
I began practicing yoga to relieve chronic pain from a broken back eight years ago. After a few months on the mat, more than just my back felt better, and I was hooked. I practice yoga for both the physical and inner peace and balance it has brought to all aspects of my life. I teach yoga because I want to share the grace, wisdom, and fun of it with others. I strive to teach classes that are woven along the thread of vinyasa, with a deep attention to alignment and healing, and with some exploration and laughter thrown in. I am grateful to the O2 yoga teachers and students for the chance to learn from and with them.

"At the age of 30 I discovered the experience of 'flow state' as a cyclist. There was something exciting and powerful about breaking through to a level of singular focus through exercise and I gravitated toward that feeling. After 5 years of teaching cycling in downtown Boston, I decided to join a yoga class that followed my cycling class. The experience of connection with myself was immediate. Through the coordination of gaze, breath, and motion, yoga opened new roads for exploring the body and the spirit."
Bob maintains a personal practice deeply grounded in Astanga yoga. He strongly believes that yoga is found in the breath, and teaches a vigorous class that strives toward the union of breath and continuous motion. His teachers include Mimi Loureiro, Beryl Bender Birch, Stephen Cope, and each of his students. His spiritual practice is guided by the writings of J. Krishnamurti.

I came to yoga at mid-life after a 25-year career as a psychotherapist and a psychoanalyst. After a career based in words, concepts and deep emotions, yoga felt light, simple. Just show up. Come to the mat and practice, practice, practice. Yoga has given me a feeling of stillness inside, a sense of optimism that I can do things that I once would have thought impossible and a connection to the wonderful teachers and community of O2. A friend of mine says that we teach what we most want to learn and so it is that I teach yoga.
The first time I stepped on a mat was fifteen years ago. While my path has taken me around the world and back, I have always returned to the mat, to the practice, to the present moment, where mind and body connect through breath and awareness. I had wanted to become a yoga teacher for years but had yet to find a style that encapsulated the wisdom and delight I found essential to the practice until I came to O2. I completed the O2 Teacher Training and have been teaching and practicing at the studios ever since.

Practicing yoga for over 20 years, Mimi Loureiro holds her M.S. in exercise physiology, and has taught yoga exclusively since 1996. She is nationally certified at the 500-hour level by Yoga Alliance. She brings her extensive knowledge of injury prevention and management to all of her students, teachers, and her O2 Yoga classes.
Mimi has been influenced and inspired by many incredible teachers including David Swenson, Beryl Bender Birch, Kathy Mcnames, and all the amazing teachers at O2 Yoga. She continues to gain insight from her students, and learns daily lessons about love, light, and devotion from her husband Steven, two little boys, Dylan and Deven, and her dog Luna.
Mimi currently runs three O2 Yoga studios— in Somerville, MA, Boston (South End), and Portsmouth, NH. She teaches monthly intensives, provides teacher trainings, and leads in-depth workshops and international retreats.
The body is the tree of enlightenment, The mind like a clear mirror stand; Time and again wipe it diligently, Don't let it gather dust. - Shenxiu
Melanie fell in love with yoga because it can be as simple or as complex as the day allows and is something everybody can do. She believes there is a posture or series of poses for every mood and all poses are accessible to every body with some form of modification. Melanie has been practicing yoga in the Boston area for 8 years. What started out as a weekly class at her gym turned into a deep passion that led her to take the Teacher Certification Course through O2 Yoga. She teaches yoga in her free time from her job as quality assurance manager at Tamale Software. All of Melanie's experiences, both on and off the mat, influence the classes she teaches, including teachers, students, family, and friends.

I began practicing yoga to achieve physical goals. Five years later and 40+ pounds lighter, yoga has not only improved my body physically, but has inspired me in so many ways. Yoga has brought a sense of balance, peace, and mindfulness not only on my mat, but in my hectic personal and corporate life. Through teaching, I hope to give other students the joy and passion of yoga I have received from so many knowledgeable, wonderful, and supportive teachers.

I started practicing yoga at the recommendation of a friend. I had heard so many great things about yoga, I thought I would give it a try and I've been hooked ever since! I don't remember ever feeling so passionate about something as I do yoga. While athletics had always been a part of my life growing up and I loved it, it didn't excite me the way yoga does.
Being able to do something that makes me feel just as good on the inside as well as the outside is amazing to me. I am grateful to be a part of O2. I love being able to share with students what Mimi and all of the teachers at O2 have shared with me.
Heather is the current manager of the O2 Yoga Somerville and Boston South End studios.
New Class to be added in September! Mimi will be teaching an Intermediate class on Tuesday mornings, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. beginning in September.
Monthly Intensive
Our Monthly Intensive class is still on break for the summer. Beginning in September, these classes will be held at the South End, Boston studio. Mark your calendar for September 5, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Immediately following this class will be a Vegan Potluck! Bring your favorite vegan dish and enjoy the company of other like-minded yogis.