Pete Guinosso Yoga

The Bay Area is awash in yoga instructors and yoga styles, and I sometimes feel like I've tried them all. I've stumbled into classes that are too fast or too slow, too spiritual or too mindless, too repetitive or too unpredictable, too cult-like or too impersonal, too intimidating or too approachable... you get the point. It's shockingly hard to find a practice that is grounded and well-rounded.

I think I've found a good home in Pete's classes. Sequences are moderately paced in all the right ways: he's not a slave to the sun salutation, but gets a good flow going while still giving you a chance to hold poses and work on alignment. He's also good about hitting the "pause" button to demonstrate more challenging poses, and he does a great job moving throughout the room and giving adjustments where needed. Expect to work on your arm balancing!

There are plenty of good teachers out there, but Pete is quickly turning into one of my favorites.

Let me just start out by saying that after my first class with Pete, I enrolled in one of his retreats. After his EPIC retreat in Tuolumne Meadows, I instantly enrolled in Pete's teacher training program. He's just that good!

If you've been looking for a yoga class that is challenging, inspiring, welcoming, and just all around enjoyable, come to Pete's classes. You won't be disappointed. If his teaching skills, mastery of sequencing, and all around expertise in Forrest/Vinyasa yoga don't bring you back to his class after your first one, his genuine friendliness and playfulness will. I would recommend Pete's classes to first-timers, beginners, and seasoned yogis alike in a heartbeat !

Pete is an amazing teacher and inspiration to me. Even in large classes, he has a wonderful knack for making individual contact with each and every student that makes me feel so welcome and at home in his classes. Pete has studied with my teacher, Ana Forrest, and has assisted her at major workshops and teacher trainings (and helped give me the encouragement to do a Forrest Yoga training myself).

You can see the Forrest-influence in Pete's creative vinyasa classes. Pete blends a wonderful mix of strength and compassion in his classes. You'll work up a sweat but his great sense of humor and helpful adjustments will have you feeling supported and guided in the process.

A big treat has been spending two different Thanksgiving mornings in Pete's Thanksgiving practices. With some gratitude-themed music and deep sequences to open the heart, both of these memorable classes got me joyful and centered and ready to meet the holiday madness with a little more serenity.

Pete teaches a number of classes in both the east bay and SF which gives you lots of chances to get to benefit from his great teaching no matter what side of the bay you frequent.

I have been blessed to find yoga (or did yoga find me?) and more specifically, I have been blessed to find Pete.

Yoga is a journey inward first, then outward into all the universe has to offer. And the first step is finding a teacher you connect with to help guide you on that path. Pete is this person. The physical is challenging, no doubt... but because of that, you will find yourself on an equally challenging and rewarding path of joy, discovery, healing and happiness. Pete has the physical know-how to pull you in and keep you safe, the emotional delicacy to help you connect and the spiritual intellect to guide you further. Add a little (ok, a lot) of humor to keep in real, and well, it's an intergalactic party of epic proportion.

To the yogi's who've been around the block, take one class and you'll understand. To the newbie's who are nervous and don't know where to start, Pete is *exactly* the person to show you just how amazing this practice can be... no matter who you are or what you want out of it.

I just can't say enough good things, but you're just gonna have to find out for yourself. Today is the first day of the rest of your life... now go on... make it count.

I spent the entire hour doing yoga composing my Yelp review about Peter. Just kidding, that would have been wrong. Not wrong but not mindful.

In any case I loved Peter, who I encountered randomly at a class. He has a great sense of humor and had a nice "intro" routine that made me really enjoy the yoga. I would definitely seek him out but hopefully the universe will bring him close to me again.

Not only does Pete show compassion and love to all of his students, he teaches in gentle yet energetic way allowing you to delve deeper into your practice, releasing and activating whenever and wherever it is needed. His lighthearted, calming aura fill the room and make you feel so welcome and comfortable!

Pete's light shines onto all who encounter him - leading his students to a place where one can create more then just a little sweat during their practice - He is an absolute treasure!

I knew spending 4 days with Pete at his New Year's Eve Retreat at Land of the Medicine Buddha (LoMB) would be beneficial for my physical strength, but what I did NOT expect was the increased mental /emotional strength that arose from simple but potent writing exercises. [Truth be told, I would rather do Pete's precisely instructed (and carefully observed) abdominal routine than delve into my psyche.]

The experience: serene redwoods, sweaty yoga, delicious organic food, 6 months' worth of therapy condensed into 3 nights, hiking, singing, baby elephant seals (Ano Nuevo) & much laughter.

