Astayoga

Every time I go to this studio I am always amazed by the quality of yogis who practice here. The reason why they come is because it is one of the best studios in the city. The owners do a great job of creating a warm and inviting environment while also respecting the more traditional Ashtanga path. I would recommend this studio to anyone who is looking to deepen their practice.

This is by far the best place to practice yoga in San Francisco, if not anywhere. I did not understand the how yoga actually works until I began to practice here on a regular basis. Asta emphasizes what is truly important which is your breath, your bandhas and your drishti. Nothing else matters people. The only one who cares how you look doing yoga is you.
The instructors here are all incredible. All of them. Unique and special in their own ways.
Practicing yoga anywhere else has become a lesson in acceptance for me.
So leave your ego at the door and come learn something about yourself. If you can commit to that simple goal you have already cleared the path for your own journey.
Thank you Asta for all you provide.

I have to comment because some of these reviews are way off. Steve and Rene, the owners, are very mellow, very kind, and great teachers. I can’t speak to the women instructors. It is traditional for Astanga studios to have carpeting, people. You wouldn’t want to learn how to do balancing poses on hardwood floors. Please, beginning yoga folks, stop coming to the level 3 – 4 classes. It is scary to see you hurting yourself. It’s also not fair to criticize the studio for for offering hot, challenging yoga with lots of advanced students in the class. Come to the morning classes. They are a great introduction to the practice or go find a good Iyengar studio.

The classes are an excellent workout. However minus one star for carpeting instead of hardwood floor. And minus one star for the intense heat and stuffiness. I do not care for hot yoga. The instructor for the first class I attended at this studio left the door to the garden open which was great. Thus, I was completely unprepared when subsequent instructors closed the doors and cranked the heat. I was so sweaty I couldn’t do any of the inversions as my elbows were slipping off my legs and I was slipping off my mat. I got so overheated I actually felt faint. I know that many people do love hot yoga; I’m just not one of them.

I came to Asta Yoga through ClassPass and was less than thrilled with my experience. For one, I can only imagine what is living inside of that HEATED room covered in CARPET! Second, the instructor seems more concerned with showing off her own yoga skills than actually teaching students how to attempt the poses. Now, I will say that there many advanced yoga students in the class, but this was an all levels class and there were no modifications for those of us who were clearly not able to follow the intense pace that she set. I longed for the moment that we were told to sit in child’s pose. That came only twice in the class and was no longer in duration than one breath.
In other studios, I’ve come to appreciate the teachers who encourage you to listen to your body and ask the group to take a collective child’s pose when there are folks who are clearly struggling. We all have those days! I also really enjoy attempting new poses and actually having time to attempt them rather than jumping in and out of something that could cause me to collapse on my neighbor.
As other’s have stated here, this isn’t the right place for someone who is looking for a relaxing or thoughtful meditation practice. It does indeed appear to be frequented by ex-​gymnasts and some sort of crazy acrobats with incredible bodies rolling around in their Lululemon sports bra and shorts. The energy feels competitive.
So, would I return? Maybe. I would be interested in trying another instructor given that most of my complaints stem from the teaching style of the individual hosting the class. But I am really freaked out by the carpet…

Breathing is the first thing you did when you came into this world, and it will be the last thing you do before you leave it, so why not practice it with intention? Astayoga gives you the space and time to get centered and clear your mind so you can leave all your distractions behind you. Astayoga is not about the poses, or how you look doing them; it’s about breathing, and that’s the truth.

I have been looking for a regular neighborhood yoga class for my preschool age daughter, but all I could find were classes near the Presidio and an occasional Integral Yoga class. I can’t believe my family’s good fortune in finding Asta right in the Mission, a block from Four Barrel! My daughter attends the drop-​off yoga for 3 to 5 year old kids class on Fridays from 1:30 to 2:30 and she is having a blast. She’s emerged from each class happy and relaxed. Her review:
«Sometimes we do spider pose on the wall. We do mouse pose. [Miss Mary] is nice! Nothing more about it.»
(From her, this is a rave review.)
There’s also a parent/​kid yoga class for 2 to 4 year olds at 10:30 on Fridays. I haven’t participated in this because we’re going for the drop-​off experience.

