Yoga Tree Telegraph

Liya Garber’s Kundalini Yoga class here has been life changing for me. I have been coming to the class for almost a year. Initially it was a gift card from a friend that brought me here. Back in January I was in a dark and dismal place in my head. I think I cried through the first two classes. But Liya was saying things I really needed to hear. So I kept coming back. The deep breathing, chanting, kriyas, and Liya’s love and bright energy were really a healing balm to my Spirit and I knew this was and is what I need to be in a happier, more peaceful head space. As a matter of fact, Liya makes every class magic. In the last class, she had a lovely essential oil blend for us to put a drop on our hands so when we rubbed them together we had waves of aromatic yumminess going straight to the primal brain to calm and rejuvenate us. I’m looking forward to today’s class. Treat yourself to this magical practice with someone who lives it every day.

I just took a class with James Ryder (he just started there recently) and I happened upon a class of his on a day off from work. I wish I could attend his classes more often. He offers the real deal.
He teaches from a strong yoga center vs. workout center. This doesn’t mean you don’t get an amazing workout, you do. I had a good sweat going. But rather, the intention and flow of the instruction is more than just the exercise. He gets you deep into the asanas where the true benefits lie. Highly recommend!

I’ve been trying different yoga places, but this place is just outstanding! You might be able to find yoga class cardiac as it is in Yoga Tree but the not spiritual as it is in Yoga Tree. If you want to cultivate your spirituality, this is the place to go. No wonder why this place is known as one of the best places in the country.

Rachel Heron Shaw — her classes have been a goddess-​send to me this year. My goals are to slow down, stay in neutral spine, and be more mindful of my breath and alignment. Rachel is mellow, earnest, lighthearted and sincere. Every month begins a new «theme» for class, whether it’s spending more time on core work to handstands to seated poses. In every class, Rachel incorporates core strenghthening poses — either plank, side plank and/​or boat. She also gives us 10 min or 5 min to do our own sun salutes — last week, I did side angle, bound angle and then my best bird of paradise EVER. This week, I did eagle, tree, toe stand and dancer’s pose, warrior 3 because I felt like it. in her class, I have the freedom to come out of a pose (say a variation on pigeon because it was the deepest twist I did in 2 years) after 10 seconds. In her class, I do not feel compelled to stay in the pose. In her class, I can monitor my body’s reaction and LISTEN to my body.
Rachel is a doula, so occasionally there will be a last minute sub (as babies do not always emerge on schedule). I have to admit that I was miffed a while back to arrive and find someone else teaching. This particular sub turned out to be terrific. He guided us in breathing exercises (I do ladder breathing on my own now) and he introduced a more «playful» aspect to yoga that I had forgotten. His philosophy is yoga is not all rigid lines and angles as our bodies are not stick figures.
Rachel is funny. She has a pragmatic attitude which resonates with me. The other day, she announced she wouldn’t be teaching lotus pose anymore as it was too difficult in a mixed level class and the potential for people to tweak their knees was too great. Besides, she added, most people will spend 0.01% of their life in lotus, so really, is it that important?
Rachel also knows anatomy. A student asked her where the psoas was and she demonstrated and gave us the location of the insertion /​attachment points and also showed us the tensor fascialitis.
I leave Rachel’s class feeling happy, satisfied, relaxed and ready to face the world.

I really love this yoga studio. They have many great teachers, classes for all levels, lovely yoga rooms, easy online booking and helpful, friendly staff at the reception area. I especially appreciate how understanding and flexible they were in allowing me to extend my Telegraph pass when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and knew that I’d need to take a break from yoga for several weeks while recovering from surgery. I’m doing really well now and have been able to take classes again. Ai Kubo, a really gifted teacher, has been particularly helpful and supportive to me as I make changes in my life and practice, and return to yoga and health.

I like the people both at the desk and the teachers. I like the orientation towards mindfulness and yogic thinking and away from «fitness» and outer beauty.

