Jessica Premsangha Prakasha

Prem’s prenatal yoga classes were one of the highlights of my pregnancy. Her classes are not only a much needed time-​out for you to look inward, they’re a conduit to support and stories, which I found so helpful during my pregnancy. Prem is understanding, funny, warm and patient. She facilitates a google-​group community of local moms and I actually very much look forward to the emails that come through! Because of the community she’s created and all of her knowledge, her classes led me to find an incredible doula, the best postpartum care, the couple we’re going to do a nanny-​share with, and so much more. Proud, card carrying member of the Prem Fan Club :)

Prem is an incredible instructor and all around a wonderful person. She taught a prenatal class that my wife and I both took several times that was very valuable to me personally. She demonstrates an wonderful combination of being nurturing as an instructor and a guide, and also being a strong advocate for your needs during and after birth. I still quote her often when it comes to boundaries and taking care of oneself. I recommend her without reservation. Thanks Prem!

Jessica is an incredible person and by far the best yoga instructor I have ever had. Her prenatal yoga classes meant the world to me. She facilitates more that a yoga class-it’s a community in every sense of the word. She inspired me to have a natural childbirth in the hospital and gave me the confidence to actively avoid an unnecessary induction. That was over 5 years ago. I now live in a different city and still think about how great her classes were!

For about a year Jessica has been giving me massages on a monthly basis. Every time I am in a session with her I feel held, nutured, and cared for on multiple levels. Her intuition as to what is needed is so on point I am often brought to tears because I am certain my body and soul is receiving the love, holding, and contact it needs in the moment. Her presence and level of attunement to just what is needed astounds me each and every visit. I could not recommend her more!

I can’t recommend Jessica enough as a prenatal yoga instructor. I took her class at Innerstellar in Berkeley during the second half of my pregnancy and I always left feeling so much more relaxed and confident. I loved the mix of conversation/​support, meditation and yoga. If you’re looking for a more vigorous practice, this might not be your cup of tea, but for me it was perfect.
As someone who was fairly new to the area at the time and in need of a community of new mothers, I really appreciated Jessica’s connections. If you need anything — massage, acupuncture, a midwife, etc. — she knows someone or several someones. She is also a great listener, a kind voice of support and extremely knowledgeable about pregnancy, birth and parenting. A lovely person to know!

I wanted to update my review on Jessica now, three years later and just having given birth to my second baby. For this most recent pregnancy, I took prenatal yoga classes with Jessica at Innerstellar in Berkeley, and I’ve started returning with my 2-​week-​old daughter for what will soon officially become a pre– and post-​natal class. This class is fabulous. Jessica manages to fit in an hour-​long class a sitting meditation, a check-​in, yoga, and some relaxation to finish it off. This class is such a welcome dose of stillness, openness, community, and of course exercise in the middle of my day. And Jessica has a wonderful presence; she’s a terrific resource for information, having worked in the perinatal field for years, and she’s patient, open, loving, calming, and completely non-​judgmental. She’s great at suggesting adjustments to make her class work for your body and your particular issues. I don’t know how she does it, but I always leave her class feeling centered and powerful and two inches taller. Literally. I have to adjust my rear view mirror every time I get in the car after yoga.
I’m just bummed that our timing didn’t work out, now that she’s started offering birth and postpartum doula services! If she’d become a doula earlier in my pregnancy, I absolutely wouldn’t have hesitated.

Jessica’s Prenatal class at Yoga Tree in Berkeley is fantastic. She not only guides you through the poses in a clear and gentle way, she also creates a supportive space for pregnant women to share their experiences with each other. In other words, you’re not just getting a great workout, you’re also building a community of women to help you navigate through your pregnancy. I hadn’t taken a yoga class for years, but in the week that followed my first class with Jessica, I was reminded of how powerful this practice can be, especially when you have such an amazing instructor. Now, the Saturday class is something I look forward to all week. She truly is a teacher of mind, body and spiritual health.

I am so, so happy to write a 5-​star review for Jessica and the pre-​natal yoga program at Yoga Tree Berkeley, formerly Yoga Mandala. I attended Jessica’s Saturday class, which combines time for community sharing and yoga, from week 15 of my pregnancy until the birth of my daughter. Being a transplant to the area with no family anywhere nearby, I loved the community atmosphere that Jessica promoted in her class. It was great to hear from other moms about their struggles and successes and also to ask questions of my own. Conversations included recommendations of doulas and midwives, leg cramps and back pain, anticipation of birth and baby and much, much more. And, the time for yoga was exactly what I needed each and every week. Jessica knows what a pregnant mama is capable of — at all stages and with all physical abilities and challenges. She always offers modifications and suggestions to make the experience positive. I credit my healthy and (mostly) enjoyable pregnancy to the continued acticity, particularly practicing yoga. Not to mention, that there is really something so very special about a room full of mamas. I hope this program continues for many years to come, as it is so, so special for many mamas out there, myself included.