The agenda: 6 classes in a heated room in a redwood forest with community gatherings at night. Night 1 post dinner kicked off with a Native American ceremony--Pete lighting sage, then calling to the 4 winds while we sit in a circle of 30+ people. We sing Native American chants and shake plastic "eggs" (with seeds in them for sound) and Pete beats on a custom-made drum gifted to him by Stephanie. This is "Opening Circle". After singing, each one of us discloses our name, biggest lesson of 2013, biggest intention for 2014. Note: "Closing Circle" also happened on New Year's Day after class and each participant shared what s/he was thankful for (many praises heaped upon Pete & Stephanie, who certainly deserved it and more). Other introspective exercises (based on Ana Forrest's "Fierce Medicine") included the following: 1. Write a list of what you want to change in your life. Also, think about the support systems that can be implemented to help you change. 2. Forgiveness: write a list of people to forgive. Forgiveness is not about the other person - it is the release of attention pulling you out of alignment. 3. Using Chakras as a way to assess life decisions. 4. From a TED talk - positive psychology - focus on what we have (gratitude): write a letter to a person who has profoundly influenced your life but you have never openly thanked - read it to the person within 30 days. What did this person do that made a difference in your life? Did this person do more than one thing? Does it still make you feel good? Keep a blessing/gratitude journal. 5. Write a list of things to "Let Go Of" of on a piece of paper. [The paper was then burned around 10:30p on New Year's Eve at LoMB's main meditation hall.] On NYE, we each made a vision board & occasionally danced while munching on chocolate & sparkling cider.

The attendees: diverse crowd age-wise from 20's on up. There were a number of yoga teachers, healers, a masseuse, 4 couples, 6 men total.

Our leaders: Pete & Stephanie - incredible individually and as a couple --the love, respect, playfulness they share is inspiring to witness. They created a welcoming, warm, organized space on and off the mat.

The classes: What I love about Pete's class at Yoga Tree is his thoughtful sequencing involving sun salutations, shoulder openers, multiple twists, inversions, arm balancing while invigorating us with his humor and 80's music choices. Pete does the BEST ab exercises I have yet to experience from any other yoga teacher. Most importantly, he constantly observes the class & makes individual & group corrections. He brought all that to LoMB and more. During the retreat, I learned how to best support person in handstand (stand in front, not to the side) and I made progress in arm balancing poses that had heretofore eluded me. Also, Pete made me aware that my shoulders were too far forward in upward dog so i began slowing down & focused on opening up my chest more to get my shoulders back. Day 3-- I did wheel twice & afterwards, Pete gave me an awesome shoulder/neck massage.

There were some folks (like J) who were fairly new to vinyasa yoga - Pete kept an eye on them & corrected alignment as needed. Pete remembered people's specific injuries and would caution them to observe their body in doing certain poses.

Stephanie (Pete's lovely wife who is also a teacher) also walked all around the room and gave amazing adjustments - she gave me an adjustment while I was in twisting awkward and for the first time, I didn't want to get out after 10 seconds. Stephanie also taught a beginner class and explained some basic Forrest principles like "active feet" and gave advice on squeezing gluteal muscles and tightening abs before coming up into Cobra pose. During one class, she put a gentle knee into J's back and pulled his shoulders back to get his spine straight while he was sitting. Yay.

The last class: Halfway through, Pete played MJ's "Man in the Mirror" and we all started dancing on our mats. Then, during savasana, he played Journey's "Don't Stop (Believing)" and we all sang (while lying down) and Pete did air guitar in the middle of the room.

The result: after 4 days with Pete & Stephanie, I left with a strong body, strong mind and peaceful soul.

i've been on three retreats with pete over the past few years ... joshua tree, grass valley new year and yosemite most recently. frequent his SF Yoga Tree classes as often as i can. He is challenging, curious playful, soulful and isn't ashamed to play music we forty-somethings listened to in high school.

yoga for me is as spiritual as it is emotional as it is physical and pete strikes the balance i seek with a sense of humor. i mean let's face it. downward dog is pretty silly if you think about it long enough.

Pete's classes combine tough workouts with spiritual gentleness. Pete is a truly inspirational teacher! If you're a newbie looking to give yoga a try, check out one of his Yoga 101 classes at Yoga Tree. If you're an experienced yogi looking to get your "asana kicked" check out one of his level 2-3 classes. Either way, you won't be disappointed!

Pete Guinosso is an amazing teacher. Even with the abundance of excellent yoga instructors we're blessed to have in San Francisco, he stands out. Every class he teaches is different, so boredom is never an issue. He responds to students' requests and concerns, then lays out his general plan, yet any given class also develops organically as it goes. He will always challenge you, support you in what you want to achieve or work toward, and -- perhaps best of all -- make you laugh.

While taking the spiritual work of yoga seriously, Pete brings a lightness to the effort. His compassion for his students is so apparent --- it never feels fake or forced. In addition to the sweet tone he sets in class, he uses music deftly -- both to uplift (sometimes even to make you dance or sing!) and to bring you inside yourself, to face what's there. He often ends classes with inspiring quotes that are never trite or tired.

In Pete's classes, I've learned to understand particular poses better as well as found the courage to try ones that scare me. I've grown as a yogi, and maybe best or most important of all in our difficult, stressful world, I've had so much fun! I'm very grateful to him for that.