Founder + Yoga Teacher

This practice has opened doors for me that have changed my life spiritually, physically and emotionally. In 2009 yoga became a haven for me when I was no longer feeling supported operating the way I was. This practice disrupted my life. It didn’t take long before I started taking a closer look at how I was connecting with my body, my self, and others. I started to venture down a path that initially made me feel separate from my life as I knew it, and overtime reorganized me into a higher alignment. From the start I knew I wanted to share the practice.

Teaching yoga is a privilege. I feel honored to witness people in their practice. Patience, perseverance, resiliency, strength, tenderness, frustration, sadness, grief, joy, full expression, struggle, peace, and love are just some of the things that pour out on the mat and here is where we remember our humanness and connection to others. In my class expect to remember that you are powerful in your vulnerability, and impactful in the world around you. Since 2014 I’ve led thousands of yoga classes in California and I’ve taught at or lead retreats throughout the world.

Teacher

I love yoga so much. My journey with it really began when I moved to San Francisco in 2014 and started taking power vinyasa and yin classes at the gym. Yoga offered a depth of self discovery that nothing else did, and access to healing from within. I felt inspired to teach as a way to go deeper with my practice and help others heal. In 2021 I did teacher training in Nepal that fit the entire foundation of yoga - history, philosophy, meditation, pranayama, mantras - into one month. After that I moved back to SF and did the Baptiste SF training. Teaching has been a gift - it unlocks freedom and connection, all I’ve ever wanted.

I teach power vinyasa style classes to music. I offer a space of lightness while guiding students to access physical, emotional and spiritual discovery.

Outside of yoga, I love surfing, hiking, and cooking. I also work on my sauce business. If you haven’t already tried Da Sauce, you will.

I started a sauce business during the pandemic. It’s called Da Sauce. It’s a wild adventure. If you like sauce come find me, and follow us @dasaucejourney on insta 🤙

In my life, i am craving growth in patience with the things I’m working on, mainly Da Sauce, and self love. Also handstands, would be nice to hang out upside down.

Teacher

I started practicing yoga when a dear friend brought me to a class she described as “hard yoga” in 2018. I immediately felt challenged and began a journey of getting to strengthen my body and forgive myself. As a daily moving meditation, I find I’m constantly pushing myself to a new edge while having fun, because I never know how my body will respond that day. I am curious and learning constantly, always evolving and incredibly grateful for how far I’ve come!

I enrolled in teacher training in 2021 to level up and share the joy I feel. With community . I’m an energizer bunny ( natural AM person) and if there was a yoga version of Dani Rojas from Ted Lasso, you’d hear me proclaim“YOGA is LIFE”! My classes share that passion of deep breathing to enhance your practice and deliver you in power, as well as some humor, because I love to laugh. The stand up is free, BTW.

Off the mat I run a lighting business and am raising 2 boys. I love festivals, and travel, and Laissez les bons temps rouler.

Come play.

Teacher

When you come to San Francisco, you’re practically handed a yoga mat and invited to start flowing, and that’s exactly what I did when I moved to The City in 2003. Vinyasa is the most enduring love affair I’ve experienced, and sharing this practice with students for their personal empowerment is a incredibly rewarding.

My core aims of instruction are to both inspire greatness as well as meet each student exactly where they are. A recent graduate of Baptiste Power Yoga SF's 200 hour YTT, you can expect a sweaty vinyasa flow with plenty of playfulness peppered in.

Teacher

I found Yoga when I was looking to fill a void. Immediately after finishing school, I moved away from all my friends and family. I had been an athlete my entire life and struggled with finding a new routine without the forcing function of team practices. I first fell in love with the duality of the physical practice - the dichotomy of challenge + nurture, effort + ease and how they fit into a beautiful yogic puzzle. I then discovered the community and my friends became the friends I met in yoga classes. After several years away, I moved back to San Francisco and in 2019 was so enamored with my continued practice, I wanted to deepen my knowledge and enrolled in my first teacher training. Halfway through the program, I realized that I not only wanted to deepen my knowledge but I also wanted to share my love with others and decided to teach! Today, my love for teaching has only grown - every time I teach, I have such gratitude for the humans who give me the privilege of leading them through a class. Through teaching yoga and taking yoga, I have learned to move purposefully; I’ve grown my patience; and I’ve gained some of my most dear friends. I have learned the value of self-care, non judgement, and the power of breath.