I can’t say enough good things about the prenatal yoga program at Yoga Mandala directed by Jessica Ezra Patri. I joined at 4 months pregnant because I found that I was no longer able to continue my regular yoga practice. I was looking to maintain strength and flexibility and to ready my body for birth. The yoga felt great and helped me to stay active and to ease some of the pains and tensions that come especially in the later stages of pregnancy.
But what I didn’t realize is that much of preparing for natural birth is mental. It is about learning to open up and let go. A large part of the classes includes mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation. It also included sharing by Jessica and other instructors about ways conceptualize birth.
In addition, the prenatal program plugs you into a community of pregnant women. In class, each person takes a few minutes to share what they are going through. You get to know people and get a sense of the breadth of experiences women have at various stages of pregnancy.

I met Jessica at my first pre-​natal yoga class at just 14 weeks.
Immediately she was warm and friendly. Jessica’s knowledge about pregnancy and birth helped me connect with my pregnant-​self, and learn to feel OK, even on the not-​so-​good days. Her knowledge about yoga and the body (and the pregnant body too) is very obvious as classes are always conducted with options for modifications that apply to different stages of pregnancy or different «symptoms» of pregnancy. For example, I got carpal tunnel in my 3^rd trimester and Jessica suggested modifications that allow me to do all the poses without affecting my condition.
I’m now 35 weeks pregnant and Jessica’s pre-​natal yoga classes have been crucial during my pregnancy. Not only have they been beneficial physically, but also emotionally and intellectually. I love the sharing circle, where everyone shares a little of their pregnancy. I’ve learned so much of what might come ahead!
I had a previous sciatica condition and was worried it would come back with pregnancy. To prevent this I’ve had regular prenatal massages and Jessica’s hands have not just kept my sciatica silent, but also made my whole body feel weightless and relaxed.
Words cannot express how happy I am for having met Jessica, attending her yoga classes and having massages with her.

I’m not sure I could say enough positive things about Jessica’s prenatal yoga classes to fully express what a difference they’ve made and continue to make in my pregnancy… and life. No matter what sort of physical, emotional or spiritual place I enter in, after an hour and a half with Jessica at Yoga Mandala (Berkeley) I feel truly connected to my body, soul and (perhaps most import these days) BABY! Her voice and overall way as a teacher is gentle and warm, and the class still provides the perfect «work out» for us mamas-​to-​be. One of the highlights for me is the seated meditation and «check in» we do at the start of each class, and Jessica’s personal stories and wisdom as a new mama herself are always welcome and informative. I am new to the East Bay and finding Yoga Mandala’s prenatal program and Jessica has been an incredible asset to making me feel quickly at home in the area. I so look forward to returning to the studio for Jessica’s postnatal classes once our little one has arrived!

I highly recommend Jessica’s yoga classes — wherever they are! I first met Jessica when she was the yoga instructor for a prenatal yoga class at Kaiser Oakland. I had not practiced yoga in years and her approach was so open, welcoming, and rejuvenating. When the six-​week course was over, I just had to follow her to her prenatal yoga classes at Yoga Mandala. It was a beautiful space and the community that attends the studio was so supportive. She taught me so many useful stretches and yoga positions that helped throughout my pregnancy and birth. I swear that the yoga helped me survive that last trimester. I even use some of her techniques today as a new mother with a whole different body. I appreciated how she always set a tone of mindfulness. I look forward to getting back to my yoga practice and plan to take Jessica’s yoga classes at Yoga Mandala on Saturdays.

I took a lot of Jessica’s yoga classes when I was pregnant, and she was a fabulous instructor. I started going to her regular classes at about 17 weeks, and she did a great job of modifying her Hatha classes to keep me safe and still getting a workout.
As I got further along in my pregnancy, I started going to her prenatal classes. They were longer, and the extra time was devoted to group therapy, which was quite useful for feeling like I wasn’t alone in what I was going through. Of these longer classes, about 40 minutes or so was devoted to activity and the rest to discussion and meditation.
It was Jessica’s classes where I started to appreciate chanting in yoga class, as I had always previously shunned classes with a chanting element. Jessica made the chanting very accessible, and her cheerful demeanor and helpful hints allowed me to do yoga until the very end of my pregnancy.
I used to look forward to her classes, where she knew everyone by name and developed relationships with each of us individually.
Now that I have a baby, she is still a part of my life, and knows me. I would heartily recommend her classes. If you are not pregnant and want some Hatha yoga (to me, this is good if you are not super-​fit and want some nice stretching and strengthening), she is awesome. If you are pregnant, she does a great job of initiating discussion and modifying yoga to keep you active.
I haven’t tried her postnatal class yet– it starts in July.