She was really unprofessional with me and irresponsible. She spent a lot of time moving me back…read moreand forth between a seating on the floor and a yoga mat, although I didn't really get into any poses or learn any new yogic techniques to reduce my chronic pain but increase my activity. When I would bring up that I was there for psychology treatment and wanted to work through a couple of issues, she would ask me a lot of questions that seemed to be out of her curiosity of details without insights or, what she had described somatic therapy was, becoming present and the relationship between the body/mind. She won't bill insurance and said she would provide me with receipts that I could submit to insurance. She only did after nudging, and then emailed me one without a diagnosis code, which insurance companies won't process. When I asked her about it, she said that she knew this was the case, but she wanted to touch base with me about the diagnosis code. Then, she left out the "chronic pain" diagnosis that we discussed that I had checked my insurance company would cover for her services. I asked her about this, and she was really rude in her response. It took 3 weeks to get the first receipt even though we had discussed before the first session that she would get it to me immediately so I could see how much my insurance company would cover. Quote from an email she sent me: "I did send you an invoice last week and have revised it for proper submission. Please find it enclosed here. Any other issues that you have regarding reimbursement must be taken up directly with your provider."

Julie is a gifted and intuitive yoga teacher with years of experience. She brings together…read moremultiple forms of movement training with psychotherapy to create a unique mind/body approach for her students and clients. I've taken classes and done retreat with Julie and I highly recommend her.

Not only is Cara an excellent instructor who truly knows her stuff, she is engaging, fun, and…read morecaring! As a yoga instructor, I "thought" I was connected to my core. It turns out there are lots of very subtle things that go on in the core that can great impact your ranges of motion as well as the efficiency of your movements. Despite all the subtleties of the core, Cara cues excellently such that I was able to understand exactly what she wanted me to engage. Just after one session, I feel a lot taller, my hips and lower back are more relaxed while at the same time engaged properly, and definitely more connected with my core center!

Cara is an outstanding Pilates teacher. Class with Cara is fun with new variations that kept me…read moreinterested and challenged. Cara is energetic and knowledgeable. I love it when Cara will correct my positioning with just a simple tap on the shoulder. I would recommend Cara to anyone, I guarantee, you will enjoy her as instructor!!! Milla V.

I came to Filhos de Bimba out of curiosity in February of this year, I have always wanted to learn…read morecapoeira and was immediately welcomed into a generous tight knit multigenerational community of Capoeiristas entwined by the dance, music, emotion and politics of the marital art. Aqualtune, like her namesake is a powerful leader of our class, she is a generous, kind, patient, passionate professor who guides the class with skill, laughter and care. She is excellent in taking time and breaking down the moves, rhythms and songs for the group, while pushing us. Along with reconnecting with my body, I have found very healing is learning how to play the pandero and learning the songs for the roda. I didn't learn how to play music as a child and feel so grateful to experiment with instruments, voice in such a loving, gentle community. A great beauty of capoeira is the pedagogical style were the novice gets paired with someone who is more experienced this allows for everyone to learn form everyone, since my first class I have had meny teachers from the new students to the experts: Posas, Minha do Tigresa, Malandrino, and, of course, Mestre Malandro. Each one has helped me how feel more confidant with each movement and singing/playing the pandero in the rodas. I am very grateful for capoeira as an art and to learn with such an amazing school.

I have intrusted my children to learn under Profesor Malandro's tutelage. This is not a decision…read moremade lightly. Anyone working with my children must mirror the values and interests of my family. Malandro's teaching practice is deeply rooted in the African- Brazilian, African American and diaspora experience. History , tradition, and culture make his school a place where folks can learn capoeira, grow themselves, and feel welcomed. Malandro embraces everyone who comes to learn and upholds the integrity of capoeira's African roots. Profesor Malandro is an impeccable teacher. He understands the history, art and form of capoeira and translates that knowledge with skill and aplomb. Malandro has developed a specific pedagogy for educating children in the practice of capoeira. He knows how children think and what they need to feel appreciated and loved in a context of rigor and high standards. Adults are challenged to move through fear and self-limitation. All levels, all bodies, all ages, all colors... Malandro will connect with you and find the best way to support your growth and learning. The California Bay Area School of Capoeira is a real community. Folks look after each other. You feel welcomed and valued every time you enter class. You will be challenged, included, edified, and inspired.

