Sophia Campbell Yoga
As a out-of-town visitor (UCB alumna) to Sophia Campbell’s ______ yoga class, I want to alert locals to this extraordinary opportunity in your community. I understand that high expertise and student care are the norms for Berkeley and El Cerrito yoga teachers, as for teachers at two yoga studios near UC Irvine where I have practiced for 18 years.
For me, Sophia added a wonderful existential dimension. All these years I have attended classes for health and fitness, in the same spirit as I take my car to the shop for scheduled maintenance. At the end of Sophia’s class, I realized that I had actually lived that 90 minutes, instead of just taking my body to the shop for routine maintenance. As a social psychologist, I tried to puzzle out how Sophia accomplished this.
The best explanation I can give on short reflection is metaphorical. She had the air of a wilderness guide taking us on a meaningful journey, maybe through a combination of her own sense of purpose and of sly and creative ways of moving from one yoga pose to another. The poses themselves were not heralded as destinations. Through her authenticity and openness as a person, she brought her own demonstrations of poses into natural life instead of yoga-studio life. Also, she has a nice touch, very informative, for individual body adjustments and does not lose her class timing while attending to individuals. I was thinking of how many hundreds of hours would be added to my experienced life if I could attend Sophia’s classes instead of taking my body to the shop for maintenance three times a week. So I wanted to share my discovery with those in reach of Sophia’s classes. Jean Marie Arrigo, Irvine
"The spiritual and practical in one package."
As the elderly guy in Sophia's Vara class I always feel welcome, supported and loved.
I have met a lot of wonderful yoga teachers over the years, but Sophia is hands down, my favorite. It is my great pleasure to be around this highly skilled joyful woman who is both my teacher and my friend.
Jake Warner, Kensington
After10 years of promising my husband that I would begin to practice yoga "next year" I was finally converted when he introduced me to Sophia's class. I had tried an assortment of different yoga class before and was beginning to be convinced that it just wasn't for me. Sophia changed all that by creating an ambiance and practice that is a genuine pleasure to embrace. I find myself looking forward to her classes and the uplifting of my body and spirits that always follow. She is the absolute best!
Toni Ihara, Berkeley
I have taken many yoga classes over many years here and there, but Sophia's class is the only one that has kept me coming back. She somehow provides a perfect balance of enjoyment and challenge, and weaves together physical brass tacks and spiritual insight and encouragement seamlessly.
Brooke B.-Berkeley
Sophia introduced me to yoga last year, and it has now become an essential element of my weekly schedule. She is accommodating to all levels (e.g. today we had a "yoga virgin", in the same class with 3-year veterans) and is able to combine demonstrating and describing to suit all participants' needs. Her spiritual commentary refreshes me, and challenges me to view things through a more objective and positive lens. I will follow her wherever she goes to teach.
Greg Mayer, El Cerrito
Five Stars!
My rating is not only for the yoga part of the BARRE class I take from Sophia, but the dance and bar work. Sophia is safety oriented with yoga, and just the right amount of demonstration and constant explanation in her very soothing voice. The music she uses for this class is always interesting and fun. I took classical ballet as an elementary student and later took some beginning ballet and jazz classes in college. I love both yoga and dance, and Sophia's teaching, spirit, music and soulful spirit comes across in a class where there is a range of background in ballet, dance and yoga. All of the classmates seem to love the practice and I am sad any week that I am not there.
Coach Wendy, Alameda