Panayiota Bertzikis founded Teal Lotus Yoga in 2007, and it has since grown into the largest collective organization providing trauma-based yoga to communities and individuals impacted by violence. Teal Lotus Yoga is now present in over 40 communities, offering free and donation-based yoga.
In 2014, she was named “Most Inspirational Yoga Teacher” for her contributions to Teal Lotus Yoga. She is one of the most sought-after anti-sexual violence advocates, working globally to combat sexual violence. Panayiota has studied yoga in Rishikesh and Mysore, India, and is trained in trauma-sensitive yoga under David Emerson and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk of the Trauma Institute in Massachusetts, United States. She is collaborating with leading researchers to explore additional ways that yoga can support survivors of violence.
Panayiota is frequently featured in prominent outlets, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, CNN, Glamour Magazine, Boston Magazine, and BBC. She declined the cover of a prominent international yoga magazine, choosing not to contribute to the overrepresentation of Western women in the yoga space. This decision reflects her desire to resist the Westernization of yoga.
Panayiota was awarded the Unsung Heroine Award by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. The United States Congress and the President of the United States have recognized her on multiple occasions for her work with U.S. veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. She has also been honored by the Moldova Council for her work with the Romani population in eastern Moldova and by Bulgarian officials for her efforts in Stolipinovo.
Panayiota has advised on key legislative acts, including the Military Justice Improvement Act introduced by Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, the Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention Act introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier, and drafted the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, signed into law by President Biden. She also served as an advisor for the Oscar-nominated film The Invisible War. Panayiota regularly provides training to the U.S. Department of Defense, the UK Ministry of Defence, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on topics related to sexual, domestic, and community violence.
Her current projects include leading the creation of schools worldwide in communities with limited access to education, funding domestic violence shelters, and supporting women-led businesses through her foundation. She has taught on topics related to gender-based violence, social justice, and gender equity around the world. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her young child at one of the many beaches near their home on Sint Maarten.
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Caitlyn Ranson is a Rhode Island native. She started practicing yoga in 1999 while a student at Smith College as a way to help manage stress. She fell in love with the practice and received her 200 hrs YTT in 2004 while traveling in Indonesia. Caitlyn’s classes infuse creative movement with steadiness and deep breathing with tons of laughing.
Caitlyn teaches our trauma-sensitive yoga classes in Phoenix on Thursdays and assist-teach Yoga for MST survivors.
When she is not teaching yoga, she is a 2nd-grade teacher in Arizona. On school holidays Caitlyn can be found leading yoga retreats around the world. So far she led retreats in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, Germany, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Caitlyn resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and two dachshunds.
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Melissa OBrien grew up in New Hampshire but calls Boston, Massachusetts her home. Melissa first got on the mat in 2013, and it has completely changed her life. Melissa is a veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of Military Sexual Trauma. Melissa lost her promising Air Force career after reporting a sexual assault. She was discharged from the service under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. As a result of so unjustly losing her career, she had multiple failed suicide attempts and suffered from substance abuse. She skeptically turned to yoga after her partner and several friends pleaded with her to at least give it a try.
She didn’t like it at first, but for whatever reason, she kept on going back. She began to notice that she was sleeping better, her anger was no longer out of control, and she was feeling better overall. She no longer spent her days in bed crying because she wanted to be up and in the 9:30 am class at Back Bay Yoga-her favorite yoga studio. Yoga also helped her get back to school. Melissa is currently a Ph.D. candidate at a Boston-area school while working full time with the Military Rape Crisis Center managing its Cambridge office.
Melissa is a 200 hr YTT teaching trauma-sensitive classes in Somerville, MA.
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Jackie is originally from Riverside, California but called Los Angeles her home for the past two decades. Jackie completed her 200 hr YTT in 1995 and has been teaching yoga ever since. Jackie teaches trauma-sensitive yoga classes every Saturday in East Hollywood where she resides with her partner and three parrots.
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Others on our team: Rachel Patel
Teal Lotus Yoga 