I've been working alongside Kristina since 2012. We were both working at 24 Hour Fitness in the…read moreFinancial District of SF, the both of us just barely out of college. We are both now independent trainers, working together in a private studio. The fitness industry is notorious for having a high turnover. Kristina and I were baptized by fire in a cutthroat industry in an unforgiving time: in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. As I saw a lot of my peers come and go, I knew Kristina was refreshingly different compared to those that did not make it. Kristina is very outgoing, evidenced by her smile and engagement with her clients. She is super friendly and funny but always keeps the workouts going. In getting her name out at 24HF, she was approachable and always available for tips or advice. She didn't try to sell anyone - she was simply amicable and friendly, giving out consultations in a genuine effort to be helpful. With this genuine care, it was not long before she was in high demand. In terms of her knowledge and erudition, it's rare that you get a personal trainer who has an educational background as extensive as Kristina's. Having earned a BS and Masters in Biology, her knowledge base is pertinent: a rare find. Not only does she know the science and theory behind what she does, but she has a seamless application for it. In all my years having worked alongside her, I've seen how detailed and tailored her exercises, workouts and program designs are for her clients. Nothing is extemporaneous - everything she does is planned and deliberate. She even goes so far as to have workouts written up before the session starts. Very few trainers have the time nor the foresight to do this. And, of course, I've seen her clients undergo significant transformations working under her guidance, ultimately being chiseled and lean. It's no wonder that she retains her clients for a significant time period: she knows what she's doing and she's a huge motivator to get you to stick to the program. Kristina is someone I would trust with even my clients. She's thrived in her field and it's easy to see why.

I worked out with Kristina once a week for almost a year after she was recommended to me by a…read morefriend. Getting started was easy; after I contacted her, Kristina called me to talk about my workout history, health, and goals, and we came up with a schedule. During our first workout, Kristina did a fitness assessment and came up with a plan for our sessions. Based on my goals, we mostly focused on strength training, but Kristina also varied the workouts to add cardio when I felt like that was what I needed. Though she was flexible based on how I was feeling, Kristina spent a lot of time planning out each session, she was never just winging it. Kristina is really creative and the gym where we worked out has tons of equipment, so our workouts were always interesting and different. Kristina also proposed other workouts I could do between sessions, and she checked in before our weekly session to see if I was sore or if I had any requests. She was great about pushing me to challenge myself while making sure I was enjoying the workout and wouldn't get too sore. I felt like after a few weeks I was definitely getting stronger, and Kristina regularly did assessments to ensure that was the case. She tracked all of our workouts and weight sizes in her phone so I could always tell if I was improving. After a few months of working out with her I got pregnant, and Kristina offered tons of modifications all the way up until I was far enough along that I couldn't work out anymore. A few other things to note: the gym where we worked out was really clean and well stocked with towels, water, etc., Kristina was super flexible about rescheduling each week if I had a conflict, and she was really responsive on text if I had any issues. I highly recommend Kristina and now that I'm a couple months postpartum, I hope I'll be able to get back into the gym and workout with her again soon!

I have done yoga with Sini over a year and my posture got so much better. I use to have cramps in…read moremy calf during my sleep, but now it's completely gone thanks to the regular stretching it is completely gone. The best thing about Sini is that she lets me focus on my needed area to fix or be better.

Rebekah is a skilled healer. She has an incredibly grounded and calming presence and works with…read moremuch integrity. I've received several ZB and massage sessions from her and was inspired to start studying ZB as well. I've always left the table feeling more centered and grounded. One particular session I was experiencing some post traumatic stress and after a quick emergency session with her, I was able to come back to my body and function again. Highly recommended.

I love taking yoga from Vivienne. Every time she brings something new to the class; either a new…read morepose, new music or a new podcast. The poses really help my body with the 4 surgeries it underwent . This class is low key, yet challenging, community based and without judgement. Vivienne has a wicked sense of humor that makes us chuckle every time. If you want to do yoga at your own pace having fun and be safe emotionally and physically then Vivienne can do all of that. Also it is only 10 dollars for 90 minutes. What a bargain! I highly recommend her.

Claire and I trained for an extended period earlier this year to help me get better at swimming…read morelaps and lose weight. During the 6 months we worked together, I saw substantial improvement for both my goals and I attribute that to Claire's ability to see where her clients upper bound is continuously. During the time we worked together, I lost close to 25 lbs of fat tissue. I've worked with personal trainers in the past and Claire was by far the most committed to make sure I reached my goals. She has a solid work ethic and takes copious notes, photos and videos during training session to learn from each workout. Unlike other trainers I've worked with, Claire listened very intently to all my feedback related to workouts and adjusted our routines both on the gym floor for resistance and cardio training along with our training session at the pool. She was very effective in coaching me at the pool as well as on the gym floor. She has a been committed to fitness all her life and has a wealth of knowledge to draw upon to suggests workouts that cater to her clients. She's also eager to dive into areas that are unfamiliar and proactively does independent research to fill in any gaps in her knowledge that exist. She's also great at transferring this knowledge to her clients so they become more self-reliant. As an example, during one of our workouts we were discussing some question I had about protein shakes; Claire went back that evening and sent me a very detailed email response not only to answer my question but also help me understand the relevant context. Because of her energetic demeanor and solid work ethic, I would gladly recommend her to any of my close friends!

I started training with Claire around 2014, and I never felt so good. Then, I stopped training due…read moreto work relocation and missed her both as a personal trainer as well as for her very caring, thoughtful way of approaching training and wellbeing. Now, I am pregnant, and I only could think of her to help me with pre- and post-natal workout. I have been using personal training internationally (Europe, UK, US), and she still ranks first at making me feel healthy and balanced with my body. My approach is that training is not about looking in a particular way, but make your body feel "just in tune", "ready to go", and, boy, she is successful at that!