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Piedmont Yoga Studio & Store
Rating Details »
Neighborhoods: North Oakland, Piedmont Ave
3966 Piedmont Ave
(between 40th St & Monte Vista Ave)
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 652-3336
3966 Piedmont Ave
(between 40th St & Monte Vista Ave)
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 652-3336
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
16 reviews for Piedmont Yoga Studio & Store
Being over six feet tall, I've had issues with tight muscles (especially hamstrings) through most of my life. When I look for an instructor, I'm seeking one who can work with the specific needs of people in the class and modify the positions accordingly.
Greg Hartwig is the best yoga teacher I've had bar none. Partly because he understands the yoga he teaches and physiology deeply enough to know when people are stretching ineffectively, what's going wrong, and how to adjust. He's also supportive and encouraging without being pushy, has a great personality (both in and out of class), and geniunely cares that people in the class are first and foremost doing what's healthiest for them in the class setting.
Greg teaches on Wednesday and Sunday nights (7:30pm and 4:30pm, respectively) and I've seen amazing improvements in just the few months I've been attending his twice-a-week classes. I used to be very tight when riding my bike, and that has virtually gone away.
Greg is great. If you're looking for a new yoga class/studio, I'd check him out.
I started doing yoga regularly about 9 months ago. As a runner I need all kinds of stretching. I've tried a number of the teachers at PYS and liked them all. The studio has great props, is clean and serene. It's the kind of place you can go when you're struggling with some issue-physical or in your head and come out feeling all clear. Cheryl, Kath and Raven are terrific. Give it a try. Ommmmm...
I've been coming here for years (since they were in a little shack further up Piedmont ave.) and I have always found Piedmont yoga to be a kind and supportive place for yoga-goers. Unlike some other places, it is up to the teachers what style of yoga they are teaching and how they are teaching it- so finding a teacher that you like becomes super important. For me, that's been Vickie Russel-Bell.
They have classes for kids, but I would not bring a child to the normal classes without checking with the teacher first.
I could blame the class or the sub but that would mean the one class I went to was an exception. I don't think it was. I have always found the staff to be very cold and uninviting--not very yogic, so I have never followed up with more classes.
Taking a class from legendary Rodney Yee is kind of a joke, he travels constantly and I think his sub for the classes that have his name, is really the permanent teacher. Say his name to a serious practitioner or popular teacher and you can see anger develop in their eyes. From his endorsing just about any product that's out there to rumblings about fraternization with the staff are all sources of that anger. Not the place I will be going to let my inner light shine.
Lately as I'm trying to save money, I'm not willing to spend $16 to $18 for a yoga class. As looked in line, I found a great place yoga studio that offers almost free classes. Monday and Friday, also Sunday evening class for $5. I've been here before many times but first time to the community classes. They're taught by recent yoga graduates and are still just as good as their other classes. Conveniently located and clean peaceful enviroment. Namaste..
I attended Piedmont Studio for an Intro to Yoga 4-week workshop with Raven. I thought it was the greatest thing in the world, as she was the best teacher -- nice, supportive, knowledgeable, instructive. I also liked the format - 4 weeks of the basics, geared toward someone brand-new to yoga.
The studio itself has nice large spaces. Beyond the specific workshop I took, which I think was mostly so wonderful due to the instructor, I was impressed that this studio has so many different types of classes, for every different type of person imaginable (people with back problems, disabled people, pregnant people, fat people, old people, etc., etc.).
I also once attended a Yoga Basics class here on the weekend, with Raleigh. It was easy-ish yoga and had a bunch of people recovering from injuries. The instructor freaked me out though -- it was the end of class relaxation time, and he kept saying something to me that I couldn't hear, so I lifted and turned my head toward him to try to understand, and he came over and pushed my face down. I didn't like that he touched my face, that felt very intrusive and violating, as there was zero reason for it. I would never go to his class again.
The other downside to this studio is that it is not "staffed." The only way to tell if you're in the right place is to wander around to the three different studio spaces and look on the schedule on the door to see if you're at the right one.
I bought an introductory 10-class pass for Piedmont Yoga and I have been so pleasantly surprised. I usually attend Yoko Yoshikawa's tuesday evening class which is packed. She is a very knowledgeable teacher - I remember one cold, winter evening when all of us were shivering in our yoga clothes...she made us do Suryanamaskars that had us warmed up enought to take off the extra layers. I have also attended classes by Caryn Dickman and Karen Schneider, who have different styles and techniques.
I was also able to use my pass to attend a 3-hour workshop on 'Yoga and Emotional Well-being' by Nina Zolotow which was very enlightening.
My biggest regret of moving from the East bay is about being unable to attend their evening classes but I will attend drop-in sessions when I visit the area.
