Raquel Pelayo
Studio Owner / Bikram Yoga / Bikram 60
This Miami native began practicing Bikram Yoga at the age of 19. Not knowing much about yoga, Raquel found her first class extremely challenging, as most first time students do. After class she felt euphoric, untouchable and completely at peace. Her experience was other worldly and divine, having crossed some sort of threshold with no going back. She was hooked.
Raquel practiced everyday for a month and only wanted more. At the time, she was a student at the University of Central Florida and at home for the holidays. When she returned to school in Orlando, she found her local Bikram Yoga studio and continued her daily practice. Everything revolved around yoga. She had found magic, glowing from within.
Slightly clueless as to what college degree she wanted to pursue, Raquel chose the path of business which had opened an entrepreneurship division her senior year. During a lecture, her wise professor spoke life changing words, “Follow your passion and create a business doing what you love.”
Raquel was ignited. She clearly knew the answer as she asked herself, “What do I love? Yoga!” Her path was revealed.
Raquel graduated from UCF in 2006. One month later, she enthusiastically attended Bikram Yoga College of India in Los Angeles to attain her teacher certification. She returned home 9 weeks later and immediately began her teaching career in Aventura, FL. She has been a full time Bikram yoga teacher for 10 years and is now the humble yet proud owner of Glow hot yoga in Miami Beach. This is a dream come true for Raquel, who has long envisioned the sanctuary for her and her growing family of yogis.
“I have chosen to teach yoga because I feel a deep inner urge to help others experience what I have experienced in my practice. We need to shift our focus inward and yoga allows us to do just that. Through daily asana practice, we are able to renew the body, love the self, and evolve the spirit.”
John Elliott
Bikram Yoga / Bikram 60
John’s yoga journey began in 2001 in an effort to heal old discomforting injuries. He was in search of a more physical holistic approach to build strength and avoid surgery. John connected with Bikram yoga, finding the series beneficial for building strong healthy body and mind. In fall of 2003, John completed his teacher certification for Bikram yoga. His personal story inspired him to teach, as he knew first hand the healing power of a consistent dedicated daily yoga practice. Johns passion for the practice grows as he observes and guides his students through their own experience, bearing witness to constant progress and evolution. Today, John is pain free and believes “the yoga just works,” as he saw the change in himself and continues to see it in others. Now a world traveling instructor, Johns knowledge, humor, and contagious enthusiasm will make you crave his class, as he always leaves you challenged and wanting more.
Francesca Petrecca
Bikram Yoga / Bikram 60
Francesca was born in Napoli, Italy, and moved to the US in 2001. She began her yoga practice in 2006 in efforts to improve her flexibility while riding jumper and race horses. After a severe injury during a horse race, she turned to Bikram yoga for rehabilitation. As she continued her yoga practice, Francesca started feeling great improvement with her herniated disc, body flexibility, and mental well-being. She decided to put all her attention on becoming a yoga instructor in hopes of helping others heal with this ancient art as she did. Francesca moved to Miami from Brooklyn in August 2012. From there, she quickly traveled to Los Angeles for her Bikram Yoga Teacher Certification. Now an energized, passionate and strong teacher, she is happy and grateful to be spreading this beautiful practice, eager as ever to learn, grow and inspire students in their experience of the magic she herself continues to enjoy. In April 2015, Francesca became the mother to a beautiful baby girl named Oriana. Through daily practice with her mother, Oriana is already learning breath meditation and many asanas. Francesca feels deeply blessed with this amazing miracle of life!
Lina Dinkova
Bikram Yoga / Bikram 60
Lina was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and moved to Miami, FL in her early teens. A few years later, she discovered the practice of hot yoga, which became a vital part of her life. She remained a practitioner for about 8 years before deciding to become a teacher. She attended the strenuous and sweaty "Bikram Yoga Teacher Training 2014" in California. The call for this pivotal step came from the realization that practicing yoga has changed her life in so many positive ways and continues to do so everyday. Since then, Lina has traveled on numerous occasions to Costa Rica and California for yoga retreats, fully immersing herself in various spiritual and health disciplines such as: raw food diet, vegan diet, meditation, sun gazing, restorative yoga, kundalini yoga, yin yoga, qi gong (life energy cultivation), earthing (walking barefoot), breathing techniques, plant medicine, appreciation for nature, non-judgement and compassion.
Lina is a cheery, compassionate and detail oriented instructor, making her an ideal match for beginner students as well as more experienced practitioners.
"I like my students to have fun in my classes, gaining a deeper understanding of the practice of yoga and leaving with 100% of what they came for: that feeling of well being and accomplishment, the ability to quiet the mind and realize how much they are really capable of.”
Caroline Marcondes
Power Hour / Bikram Yoga / Bikram 60
Caroline first fell in love with Bikram Yoga in 2005 and after practicing for 3 years decided to became an instructor, completing her certification in 2008. Dedication, patience and discipline to a daily practice continue to inspire her teaching while learning from her fellow instructors and guiding students everyday. In addition to her passion for yoga, Caroline has always had a love for fashion and design. This led to the creation of her very successful activewear line, Toda Boa Activewear, which makes women feel beautiful,empowered, and sexy while working up a juicy sweat!