Steve, why you gotta be so rude? And as the owner of a Yoga studio? Really?
I bought a Groupon for 5 sessions. When I came in for my 4^th, I was told my vouchers had expired. I was sure I remembered the expiration date on the groupon, so I pulled it up on my phone and showed you that the groupon was not yet expired. You then proceeded to explain to me how a perfectly valid groupon was actually perfectly expired.
BEWARE: they produce their own expiration dates on the groupon vouchers once you redeem the first. In my case, this expiration period was 90 days. In your case, who knows? Well, Steve does, I guess. This is mentioned no where in the groupon.
Steve, congratulations for mastering the calmest condescending tone I’ve ever heard. You can help me if I decide to buy a package from you, you say? Groupon is a way for you to let people try and then buy, you say? Your empty class doesn’t have room for another lowly Groupon leecher, eh?
Well, Steve, a quick tip for you. Customer service is a key ingredient to converting a Groupon customer. Also, your attitude/​energy today was unbecoming for a yoga instructor, much less yoga studio owner. I’m sure my tone is not nearly as condescending as yours. Perhaps if you had let me sit through just two more classes, I could’ve mastered it.
But, I’m perfectly happy to use my time instead to share this experience with my fellow Unilocalers. Namaste, friends on Unilocal

Really lines up my chakras and gets my in the moodra

Asta Yoga was fine. I had heard great things about it from a friend, and even from Unilocal,I had expected more.
I walked in the studio to the front desk to check in. The receptionist looked at me and continued a conversation with her friend who was standing nearby. She didn’t ask me to hold on a sec or give me a sec or say I’ll be with you in a second. She just let me wait there for at least 5 minutes. Cool.
Well, I got checked in, set myself up inside. Met some really cool people who seem like really dedicated yogis. They were all older men, which I found interesting.
Class starts. Instructor walks in, and it’s actually the receptionist who had checked me in. She spends the first 10 minutes talking about a recent trip of hers. I’m waiting for her to tie it into a story about yoga. She doesn’t. She just likes to talk.
Aside from the instructor just rubbing me the wrong way, the class was very challenging. I’ve been to several different studios over the years and more recently (courtesy of classpass), and this was the most advanced, even though it was an all levels class. I’d never tried Rocket Yoga before, and I don’t think I will for a very long time. Half the people in the class looked like ex-​gymnasts or ex-​dancers who were looking for a more challenging type of yoga. Or they were people who primarily practiced pilates and wanted to spice up the routine with yoga.
Anyway, I most likely won’t be coming back. I wanted a more relaxing type of yoga, and this was not it. For people who are beginners to yoga, I wouldn’t recommend this studio. But for people who are more advanced and want a different routine, AstaYoga is worth checking out.

Rocket Yoga! My mind is blown. I had no idea that this practice even existed until a few days ago, much less that it was created in San Francisco… and now I’m pretty sure I’ll be hooked!
I signed up for a class at AstaYoga through Fitmob. Fitmob labeled the class as Primary Series (I assumed it was Ashtanga) but I looked at AstaYoga’s schedule and it was actually a Rocket Vinyasa: All Levels class. It didn’t matter to me because I loved the class. Plain ol’ vinyasa can get really boring sometimes, and Rocket Yoga is just FUN and challenging. Everything from the temperature of the room to the music to the ambiance was just perfect.
Sarah was an amazing instructor. It’s obvious that she has been teaching for a long time because her corrections were on point.
I’ll definitely be returning for more!

I miss these classes. Great asthanga based vinyasa yoga. This place is a real community and you can real the connection and energy during the classes. Whenever in SF, I try to go.

More like 3.5 stars but I’m rounding down because I’m not convinced to sign up for a membership here yet. I tried 3 different classes through a ClassPass membership. There’s nothing particularly bad about this studio, but I’m just not sure the classes are quite the right kind of flow I’m looking for.
Overall, AstaYoga is definitely one of the more challenging yoga studios I’ve been to in SF and it really shows in the yogis that go there. You can tell that people are there to deepen their practice rather than to get a workout.
The 3 classes I went to were Rocket Vinyasa (All Levels) with Tara, Beginner/​Modified Primary with Shaina, and Primary Series with Troy.
The Beginner/​Modified class is a pretty beginner class. Shaina started off with some core, but not very intense core, and then went through the structured set of poses. The class was definitely modified for beginners and not very challenging.
The Primary Series was definitely more advanced. Same postures with chaturangas between every pose (so a LOT of chaturangas!). Troy walked through the more challenging postures which I think were left out of the Beginner class.
For those who forget their mat or don’t want to lug it around, there’s mat rental for $ 2
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** PROS **
–Challenging classes; good studio to deepen practice
–Focus on breath. A lot of studios don’t really emphasize this, so I love that about this place. You can actually hear everyone breathing!
–Plenty of space and especially wall space for head/​handstands
–Yogis who come here aren’t «gym rats». They seem really dedicated to the practice.
** CONS **
–Room is heated either at the beginning of class or throughout class, which I’m not really a fan of. It’s not hot, just warm enough to loosen the muscles more quickly, but it’s an uncomfortable, sticky temperature. I prefer unheated classes and loosening up the muscles by flowing through poses.
–I don’t get the sense that there’s much focus on proper alignment of poses. The teachers seem to just instruct you through the series of postures without teaching much. Some teachers demo the poses, but they don’t really emphasize proper alignment.
–Some teachers leave time for inversions, but the ones that do don’t leave enough time. In a 90 minute class, I’d like to have some more time to work on head/​handstands.
–I love teachers that provide adjustments to students, and some of the teachers did so, but not enough. They’re mostly hands-​off.
–Little/​no deviation from the structured series so there isn’t much opportunity to learn or practice new poses.
–Classes are set up so that there are two rows of yogis practicing facing each other, which is a little odd to me
–Carpeted room. I’m used to hardwood floor studios, but the carpeted floor is still pretty hard so it’s not a big deal.

