“We serve the community by offering yoga as a means to heal, become stronger, develop inner awareness and to unify the body/mind/spirit to prevent challenges yet to come. We are here to inspire your intelligence! “It is not what yoga is, but what yoga does or gives”.
Our Team
Amanda Griggs
Amanda holds a Level 2 certification in Iyengar Yoga under the guidance of Senior teachers Chris Saudek and Holly Kostura. She has practiced the Iyengar method since 2003, studied at RIYMI in Pune, India and attended multiple Iyengar conventions under the instruction of the Iyengar family.
Her passion for sharing yoga ignited in 2008 after finishing a month in drug and alcohol treatment. It was then she experienced a profound transformation from starting a daily yoga practice. As friends gathered to practice with her, Amanda witnessed the infectious enthusiasm that developed and realized her own ability to connect with others through teaching and became committed to inspiring others to discover the healing power of yoga.
Amanda writes: “Yoga’s safe space helps me shine light on my inner struggles. The practice brings awareness that guides me through tough challenges and gives me tools for positive change. Each day’s practice inspires me to help others with the new energy found through my recovery. Yoga truely has saved my life by calling me to be more present, accepting of my body/mind, and engaged in the pursuit of wellness for all beings. Opening my heart/story to others brings hope. I am dedicated to sharing yoga’s healing.”
Grushenka Wolfgang
Grushenka is a Level 1 certified Iyengar teacher. Throughout her life Grushenka has been an active person, initially with dance classes, then as a competitive ice skater, ice skating coach, and more recently as a yoga practitioner and teacher. As someone with a career in the sciences, she was drawn to the precision-based teaching of traditional alignment-based yoga as well as the experimental aspects of Iyengar yoga. Grushenka was introduced to yoga at BIYC in 2012 and after completing teacher training with Ray Madigan (CIYT Level 3), she began teaching at BIYC.
Grushenka has a BS in Biology, an MS in Pharmacology and Toxicology and a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology; and is a board-certified toxicologist.
Grushenka believes yoga is for everyone and is committed to sharing the many benefits of yoga with students.
Joanne Murray
A native New Yorker, Joanne was drawn to Hawaii through her love of surfing; and her home has been on the Big Island since 1972. She began her Yoga studies in 1993, with certified Iyengar instructor Darina Archer, the founder of BIYC. As she saw her own health, spirit and well-being benefit from her practice, Joanne began attending teacher trainings with Aadil Palkhivala in 1996. She completed teacher training with Iyengar teacher Ray Madigan (Level 3) and graduated from the 200 hour teacher training at BIYC with Jennifer Weinert, in 2010.
Joanne feels privileged to share with her students her dedication and her love for her practice, experiencing the practice itself as a continual process of personal growth. She is particularly interested in Yoga philosophy. Joanne also focuses her talents in agriculture on Hawaii Island, as her “earthly dharma”, and has raised queen bees for export worldwide.
Reagan Breen
I believe we are powerful beings capable of creating our own state of wholeness and wellbeing. Yoga has been one of my most passionate and transformative tools. One of my teachers once said, “It’s not what yoga is, it’s what it does”. It has brought me deep and meaningful awareness, a flexible mind, a sense of feeling alive, fullness and embodiment. Yoga has been my lifestyle for 35 years, little did I know how much it would provide for me in my later years! To feel alive, pain free and able to move with grace are the greatest gifts yet! I became a teacher because I wanted to know more and be able to help empower others to create higher levels of health. I have found it to be my greatest asset!
My path has been one of returning to myself and to the love that expands us all and brings light to others as a result. I began doing yoga at age 15 and have been practicing steadily since 1984. I have studied with many Certified Iyengar yoga teachers over the years and in 2018 became certified. I am a Level 1 CIYT. In addition I am a Certified Life Coach and professional clairvoyant, venues which also have enriched and developed my spiritual foundations and allowed deep, powerful healing and transformation. It is my honor and privilege to share what I know with others.