Sonya Genel, E-RYT

San Francisco, United States

5

11 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 617-257-1823
Address:
San Francisco, CA
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
40 ftMarket St & South Van Ness Ave
110 ftVan Ness Muni
150 ftMarket St & Van Ness Ave
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Today

Today –
Local time (San Francisco) 19:01 Wednesday, 11 June 2025

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Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
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Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Sonya Genel (E-​RYT) joyfully embraces the power of yoga not only to heal and transform the body but also to heighten human consciousness and to create a radiant life.

Sonya offers public yoga classes, private yoga sessions, therapeutic yoga, workshops, retreats, mindfulness, meditation, wellness, personal transformation and evolution.

Public classes are held at Yoga Garden SF, 286 Divisadero Street:

mon/​wed/​friday 12 – 1:15pm Hatha Flow

tues/​thurs 4:45 — 6:15pm

Vinyasa wed 8−9pm Restorative yoga

Sonya is available for private sessions as well:

$ 110 for 60 minutes

$ 150 for 90 minutes

Please contact Sonya directly to set up a private yoga session.

Meet the Business Owner

Sonya G.

Business Owner

Sonya is an Experienced Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher (E-​RYT) with hundreds of hours of training in yoga and meditation. The powerful benefits of her own practice compelled Sonya to share the transformative gift of yoga with others. She completed her first teacher training at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Many more trainings have followed in the tradition of Tantric Yoga, most notably with her beloved teachers KK Ledford, Sianna Sherman, and world renowned scholar and meditation teacher Paul Muller-​Ortega.

In her classes, Sonya weaves precise anatomical alignment with a non-​dualistic life affirming philosophy. When she is not teaching yoga, Sonya can often be found drawing or painting. As an artist, she notices the profound effects yoga has on her creativity, and she has dedicated herself to enthusiastically guiding others toward enhancing their own unique life path through yoga.

Sonya Genel, E-​RYT also recommends

Yoga Garden SF

193

reviews

トレーナー

,

ヨガ

Sonya G. says,

«I have been working and teaching here for several years and its a wonderful place!»

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11 reviews of Sonya Genel, E-RYT