4.5 stars
AMAZING rocket classes! I bought a Groupon for five classes, and will definitely go out of my way to use these, and purchase more (they have a 10 class pass for 99 $ deal as well!)
I took the Rocket I class. I LOVE that there’s space for doing arm balances, head stands, hand stands, forearm stands, tripod headstands, king pigeon, and other more advanced poses — and also love that it’s only ever presented as an option!
LOTS of wall space — so for beginners I’d recommend grabbing a spot by the wall for any inversion type of stuff you might play around with.
I deduct half a star because I don’t like the carpet flooring, and also apparently sometimes they heat up the studio, which I’m really, really, REALLY not a big fan of (apparently it’s only to 80 degrees, just to warm up the muscles, but still. I freak out w/​heated yoga).

I love Asta Yoga. If you are an experienced practitioner or have an advanced practice, this is definitely the place for you. Rocket II and III provide a challenging environment and the practice never gets stale.
In the studio the level is high, the energy is high, and everyone is working together, flowing and riding the wave of their breath.
I think Asta attracts dedicated yogis.
I’m sure Asta is great for all levels, but I have found it particularly great for those who already have a strong practice and want to be pushed!
So much love for this studio and their teachers. Off to yoga now!

This place is awesome! One of my new favourite yoga places to go. I like that the studio is smaller (at least it is, compared to Yoga to the People) and there really seems to be a sense of community here. Even though I’m still new to the studio, both the students and teachers are very friendly and nice. The classes are a little confusing at first since the teachers don’t seem to give a lot of cues, but after getting the hang of it, you’ll notice there are lots of options you can take to adapt the yoga postures to students of any level. I never really used to like the carpet in the practice room, but I started to bring my really thin travel yoga mat since I was tired of carrying the heavier one around, and I found the cushioning of the carpet to be more comfortable than hardwood.

My first experience with Asta yoga wasn’t the best. There were about three people in total at the class. Ted was our instructor. After reading all the five-​star reviews about Asta yoga I thought it was going to be a great experience. I found that the instructor spoke far too much versus other your teachers. This ended up being a distraction to actually relaxing. Also he was too touchy which made me and a couple other of the students feel uncomfortable.
Hopefully my next experience is better.

This is a pretty awesome studio! I normally go to a different studio in SF right around the corner of my apt, but due to a closure, I was forced to look for a new place to practice this month.
I’ve really enjoyed the two classes I’ve taken so far: Rocket II and Rocket Vinyasa: All Levels. The difference is that Rocket Vinyasa has a longer warm-​up & more of an emphasis on the flows; and Rocket II did a few more inversions, and ended the class with deep back bends. Both the instructors were extremely helpful. They walk around to correct your posture, and they also demonstrate the more challenging postures at a good pace.
Additionally the class size in this studio is actually much smaller than the studio that I normally go to, which means that there is much less body heat, and more room to practice. Since I am a handstand novice, I also appreciate always having a wall to practice with.
I would recommend trying their 3 class beginner’s pack for $ 20 to see if this fits your style. Unfortunately, most of their classes happen at 4:30pm and 6pm during the week. This is a tough time for us working folk to get to. Hopefully they’ll consider adding some later weekday and weekend classes in the future :)

All the instructors have been amazing. The place is quaint and never too crowded so it means the instructors can give more instruction to more of us in need (like myself)
Place is clean! with water cooler and changing area

After visiting more than 20 schools in the Bay Area, I’ve come back to Ashta more than any other. The vibe is amazing, they’re down to earth, friendly, warm and very committed to a communal, spiritual and very intense asana practice.
The class is intense, yet very deep. Not only do the teachers here guide you through a very dynamic vinyasa, but they also put attention to the subtle transformation the Ashtanga poses have in the body. Real practice of body-​mind-​soul integration. And yet, they don’t take themselves too serious, they are always friendly, chill and laid back.
Thank you Ashta for making me feel like at home!
Maricarmen