bikram yoga.  At this stage of my life, I am deeply committed to sharing my passion for this yoga, which has healed me on physical, emotional and spiritual levels very deeply." Since becoming certified as a Bikram Yoga Teacher, Margie has also traveled to, worked for, and practiced this dynamic yoga at other Bikram studios worldwide. Margie's background includes dancer, educator, choreographer, and founder of the MJT Dance Company. She began practicing Bikram yoga in 2001 as the start of a new mid-life journey and went to Teacher Training in Los Angeles, California in January, 2004. "The teacher training experience was the most difficult and amazing period in my life, and I will always be grateful for this life-changing opportunity." She enjoys teaching and brings her passion for movement and body awareness into each class experience. 

Maria Wolman started practicing Bikram Yoga as a senior in college in the winter of 2006 while training for the Boston Marathon.  Even though her first class was incredibly challenging and overwhelming, she felt that adding yoga to her exercise routine would provide a great balance to all of her running.  Maria continued her yoga practice after the marathon because the physical benefits (more energy, strength, flexibility and balance), and the mental and emotional benefits were so great that she fell in love with the practice.  She found she had more patience, more discipline, and overall was just a happier person.   Maria graduated from the Yoga College of India (Acapulco, Mexico) in June 2008 and hopes to help other practitioners, whether they are old, young, sick, healthy, new to the yoga, or experienced veterans find health and well-being.  By the way, she still finds Bikram Yoga to be incredibly challenging and overwhelming at times.