Instructors
Laura Culberg, MSW
SweatBox Co-Owner
(CPR Certified)
Laura has been practicing Bikram Method Yoga since 1994. She completed Bikram's Teacher Training in Los Angeles in 2001. In her spare time, Laura is an aspiring gardener and an avid baker and craftaholic. Laura also enjoys watching her chickens and her child run around her backyard. In her past professional life, Laura was a social worker specializing in work with adolescent girls. As the mother of a young daughter, Laura is a strong advocate of yoga for children, especially girls. Laura's favorite part of teaching Bikram Yoga is the daily gift of watching her students evolve physically, emotionally and spiritually. She also enjoys writing about yoga in her blog: www.yogamakesyouyou.blogspot.com
Beth Shafer
General Manager
Beth has been practicing Bikram Yoga since 2008. The position as General Manager brought her to the yoga and she is thankful. Practicing Bikram Yoga has given Beth more energy. The focus of the practice has been a great stress reliever and allows her to focus more clearly in all areas of her life. Beth has many years of management experience. She has been the manager and buyer of Denali Park Chalet's gift shops,manager and buyer for a resort retail company, and the general manager of a local retail company with 11 stores. When not at the studio Beth enjoys camping with her son and husband.
Sara Baldwin
Sara has been practicing Bikram yoga since 2002. Having never been athletic (read: bookworm), she never enjoyed exercise and was completely out of touch with her body. Sara became immediately hooked on Bikram Yoga and the ways it helped her mind and her body. Sara enjoys the benefits of struggling the right way; not only physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well. After many years of practicing, Sara attended teacher training in Las Vegas, Spring of 2010. Sara also works full time in Community Mental Health and enjoys spending time with her husband and eating Thai food.
Nikki Kim
(CPR Certified)
Nikki has practiced Bikram Yoga since 2008, and completed her training in spring 2009 at Palm Springs. She first started her practice with zero flexibility, zero patience, zero everything. As she kept her practice countinously, it was amazing to see how Bikram Yoga could change her body, mind, even her personality. Bikram Yoga has added great benefit to her life, both mentally and physically, and brought her vitality, passion, patience, concentration and discipline. Nikki always appreciates students' time to come practice at the SweatBox, and gives them good energy and her best care. Other than practicing Bikram Yoga, Nikki also likes to hike, walk in the park, and work out at the gym.
Shavon Hutchison
(CPR Certified)
Shavon started practicing Bikram yoga in 2004 with a very good friend of hers. Hooked from the start, she began cleaning the studio to pay for the yoga. Upon moving to Seattle from the bay area, Shavon found the SweatBox and it was love at first sight. After cleaning and watching her fellow students go to training, come back and teach and blossom into shiny new people she decided it was her turn. She attended Fall 2011 training in LA. She loves to blog her experiences with Bikram yoga and life at www.teachbikramorbust.com. What she loves most about Bikram yoga is how much it has taught her about herself. When not practicing or studying dialogue, she's in the kitchen making Pi or any other sweet vegan treat. Shavon loves everything and anything Star Trek related and hanging out with her family; 2 hounds and a man.
Frankie Grausam
SweatBox Co-Owner
(CPR Certified)
Frankie started practicing Bikram yoga in 1999. She was brought to this practice on a dare from a friend who knew she would love it but she didn't feel it would be challenging enough for her. To her amazement and slight emabarrassment, she admitted to her friend that she was now in love with Bikram yoga. In the fall of 2000, Frankie went to Bikram yoga teacher training in LA where her passion for this style of yoga grew more intense. After teaching for a year in Seattle she and Laura Culberg opened their first Bikram studio in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and 7 years later opened their second studio in Shoreline Washington. Frankie has always wanted to help people improve their lives physically and mentally. Teaching Bikram yoga is the perfect medium for employing this passion. Watching true transformation in her students is the greatest gift she can experience.
Kristen Hanks
Kristen has been practicing Bikram yoga since 2000. Her desire to share the benefits with others led her to obtain her teacher's certification from Bikram's Yoga College of India in Los Angeles in 2005. When she's not at The SweatBox, Kristen also works at a veterinary hospital, putting to use her love of critters big and small. She also loves music, Ethiopian food and sitting in a sun patch.
Frani Assaf
Frani studied dance for over 12 years and had no idea all the stretching she had done was actually yoga, until she came to the practice in 1997. Frani tried various disciplines of yoga before taking her first Bikram yoga class in 2000. In three months of practicing Bikram yoga, Frani saw more positive change in her life (emotionally, as well as phyically) than in all her years of yoga and dance combined. The impact was so profound, she knew right away that this was something she wanted to share with as many people as she could. Frani attended Bikram's Teacher Training in Spring 2003 and has been teaching ever since. Frani truly believes that becoming a yoga teacher is the most honorable thing she has ever done. By practicing yoga, you not only make yourself better, you make the world a better place to live.
Frani's other passions include bicycling, live music, traveling with her husband and young daughter and enjoying the lush wonderland that is the Pacific Northwest.
Gary Smith
Gary has been practicing Bikram Yoga since 2005. After seeing his wife Lisa come home from a Bikram class completely drenched in sweat and exhausted, he thought, "ok .... i can do this." During his first class (with Frankie), he tried to crawled out the door halfway through. She dragged him back in and he never left. Now he has the honor and privilege of teaching this healing yoga to others. Gary graduated from Bikram's Yoga College of India Winter of 2009. When not teaching Bikram Yoga, Gary enjoys being scratched by his cat and playing punk rock music.
Lene Hansen
Lene has been practicing Bikram yoga since 1998. She completed Bikram's Teacher Training in the fall of 2001. Before she became a certified instructor, Lene dabbled in various professional fields including, but not limited to, grant writing, desktop publishing and network administration. When she's not teaching or practicing, Lene enjoys gardening, biking, skiing and skydiving.