Carla’s evening candlelight restorative yin classes were just what we needed to heal after an injury and unwind after long days. the studio is warm and spacious.

UPDATE: Yoga Tree changed owners in June 2015. Abby has moved to another studio, and I’ve followed her there, though I keep meaning to check out other teachers at the old place. I can’t comment on how the place is for most students these days.
I’ve been coming here for about two years, sticking with Abby’s «yoga basics» class, plus her occasional workshop, so take that for what it’s worth (I’m hardly a yoga connoisseur). That said, I love everything about this neighborhood yoga studio: the class prices, the convenience and variety of offerings, the location, the facility itself, which is inviting and peaceful. Even the people who manage the front desk are pleasant and smart and professional (obviously yogins). They provide a respectful, even reverent atmosphere without being too precious about it. There is a feeling of community. The merchandise (mats, clothing, books) tends to be on the expensive side, but no one’s pushing it. This is my happy place.

Great prenatal yoga class! A lot of other pregnant mamas and easy to find parking on the side streets.

When it comes to choosing a yoga studio, I really only care about one thing: good teachers. I’ve been attending Ai and Mark’s classes, and both are amazing, super knowledgeable, kind, and motivating. Some other reviewers have complained about the crowdedness of classes at Yoga Tree, and of course weekend mornings and weekdays after work tend to be the most popular times to practice. I actually enjoy the energy of a full room, but it’s not for everyone.

This review is for Emma Pearson. I heart Emma and credit her prenatal class with providing me the physical and mental tools to birth my daughter naturally and make a happy (and low stress) transition to motherhood. Emma’s class is a wonderful mix of modalities: class starts with a check in for all moms. This provides a wonderful forum for connecting with your thoughts and feelings about impending parenthood, and offers a wonderfully supportive network. Class then gets hardcore (with, of course, modifications for all gestational stages/​levels of ability)! We do a nice vinyasa coupled with strength building exercises targeting the core, arms, and pelvic floor/​thighs. There’s and excellent bit of meditation at the end as well. Really a tremendous workout for the bod and a great stretch for the soul. Also the introductory class rates and packages are a great deal.
I also want to recommend Emma’s post-​natal class. I’ve just started attending but already feel that Emma is fast helping my body on the road to recovery and regaining core strength. Taking a newborn out and about can be daunting, but babies are right at home in the class. In fact, if your baby is fussing, you can feel free to take a breastfeeding break, or, if class is small enough, Emma will bounce your baby so you can get your down-​dogs in. She’s absolutely amazing and accommodating and truly creates a Mom+ environment

Beautiful studio, great location, and the people are simply amazing! Those answering the phone and checking you in are so helpful, and clearly want you to have the best experience possible. So far I’ve had Alyssa and Jaimi (who was subbing but definitely deserves her own class!!) and both instructors are gentle in their adjustments and make you feel completely unselfconscious. Full marks on every aspect of this studio!

The weekend vinyasa class I took was literally mat to mat, with no room for a restful corpse at the end or even enough to really do the poses correctly. It was stiflingly hot despite it being advertised as unheated. Definitely do not like what seems like an emphasis on money to be gained vs student comfort.
Ai Kubo was a fun instructor. Wish I could’ve actually seen what she was doing most of the time.
I’ve taken a Kundalini class here as well that was lovely, with plenty of space. It depends on when you go and I understand not wanting to turn students away, but that overcrowding was VERY stressful. Cannot really recommend this place to anyone if you have personal space issues.

