PROFILE
Having spent her formative years in East Berlin, Conny felt free since that fateful day on 9 November 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down. She soon packed her bags and moved to the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar, completing her MBA and then working as an investment banking equity research analyst. It was in San Francisco when, on a second date with a colleague, he took her to her very first Bikram Yoga class. She instantly fell in love with the yoga (and the colleague)!
Conny’s 13-year Judo career as a black belt competitor, national team member coach and referee had abruptly ended in 1993 when she tore her knee cap and various ligaments during competition. After a year of a grueling physical therapy regimen, she was told by specialists that she was lucky to be walking and should never try any form of exercise again. She pushed ahead, attending the gym (where she was thoroughly bored!) until the life-changing day she discovered Bikram Yoga, which was both challenging and rewarding, providing a complete workout that brought powerful therapeutic benefits to her joints.
Conny soon felt the call to become a Bikram Yoga teacher, and in 2003, took gardening leave to attend Bikram’s highly regarded teacher training in Los Angeles. Three years later, she gave up her corporate career and developed a growing following while teaching at studios in California and London before opening the studio at Canary Wharf.
Biggest accomplishment: Starting with an idea and seeing it manifest in how beautifully the BYL community has grown.