In my class, I want to give people a place to shake off the world around them and find release through physical expression, together. My classes are well balanced - there are moments of challenge and moments of relief with plenty of options to modify or deepen your practice along the way. During our time together, we’’ll link breath with movement and explore different flows and shapes all set to a vibey playlist. I strive to leave my students feeling invigorated, nurtured, and dynamic after class.

Teacher

Yoga has meant many things to me over my 24 years practicing and 12 years leading thousands of classes around the world.

To name a few it can be: a personal laboratory, a respite, a primary relationship, a prayer. There's no limit to what we can discover about ourselves at the intersection of intention, breath, and movement. Couple those with the company of other practicioners and miracles become ordinary.

Expect to be lovingly challenged when I'm on the floor. I'm committed to witness you at the edge of your practice and to hold a space where you can explore that as a moment by moment phenomenon, connected to what's true for you.

I'm a ♈♈ (♎rising), but at my core I'm a gentle spirit that will consistently whisper quiet reminders:

"It's safe to open and share your sweet, heart."

"When in doubt: Love Anyway. "

"Love. It's that simple."

🧚✨🕊️🤍

Asana Styles Studied: Ashtanga, Baptiste JIP, Bhakti, Bikram, Hatha, Iyengar, Jivamukti, Kundalini, Sivananda, & Yin

ERYT-500, YACEP certified with Yoga Alliance

Teacher

My practice started about 5 years ago when I tagged along for a class after surfing with a friend. I felt so good when class was over I started practicing almost every day.

Yoga has been transformative for me. It’s helped me build confidence and resilience, feel powerful, and still leaves me feeling better than I started every time. Each practice helps me get out of my head and into my body.

I decided to teach to pay what I’ve gotten from yoga forward. My classes are grounding, breath-focused, and (often) tough. You’ll leave more connected to yourself and the people around you.

Outside of yoga you can usually find me surfing, skiing, biking, cooking/eating, or taking my golden retriever, Benji, on a long walk.

Teacher

Adrienne started practicing yoga more than 10 years ago to relieve stress and build strength. As a group fitness enthusiast, Adrienne enjoyed yoga as a unique time to challenge the body and calm the mind—all while building community within a studio or a gym. After moving to SF from the East Coast, Adrienne did her 200 hour YTT at Yoga Tree and enjoyed finding new community in a new city. At Yoga Tree she studied with Darren Main, Mark Morford, and Jason Bowman. In addition to yoga, Adrienne teaches studio cycling and is an avid runner and recreational swimmer.

Her practice and teaching grounds her in times of stress, and helps her take care of herself and serve others in their practice. After Adrienne’s class you’ll feel challenged and restored. She prides herself on an inclusive, all-levels class powered by instrumental and up-beat music.

Teacher

Practicing yoga has taught me a lot. For myself I've been better able to quiet my mind during stressful times and have more tools to look inwards. As a human in society, Practicing yoga has taught me more about love, patience and compassion. I think all of this ties to connection and yoga has allowed me to connect and feel connected to myself, to people around me and to the earth more.

It's been a contact vehicle for creating more space in my life and enabled to connect with my self and others

I decided to start teaching because I wanted to start showing my friends the power of yoga and most importantly that yoga is for everybody and has far reaching benefits for everybody. It's a gift to be able to share this practice with others !!!

Hot Pilates Teacher

When I was introduced to pilates in 2015, I was immediately attracted by its deep body-mind connection and knew that it would play a part for the rest of my life. Pilates has changed my perspective on being active, building strength, mobility and has also helped me deepen my appreciation for yoga. I started teaching Pilates because I wanted to help people discover a love for movement and reach their fitness goals at any age. It is never too late to start on a journey to becoming a stronger and healthier version of yourself. "If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you," and that's what I offer in my class along with a lot of fun.

When I'm not doing pilates and yoga, I love to cook and host dinner parties, cheer my kids on at their soccer and bball games, check out new restaurants in the city, and visit my family and friends back in Tokyo. You can also find me taking long walks on Ocean Beach with our family dog, Milo.

