WELCOME!
The Berkeley Yoga Center, operating since 1997, brings together fine teachers from a rich background of traditions. We offer a wide variety of ongoing classes, suited to beginners as well as seasoned practitioners. As an inclusive yoga studio, we welcome all people, no matter your race, ethnicity, religion, gender, identity/expression, sexual orientation, age, body size, or immigration status. You must be able to get up our steps to attend classes, as our studio is in an old building that is, unfortunately, not wheel-chair accessible. We are slowly reopening for in-person classes; please directly contact your teacher to preregister for class, which is required at this time.
"Yoga is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who you are. The practice of yoga is the practice of meditation - or inner listening - in the poses and meditations, as well as all day long."
- Erich Schiffman
Covid19 Safety
Because the health and safety of our students and the community is of the utmost importance, we are requiring all students who practice in-person to show proof of full vaccination status or a negative Covid PCR test within 72 hours of class participation. All classes require preregistration. Teachers' contact information is listed next to the classes so you can easily contact them about class preregistration for all in-person and zoom classes.
"The body is the sacred sanctuary of the soul."
- Ilana Rubenfeld
OUTSTANDING TEACHERS
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CLASSES FOR ALL LEVELS
ABOUT BYC
Neighborhood Studio Since 1997
Berkeley Yoga Center consists of a beautiful studio located in a historical building that overlooks Strawberry Creek Park. BYC first opened in 1997, when there were very few yoga studios around, and we have been serving the neighborhood and wider Bay Area ever since. Our mission is to provide a simple, humble, home-grown yoga studio, with nothing fancy, nothing extra. We don’t sell props or other yoga gear: we just offer a beautiful, tranquil space, where students have a chance to experience and connect with the profound and transformative teachings of yoga, led by long-time as well as newer teachers.
Grow with Your Teacher
Yoga has traditionally been passed down directly from teacher to student. At BYC, teachers have the freedom to teach the way they like, making a direct connection to their students. Because teachers at BYC run their classes in this autonomous way, students have the chance to delve into their yoga practice with a particular teacher, rather than with a studio. This allows the student/teacher relationship to flourish: students get to better know a teacher and the specific teaching she or he is offering, and teachers are better able to serve their committed students. We are honored that the teachers at BYC continue this traditional mode of imparting the beautiful teachings of yoga.
Yogini-Owned and Operated
The owners of the Berkeley Yoga Center, Melanie Green and Cybèle Tomlinson, are both long-time yoga practitioners, teachers, and friends. We started running Berkeley Yoga Center together back in 2002, when our eldest children were newborns, and we are still growing and learning together in this yogic adventure. Though we've been witness to the rapid commercialization of yoga in the last decade, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to the original vision of BYC as a humble, home-grown yoga studio. Over the years, we have been stewards to a very special community of teachers and practitioners, and we are honored to still be here, with the wonderful folks who are a part of the BYC community. Yoga is a way of life for both of us, and we love sharing the wisdom and beauty of the yogic path. We both feel that we will probably be teaching until the day we leave this Earth!
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BERKELEY YOGA CENTER
2121 Bonar Street, Studio C
Berkeley, CA 94702
“The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves."
- Pema Chödrön