I’ve been a home practitioner of yoga for 10 years now and I only go to yoga class if I’m town over the weekend. Yoga Tree on Telegraph is my default sanctuary and it has not failed to disappoint. I’ve tried David Moreno’s Deep Flow — he is one of Yoga Tree’s most established teachers with a great sense of humor and a great class dynamic with a medium to high intensity practices. I tried Ai’s class as well at 10 am — it was so packed that they literally had to look for room to put mats on the floor. It was a good thing since practicing with the energy of so many people is always amazing. She has great mojo and a soothing and calming presence.
My biggest surprise and delight so far has been Liya Garber’s Kundalini yoga class, which is a very new offering. Liya will literally light up your day — her eyes sparkle, her whole being radiates joy, down to the cute giggle. Her practice is a great combination of energetic kriyas with very introspective meditation and chanting practices. At the end, I felt myself swirled by this amazing energy. This is not your regular restorative practice — Liya’s class may be mellow on the surface but it packs a deeper punch than pincha mayurasana.

FIRST AND FOREMOST:
This location is part of the preeminent chain of yoga studios in the Bay Area. I think there are eight locations total.
THAT SAID:
They have top-​notch teachers and facilities, offer a wide variety of classes and workshops, and operate in a very sophisticated and professional manner. I’m currently taking the four-​week Healthy Happy Backs with David Moreno and so far it’s well worth my time, money and lumbar spine ;^)
IN BRIEF:
If you’re looking for a yoga class of any level or healthy-​lifestyle workshop you will probably find it here.

LOVE this studio! I’ve tried almost every yoga studio in Berkeley and this is one of my favorites. I really like more physical yoga classes that are a good workout so I really appreciate many of the offerings here.
I’ve taken classes with a few different instructors here and my favorites are Pete Guinosso’s and Ai Kubo’s vinyasa classes and Jessica and Stephane’s jivamukti class. The less physical ones that I’m less of a fan of: Rachel Shaw Herron’s vinyasa and jesse delmar’s forrest yoga (still good instructors, but just not much of workout/​are more mellow).
Two studios, both are large and inviting and the staff is really friendly and helpful!

Came here to do the Tibetan Yantra Yoga Teacher Training. They have 2 rooms, my favorite was the gorgeous peacock studio, decorated with peacock feathers. They offer a lot of different styles of yoga including the unique Shadow yoga. I tried Pete’s class with 80 other yogis which was fun and uplifting. I also took Sean’s class which was grounding and more meditative. Again they offer a great variety of yoga styles. Overall a great studio. Only down side is the parking.

During medical leave form work I searched for restorative yoga classes that I could try while on leave that would continue to fit into my schedule once I returned to work. John’s Restorative and hot stone classes were perfect. he is great at helping you to modify the pose so it works for your medical issues. Plus, the classes are held both during the day and at night! The rest of the staff has been amazing as well.

I have been going to this studio for the past year on average once a week. I have to really recommend anyone who is interested in Being Healthy.
This studio offers different types of yoga, all are taught by excellent teachers. I alternate between the different types based on my energy level, my physical condition, as well as my emotional state.
You can learn a lot from the workshops YOGA TREE offers, as well as from the classes you take there. YOGA opens my heart, my eyes and my mind.
I recommend everyone try it out at least 2 – 3 different types to get a feel of yoga. Do not forget to take the Yoga 101 workshop (which includes one week of free yoga). It’s the BEST money spent for your health :-)

I’ve turned into a prenatal yoga evangelist. After moving out of California as a pregnant lady, I can say the thing I miss the most (even more than Cheeseboard Pizza, which means a lot) is prenatal yoga at Yoga Tree with Sarah and Emma. It’s the best thing I’ve done for myself during my pregnancy. During each class, I felt challenged to improve my focus and breathing with an emphasis on what my body wanted to do that day. Sarah and Emma truly understand what it’s like to be a pregnant mama and make knowledgable modifications to each pose and affirm our presence and desire to have a healthy pregnancy and birth.
As busy as my weeks could be, I always looked forward to coming to class. It was time for me to connect with my body, my baby, and other mamas. I love the «check in» time to meet other women and share our experiences in a positive, welcoming environment. I can’t speak more highly of Sarah and Emma, their classes, and my experience at Yoga Tree! I learned so much and I am looking forward to carrying that knowledge with me into my baby’s birth and beyond. If you’re expecting a babe, go to these classes. Thank you, Sarah and Emma!