Yoga Teacher

Connection. Movement. Community. Access to self. Joy. Freedom. These are just a few things I’ve not only gained as a yoga student, but what I aim to offer as a teacher. Being able to share the gift that yoga has given my life through teaching is one of the ways I feel most connected to my empowered truth. And my hope is through my classes you can find that too.

Yoga Teacher

I began my yoga practice at a young age, begrudgingly tagging along with my mom as she practiced. However, during my first year in college I stumbled into a local yoga studio and I quickly realized how crucial intentional movement and breath is to help me connect with how I am feeling both physically and emotionally.

With my teaching, my commitment is provide room for my students to show up however they need whether they need to explore and play or find grounding in the simplicity of this practice. I promise to create a safe space, acknowledge the power of our breath, and instill some joy and levity into a world that can feel so heavy at times.

Teacher

Nikita Mehta is a holistic sobriety coach, yoga teacher, and writer who weaves an academic discussion of neurobiology and somatic healing therapy throughout her studio and consultative work. Ms. Mehta, who spent her childhood living between the US and India, is a third generation yogi from The Yoga Institute in Mumbai, India. Ms. Mehta developed Somatic Intuition, her therapeutic model, over the course of a decade of study and practice. The Somatic Intuition model is centered around deep body listening, a practice within which Ms. Mehta guides her students and clients to become aware of and attuned to generational trauma, universal human needs, and the neurobiology of habit.

Prior to founding her company, Your Sober Lifestyle, Ms. Mehta was on the founding team of Reframe. At Reframe, she pressed for the adoption of a neurobiological view of alcohol recovery, an approach the company successfully adopted. Ms. Mehta also helped launch The Sober Desi, a sobriety space for people of South Asian descent. She broke down barriers to speak frankly, candidly and publicly about the stigma facing South Asian women in sobriety spaces long before it felt safe to do so. Ms. Mehta has spoken and taught internationally at sobriety and yoga conferences. She is a frequent guest on sobriety podcasts, where she is known to delight audiences with her warmth, humor, and occasional irreverence. Ms. Mehta has trained with luminaries like Jolene Park, Janet Stone, Tommy Rosen, and Judith Lasater. She currently teaches yoga at HAUM, The Center SF, The Yoga Shala and private pop ups around SF. Her upcoming workshops include: Recovery through the Yamas and Niyamas; Ladki: Empowering Sexuality; and Aavaaz: Sound and Connection.

You can find her on instagram at @Nikitakmehta

Listen to her podcast appearances:

Self Care Level 1000: https://open.spotify.com/episode/10chbhOghtM4NTEDssjNf8?si=2ee837c415114994

Sober Stories:https://open.spotify.com/episode/385NJYw9LrpuL8ag6NSywF?si=a23f7de2d6a04a73

Teacher

For me, yoga as a practice is an access point to gratitude and presence through breath and movement in community. Yoga is a space that allows me to get out of my head and into my breath and body. With each flow I feel a little more aware, a little more present, a little more grateful…a little more human.

Yoga has provided a space to process emotions and ride the currents of my own life from a place of awareness and introspection. The yogi community that has presented itself has held me and supported me in my highest highs, and lowest lows. Through breath, meditation and movement this practice has added textures of sweetness, connection, vibrance, and a newfound comfort in silence and stillness to my life.

My goal is to teach from what I have learned on and off the mat to provide students the space to process, feel, connect and become more mindful + aware - of themselves and the world around them

The word ‘Yoga’ itself means to “yoke” “unite” “merge" opposites and with that, I believe there is a place for strength and softening, movement and stillness, music and silence, seriousness and fun in any class. It is also a firm belief of mine that Yoga is for everyone so my classes are accessible, sweaty and fun for all levels.

If I had to describe my classes in 3 words they would be: Sweetness. Challenge. Softening.

Outside of yoga I love spending time outside with friends and family. When I'm not itching to outside or be active I love to read, wander museums, frequent farmers markets and sit in the sun

Karma Yogi

Hi I’m malak! I started practicing yoga when I made the radical realization that every workout does not need to include weights or cardio and haven’t looked back! Yoga is allowing me to learn how to connect my mind to body on a much deeper level. Outside of the shala you can catch me riding my bike to the newest brewery and making sure to pet every dog on the way!

Teacher

"What you give to your practice, your practice gives back to you." - a very wise, yoga affirmation from the Yoga Shala.