Amy Wecker
Bikram Yoga / Bikram 60
Dr. Amy Wecker began her yoga journey while completing her residency in New York City. Not long after graduating from Bikram Yoga teacher training in Thailand, she moved to Miami and became part of the Glow family. As a practicing physician and Yoginni, she is highly passionate about health and wellness, firmly believing in the transformative power of yoga. If you have specific goals in your practice, she looks forward to helping you achieve them!
Amy became part of our Glow family in November 2014, not long after graduating from teacher training in Thailand. As a practicing physician and Yoginni she is very passionate about health and wellness, firmly believing in the transformative power of yoga. If you have specific goals in your practice, she would love to help you achieve them.
Maria Elena Camaiori
hot vinyasa
Maria Elena’s journey to yoga began in Rome Italy in 2002 when she was working as an actress for both theatre and Italian television. She immediately fell in love and, before she knew it, yoga became her life. After years of practicing Astanga at the Astanga school of Lino Miele in Rome, she moved to the US where she continued her studies in various styles of yoga. Soon after in 2008, she was on her path to become a teacher. Having completed trainings in Power, Vinyasa and Dharma yoga, she began teaching in Miami where she now resides with her husband and their two kids. In her years as a teacher, Maria Elena has taught classes in both the US and Italy, organizing workshops and leading teacher training classes. She is recognized for her warm presence, positive energy, and radiant spirit, always aiming to nourish and empower students at every level of practice. Maria Elena is also a certified Pilates mat workout instructor and Naturopathic consultant.
Willie Roman
hot vinyasa
Once upon a time, there was a young boy who wanted to integrate three very important aspects of his life. Body, mind and spirit. The search began when one good day he discovered a book about metaphysics in his native Puerto Rico. He found the information provided by this book and many others so amazing that it opened a whole new way of thinking, reminding him of how powerful human beings truly are. The search continued and one thing let to another until one day, watching TV in Chicago, he came across a tall and skinny woman with a sweet voice doing a series of stretches. “WOW" he said to himself, “This looks interesting.” He began stretching with her and soon learned these stretches were called Yoga!! After a decade of consistent practice, Willy became a certified vinyasa instructor and has been teaching for 10 years.
Lulu Herman
Barkan Method
Lulu was born and raised in Mexico and has always had a great passion for sports, especially soccer. From the age of 9, Lulu played competitive soccer which she continued throughout high school and college eventually becoming a member of the junior Mexican National Team.
At the age of 19, Lulu chose to pursue a career in the culinary arts. She attended Culinary school in Mexico during which she interned at Walt Disney World Orlando. Upon graduation in 2011, Lulu left Mexico to travel and returned to the states.
Lulu found Bikram Yoga in 2012 when she moved to Texas and immediately fell in love with the practice. Although having played sports her entire life and being a professional soccer player, Lulu insists hot yoga is the reason she is in the best shape of her life and has never felt so good. She made her move to Miami in 2014 and continued her practice. Lulu believes this yoga not only molds the body and mind but also provides a sense of belonging to an amazing supportive community filled with love and smiles. Lulu completed her Barkan Method teacher certification yoga in 2016. She is now a full time chef who loves teaching yoga and insists that sweating in the hot room is way better than sweating in the kitchen!.
Brenda Berry
Hot Fusion
Brenda has been an avid Bikram yogini for 17 years. She has led a very active lifestyle for most of her life, spending much of her time jogging and playing tennis which, overtime, had become taxing on her body. Brenda attributes her pain free health and wellness to yoga. In 2016, she added many different workouts to her routine and also became a certified Vinyasa instructor. She is passionate about combining toning movements with yoga asanas and has created her own sequence practiced at the studio known as Hot Fusion. Her love and enthusiasm for feeling good and staying fit is contagious and she is very excited to share this practice with you.
Julie Malvido
inferno hot pilates
Julia has always enjoyed movement and atletics. Growing up, she was a dancer and gymnast, then getting into weight training in her early twenties. In 2010, while residing in Naples, FL, Julia became a personal trainer and certified Zumba Fitness Instructor. Once in Miami, after suffering two bike accidents and working long hours as a waitress and bartender, Julia started taking Pilates Mat and Restorative Yoga. She was instantly hooked on how great she felt, choosing to then complete her Power Pilates Mat certification through Power Pilates, New York. While practicing Bikram yoga in Miami, she was introduced to Hot Pilates, became addicted to the practice and completed her Inferno Hot Pilates training in Chicago with the creator herself, Gabriella Walters. Why Inferno? Her answer simply is "Because it works. I'm all about high intensity and you work with your own body weight.” Julia teaches in Miami with great enthusiasm and has a strong desire to help her students develop optimal health and vitality in their lives.
Jeanmarie Koscica
Studio Manager
Jeanmarie is our glow hot yoga manager and dedicated yogini for over ten years. She began her journey with bikram yoga and fell in love with the intensity of the practice. As an avid foodie, she feels yoga keeps her in optimal shape, constantly challenging her potential and pushing her limits beyond what she thinks she is capable of. As soon as you walk through our front door, Jeanmarie’s big smile and warm energy will make you feel right at home.