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I just got back from Sonya’s summer yoga retreat and feeling completely blissful… even a few days after! Sonya’s yoga classes were the perfect combination of gentle yet invigorating and healing practice that helped me re-​connect to my body, breath and soul. Thank you Sonya! Namaste.
Place rating: 5
Pacifica, CA
Yes, Sonya gives good yoga. I’ve been a yogi for about 3 ½ years, the past year-​plus with Sonya at Yoga Garden, and my practice has made great strides with her help. She pays great attention to proper form, a key to avoiding nagging injuries (really important when you get past a certain age). You feel confident she knows what she’s talking about, and her passion for, and enjoyment of, teaching (and continuing to learn herself) is obvious. She also has a great temperament for teaching: nurturing, encouraging and never condescending. She can also inject some humor into the proceedings without being «too cute.» As a bonus, she has good taste in music. If you want to develop your practice, or are new to yoga and want a good place to start, you really can’t go wrong with Ms. Sonya. This was a non-​paid endorsement!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Sonya is an exceptional teacher. She is compassionate, clear, mindful of her student’s needs, incredibly well studied and sincerely believes in the importance of a yoga practice and living to one’s true potential. She is the real deal. I have studied yoga for years and years throughout the major cities in America and teachers like her are extremely rare. Her dedication to her practice and her unwavering focus on true purpose are in each pose she guides her students to in class. If you want to experience yoga, true yoga, on and off the mat, I highly recommend taking Sonya’s class.
Place rating: 5
Sausalito, CA
I did a wonderful hip opening workshop with Sonya and really, really enjoyed it! She offers excellent alignment cues so unlike many yoga classes, I feel confident that I am doing the poses safely and in good alignment. I found Sonya inspiring, uplifting and very soothing at the same time. Her way of teaching felt professional, caring and fun! I highly recommend yoga with Sonya!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
There is no other choice when searching for a yoga guru. Sonya is it.
Whether you’re looking for a restorative class or a mellow flow Sonya is adaptable and an ever changing spirit of good energy! Her classes are enlightening, uplifting, strengthening and lots of fun. She’s attentive and has a fabulous memory– if you are injured at all, tell her! She’ll help you get yourself lined up and flowing without pain or frustration so you can still enjoy the class.
Go to Sonya, it’s that simple.
Go to Sonya when you need yoga and all will be well.
She’s the best.
Place rating: 5
Black Mountain, NC
Yoga with Sonya is a blast!
I’ve been doing yoga on and off for 10 years and Sonya is the first teacher I ever called my teacher. I only go to her classes when I am practicing. I chose Sonya as my teacher for several reasons. First, I feel very safe doing yoga with her. She is very knowledgable about proper alignment and she teaches it in every single class I have ever taken with her.
She explains & demonstrates what to do AND what not to do. When I do yoga alone, Sonya’s voice is always in my head saying, «shoulders back always and forever.» Her classes are fluid and well prepared and always adapted to match the expressed needs and desires of her students.
When I haven’t been to class in a while, she will often reach out with a friendly email inviting me back and letting me know that I’ve been missed. How amazing is that?!
On top of that, I always appreciated how she consistently introduces herself to first time attendees of her class and asks them about their yoga practice history. This tells me she is truly interested in each person’s individual experience in her class and in making everyone feel welcome.
Sonya is an incredibly skilled yoga practitioner and teacher. She is very sweet and approachable. And she genuinely cares about her students. You won’t be disappointed!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
i really love how mindful and consistent Sonya’s instruction is, her yoga language is easy to understand and incorporate, so much attention is given to detail, connecting spirit and body, pushing yourself without hurting yourself. i’ve been taking Hatha Flow with her at Yoga Garden and it’s a joy! thanks a lot)
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I am a year and a few months into a Yoga practice and sometimes it is hard to know if you go to a variety of classes if you are doing things correctly. Sonya gives really specific instructions about alignment and is careful about safety. I appreciate her clarity of instruction. She is clear in her demonstrations and a joy to watch. While I am a beginner, her classes always include challenges for the more advanced students. She is excellent!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I am almost afraid to write how great Sonya is here, in case too many people start going to all her classes and I can’t fit into them anymore!
Ok, but that’s silly. Silly Toby, this is what Unilocal is all about! Sharing, right?
So. Here’s the scoop. Sonya is THE BEST yoga teacher, hands down, that I have ever had. She is actually THE REASON that I practice yoga. Before I found Sonya, I had gone to a variety of different teachers, classes, and styles of yoga, and had thought, «Ok, this yoga stuff is ok. Pretty good.» But I hadn’t ever had an instructor who had transformed my life.
Then I went to my first class with Sonya and by the end of the class I was crying. Happy tears! But crying nonetheless. Sonya was able to skillfully facilitate a class that spoke to my mind AND body. She gets deep into alignment, and I don’t just mean physical alignment. I mean mental and spiritual alignment! I know this might sound crazy to some people out there. And let me tell you, I am the first one to be a skeptic when I read people going on and on about how great some new-​agey thing is.
But in my case, Sonya was, and is, able to offer me and my yoga practice exactly what I need. She is incredibly centered, has a great ability to connect with each and every student in the room, plays great music (!), has a deep knowledge of yoga and the body and is incredibly articulate at expressing EVERYTHING. There is not a word wasted.
Sonya Genel is an incredibly gifted yoga teacher, and I feel incredibly privileged and grateful to be able to study with her.
BOOM. true dat.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Sonya is truly an incredible yoga teacher. I had been practicing Bikram for a little over three years until I hurt my back. I took sometime away from the mat and when I returned I decided I wanted to try a different type of yoga that worked on the mental aspect as well as the body. What an amazing decision that was. The first teacher I stumbled upon was Sonya. She was so patient at teaching me all the new poses and really took the time to make sure I was putting my body into the correct alignment. I love the way she keeps you mentally present in the class by always saying the perfect thing. I have now been visiting her class for almost 2 years now and really feel a difference in my body and mind. If you are looking for a class that will work you out, sculpt your muscles and your mind and bring some peace into your hectic day, Sonya is the yoga teacher for you!
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
I’ve been taking yoga for about 7 years on and off and I’m here to say that Sonya Genel is THE BEST!
She encourages a perfect blend of heat and attention to alignment in the postures and I always left class feeling rejuvenated. In all my years of yoga I can honestly say that Sonya’s class is the only one I have taken where I felt 100% present and happy to be practicing throughout the whole 90 minutes!
Now that I’m living across the country I often channel Sonya in my classes and I continue to find that her influence has made a huge difference in my practice!