I've taken classes from a few instructors here, but none come close to Vickie Russell Bell. She has an amazing knowledge of physiology, gives helpful verbal cues and she infuses her classes with a relaxing and thoughtful vibe. She truly cares about her students and is passionate about teaching yoga. (Some instructors seem more passionate about contorting their bodies into pretzels, not really focusing on instructing much.)
I'm a beginner and have sampled a variety of classes at PYS, Namaste and other studios. None come close!
not good.
The vibe is so icky. It is impersonal, cold and every time I've gone, people barely even say hi or look at eachother.
The classes I've taken there have SUCKED. In one class I practically fell asleep. In another one, I so severely injured my back that I could barely walk for two months.
There has been so much political infighting in this place that it just oozes out of the walls. I've had teachers talk about how upset they are with the studio IN THEIR CLASSES.
The parking is bad.
The energy in this place is so off, I just hate it.
If you want to go to classes with some of the good teachers like Baxter Bell or Raven Nemeroff, go to Namaste Rockridge instead.
So, yeah. It's famous and all...but really. I always sense the Yogacompetition here. I'm just not flexible enough to call myself a yogamaven and I certainly don't need to feel inadaquate for $16.
I only took a few classes here hoping to cross paths with the legendary Rodney Yee, but no such luck. The spaces reminded me of a forgotten basement gymnasium, though I am sure they are not that at all.
When we lived off Piedmont, I convinced my husband to do an introductory course with me. The teacher wasn't fabulous. This studio is know for offering classes by Rodney Yee.
I like this studio. I am taking prenatal yoga and this studio offers the best schedule for people with "regular" jobs. I am not the least bit flexible, but there are women in the class who regularly practice yoga and so are much more advanced than I am. The instructor (Cynthea Denise) isn't hard on me at all and she offers advice/instruction for people of all degrees of flexibility. When I leave I feel better than if I've had a massage!
I LOVE PYS!!! I have tried so many studios over the last 15 years, and PYS is by far the best. I have to confess: I'm almost afraid of letting out these secrets because I don't want classes to get any fuller. And I want all the kind and precise attention of the instructors for myself!
Patty Hirota-Cohen has got to be the best yoga instructor on the planet. I've taken classes with many of the instructors at PYS but Patty is incredible. She has great energy, she always adds bigger elements to her classes -- working with chakras, being aware of the expansiveness of the universe (!), and acknowledges the outside world in a way that I appreciate from a yoga teacher. (She went to Reno to campaign for Obama in the days prior to the election and on election day -- I'm so grateful to her!). This matters to me - having a yoga teacher who is connected to the world, who sees herself and her practice as part of a larger picture of healing the world and bring awareness to what's going on. Ok, but as a teacher she's light and fun, knowledgeable and very careful that her students don't get hurt. Her classes are challenging but also just meeting the needs of students. Patty is really a special teacher. She's introduced me to a kind of yoga I never knew was possible. I only wish she taught at PYS more - one class a week isn't enough!
I've been to a lot of studios which intimidate me and where there seems to be so much competition. Not so at PYS. I regularly feel supported by other students, I just feel like I can be who I am and I'm not judged for my inflexibility or inability to balance or whatever.
One last note- The prenatal classes with Cynthia Denise saved me when I was pregnant and horribly uncomfortable all the time. I can't recommend those enough.
Finally, I also really appreciate the community classes - which are $5. This means I can afford to go to a class 2 or 3 times a week.
I came here for a walk-in class once while visiting SF. The place is a little chilly but comfortable. The teacher is friendly and helpful and the class itself was not expensive at all. I enjoyed it a lot!
I had taken classes at several other local studios when a friend recommended I try Piedmont Yoga Studio. I gave it a whirl and I've now taken classes with Richard Rosen, Vickie Russell Bell and Karen Schneider, all of whom are excellent teachers, and I've found as they get to know you and your body better, they provide you with more and more individual assistance. Richard, I might add, is simply a world-class pranayama teacher, and you'd be hard-pressed finding someone with more expertise and better pranayama-related teaching skills anywhere.
The people running the place are sincere and dedicated, and if you're willing to put in the time, you'll find your body and your relationship with your body will begin to change. The methods employed at Piedmont are less regimented than other studios I've been to. Rather than adhering to the same pose-to-pose routine each class, there's more of a program of methodically working muscle groups and body areas, systematically warming them up, and deepening and focusing the specific workout. Consequently, it may take a sequence of classes to work through all the body circuits, and even then, no two classes are alike, which I personally find most refreshing. This methodology is characteristic of the Iyengar style, which for me has been an effective way of gaining strength and flexibility without experiencing undue muscle and joint strain. If you're the type that's more interested in hopping from pose to pose, well, the Piedmont program might not be your cup of tea.
I've never had a problem with parking. The Piedmont Market is fair game after 7PM, and if you're willing to walk a couple of blocks, I've found ample parking always available.
Piedmont also has a great program of workshops taught by visiting teachers, many of whom are at the top of their game.
