Diego del Sol

a beautiful mind and person. i wish i was back in san francisco so i could continue practicing with him. i do miss his classes, his creativity and his open heart.

PLEASE SEE THE «FILTERED» REVIEW OF DIEGO! (amazing!)

As a recent transplant to San Francisco, a former studio owner and yoga teacher myself, I am psyched to find just my-​kind-​of-​teacher at Hayes Valley Yoga Tree, just blocks from my apartment. To be honest I’m not a particular fan of the studio itself or the other instructors, aside from Chrisandra Fox. I have scoured through many of the studios and various instructors from the Marina to the Mission and this is the only class I am compelled to return to again and again.
It’s quite a relief to have an option besides Anusara, which I appreciate for many reasons, but it’s influx in general and specifically in this city, makes it nearly impossible to attend an original class. It seems to have created a predictable brand of teaching that I currently have overdosed on. Diego’s classes are a breath of fresh air, literally. He focuses on the breath as the center of the practice for the entire duration, allowing me to consistently tap into deep and full expressions of postures that I am only able to pathetically muscle through in other classes, especially complicated arm balances.
It is old school hatha yoga at it’s finest. It is unpretentious. There is room for everyone and every level in the same room. It is clear he teaches from his own experience of practicing yoga and isn’t just regurgitating the rhetoric from some recent teacher training. He guides you deeper than the physical practice without a bunch of spiritually condescending bullshit or some preachy prophet complex. Even more refreshing: he rarely uses the sanskrit names for poses, is poignant in his language, gives pause for silence and propagates an atmosphere free of yoga snobbery and cliquishness (which seems hard to come by these days).
His classes are unpredictable; each time I am surprised by a new discovery that is offered within a pose or the sequence he creates. Even though I am tired and sweaty by the end, I am amazed how fast the time has passed. There is a sense of accomplishment from meeting the challenge of the class but not in the limited way that is typical of making it through another standard power yoga or sweat-​inducing vinyasa class.
In my humble opinion: this is real yoga and he is a real teacher.

Sometimes you find yourself craving a Xanax, a guru, your very own Dr. Phil, Billy Blanks in Yoga form, and some piping hot tea wrapped up in a ball? That’s Diego del Sol.
When I started training with Diego, I needed an inhaler just to get through a session. After two sessions, I threw away my inhaler. I’ve trained with Diego on and off for about 4 years, both at his classes and doing one on one sessions.
He’s got a style unlike any other yoga instructor in SF. He’s intuitive and calming, yet his classes kick my butt every time. His classes are challenging no matter how deep or frequent your practice. I’d strongly recommend checking him out!