I started my yoga journey in 2019, turning to yoga as medicine for a long-time hip injury. What I didn't expect was a healing of both my body and mind- I started living my life with intention and taking steps to match my actions to those intentions.

I recently completed the Yoga Shala's first yoga teacher training and through the experience, I gained even more than I thought possible, most notably an incredibly supportive community of yogis. I didn't expect to love teaching so much and I feel so honored to join the team at the Shala and share the wonderful gift of yoga that has given me so much.

I'm new so I'm still figuring out my class vibe, but I love a balanced, sweaty vinyasa flow with great tunes to really bring you into presence on your mat.

Off the mat, I'm an avid traveler, concert go-er, sports fan and foodie.

Teacher

An avid backpacker, ocean lover, cyclist, urban walker, and all-around outdoor enthusiast, Ellen feels most inspired when in nature. She began her yoga practice over 15 years ago, attending “yoga in the park” in Southern California. Matching the flow of vinyasa to the rhythm of nature, Ellen knew she had found something special.

Yoga provides Ellen with an opportunity to shake off the outside world, build physical strength, and achieve mental clarity. She believes yoga is truly a moving meditation, where lessons learned on the mat translate to our daily lives. From the power of breath to the importance of intention, Ellen aspires to share her love of yoga with each class.

Ellen would describe her classes as joyful, upbeat, and focused. She strives to leave students both challenged and restored after a class.

Teacher

In 2012, after running the SF marathon I decided to “take a running break” (12 years and counting) to develop a more consistent yoga practice. What I’ve gotten from yoga extends so far beyond it being a form of movement, and I have endless gratitude for the practice I developed during my “running break."

Yoga has powered my self-discovery, enabled me to stay balanced, deepened my mind-body connection, introduced new ways to travel, and brought me some of my very dearest friends. I’ve come to rely on yoga as a path to connection, both with myself and with my community. After over a decade of practicing, I felt inspired to dive into the world of teaching and signed up for The Yoga Shala’s inaugural YTT program.

I love teaching yoga, and find sharing the practice with others to be such a special gift and a true honor. I’d describe my classes as playful, grounding, and authentic – and I definitely spend far too long making (awesome) playlists.

Outside the studio, I love: time with my people, reading, almost any craft project, travel, being near the ocean, and (like a good Californian) sunshine.

Teacher

Yoga became a constant for me during a hard season and stuck around long enough to become something I love. It joined the ranks of live music, water polo, biking for leisure, belly laughter, and full dinner tables. I’m a Bay Area native and susceptible to telling bad jokes, let me know if you need one.

Becoming a teacher (at The Yoga Shala!) was about finding my confidence and voice again. Yoga is my way of helping myself and others maintain an embodied practice of kindness and endurance to ourselves. I'm very grateful to be here and working alongside you all!

Teacher

Yoga has found its’ way to me at several points in my life. I was first introduced to yoga at 5 years old when I eagerly mimicked the postures from the worn-out VHS my aunt practiced with every morning. Later in high school, I reconnected with the practice when I decided to take yoga as a PE credit to get out of playing dodgeball. As a dancer, I was invigorated by the dynamic movement and took comfort in the rhythm of vinyasa.

After a hiatus, I found The Yoga Shala and dove back into a consistent practice. I fell in love with yoga again and discovered a deep appreciation for the presence it has brought me and the community it has connected me with.

I decided to pursue my teacher training to share with others the joy and grounding power of yoga. I aspire to create a safe, supportive space for my students to honor their bodies and nurture their spirits.

As a born-and-raised Vermonter, I have a deep love of nature. When I’m not at The Shala you can find me in the park, on the beach, or trying to hunt down real (Vermont) maple syrup.

Teacher

My own yoga practice started when I was a teenager as a way to balance and support ballet training. As ballet became a significantly less prominent part of my life, yoga has offered me an opportunity to reconnect with myself, a space to recharge, and an avenue to connect with others.

Something that is really important to me as a practitioner and as a teacher is checking in every time you practice about what you need based upon what you are physically, mentally, and emotionally bringing to your mat. I also love a good laugh so hope to infuse my classes with joy and laughter as we flow & learn together.

Outside of the studio, I like to run and hike - two activities that I find can be similar to a yoga practice - and constantly have my nose in a book.