Monkey Yoga Shala

I visited Monkey yoga couple of times. I wish I can go there all the time, but I do not live in the area. It would be great to have something closer to where I live.I am very much the beginner when it comes to yoga, but I felt great in the classroom. The instructor Tim and Laura are great.Tim gave me much needed support and encouragement in the classroom. Tim is very funny and ready to help each student. They do great job there. I highly recommend Monkey yoga to everyone. Sabina Pros: very relaxing more

omg this place puts me at ease.....yoga is amazing and even better at this place. shed pounds and feel great too..doo it here more

"I went to check the Monkey out after moving to Oakland a few months ago - I just couldn't get by without it any longer and it's right down the hill. There were times I had to go to my chiropractor 3 times a week, esp. after an injury. I'm a performer (among other things) and somehow I "make it work" because I know the tricks of illusion/glamor and how to convey a sense of kinetic elegance using what I've got. But in class my form is that of a pig farmer (I paraphrase the old biddy in Memoirs of a Geisha). I'm very limited in my range of motion, having sustained several injuries over the past couple years, not to mention that I spent my childhood and adolescence in foot braces, a back brace, and on crutches (though not simultaneously) and I haven't been a stranger to a wheelchair. I have not had the pleasure of attending Laura's classes, but Tim's been nothing but awesome. He reminds us that pain is not the problem - our *attachment* to it is. The class is extremely challenging, but Tim is patient with me, helps but doesn't push because he has an intuitive knowledge of my limitations and potential for the day. He is absolutely freaking hilarious, too! Having studied and practiced Tibetan Buddhism, I enjoy hearing anecdotes about such things as Hindu baby deities who sprout multiple heads so they can nurse from the many mothers who find them cute. The jokes and words of wisdom alone are worth the cost of the classes! The honor system he uses to collect the students' fees speakes volumes about Tim's enlightenment-focused mindset and unconsciously triggers our sense of trust in the universe. It could be intimidating for a novice like me to be in a yoga class with the more advanced practitioners, but Tim's employment of equanimity (the thing that allows us to keep a placid expression through pain and a happy disposition through failure) touches even this and I feel as welcome as anyone who can meet the floor head on Pros: humor, innovation more

Challenging funny intense and yet a real spiritual dimension. This yoga is exercise that also teaches one to relax while working hard and will release all the bound up tensions of a day. I have studied yoga many places but this is by far my favorite. The skill and yoga knowledge of the teachers is immense yet they are unpretentious, filled with enthusiasm, support and humor for students at all levels. Monky yoga teaches one to "monkey around" in the yoga postures which allows one to feel less rigid in the practice and ashtanga basic system allows one to feel the entire practice is a long dance with connected meditative breathing even when fatigue, sweat and substantial exertion are experienced. Pros: B more

I highly recommend this unique studio for advanced beginners, intermediate and advanced students who like a high energy class. Many brand new students do just fine if they are reasonably coordinated and have a sense of humor. (As the teachers say, "monkey see, monkey do.") Classes include classic poses but also push-ups, pull-ups, bicycle sit-ups and partner work. Most people work up a sweat (bring water and a towel.) The teaching is challenging but friendly and sometimes quite funny. After the class, I feel like I have had a head to toe massage and have usually shaken away any bad mood I entered with. more

This place is NOT for beginners. I've taken a few yoga classes elsewhere and am definitely a beginner. The class I took, which was open to all levels, was WAY harder than any of the other classes I'd taken at other places. There was very minimal instruction so I ended up feeling very lost and pushed myself too hard b/c I wasn't quite sure what I was doing and wasn't given a lot of modifications. I had paid for a month of classes but never went back b/c I felt so discouraged and overwhelmed. Partly my issue, clearly, but I wouldn't recommend this place for beginning yoga folks. Pros: Instructor was very funny Cons: Class moved very quickly with little instruction or modifications for beginners more