"After suffering for more than one year with severe back pain, and trying physical therapy with no success, I began to work with Samantha. From the moment I met her I knew that she approached her her work more like a "calling" than a career. She listens carefully and thoughtfully, and works patiently as I learn techniques to heal my back. Each visit is more than just yoga therapy, as Samantha brings a heartfelt concern for her patients, and understands the impact of the body/mind connection. She has a warm and wonderful presence, and I feel her energy is directed 100% to my recovery. We work as a team, and the outcome has been extraordinary.
In addition to being an outstanding yoga instructor, Samantha is an amazing educator. She often shows me her anatomy books to help me understand where the muscles are connected to the spine, and how a certain yoga posture will stretch and strengthen my back. Her detailed written instructions and illustrations make following up at home so much easier, and I know that she is always available should I have any questions or concerns.
I consider Samantha a gift, and an important part of my wellness program."
Judy N., Educator
Santa Clara, CA
"Samantha has changed my life. At the age of 85 I have had a lifetime of back problems diagnosed long ago as degeneration of the lumbar disks. Recently the pain was so bad I had to wear a back brace in order to perform simple tasks such as walking the dog or cooking. It was making my life pretty miserable.
I had heard of Samantha as a Yoga teacher with a specialty in therapeutic Yoga for back pain, and arranged an appointment for a private Yoga session. In this initial session in her home studio she gave me very gentle relaxation and stretching exercises, and I walked out pain-free for the first time in recent memory.
I have continued seeing her every week or two, and she has added strength building and posture improvement exercises or poses I do daily at home.
I have now been pain free for the last two months and can carry groceries or luggage or stand at a painting easel for hours without problem.
It is remarkable that a serious lifetime problem could be solved so simply thanks to Samantha's knowledge, training and skill."
Robert H., Retiree
San Francisco, CA
"I have been suffering from unidentifiable chronic neck and back pain for
close to 10 years. In my desperation I have tried every kind of treatment
and nothing has helped to improve it. Being in pain everyday and not knowing why is incredibly frustrating and isolating.
I have seen a great improvement in my pain levels since I started private yoga lessons with Samantha. She patiently listens to my complaints about aches and pains. In her wise way she does not direct me to something that she promises will magically cure me, but helps me to understand the way my body works. We often take out the anatomy and physiology books so that we can understand what muscle groups to work on. We take a problem area and work on it by breaking it down.
The exercises that she has suggested for my long work days at the computer are incredibly helpful.
There are not many times when one can say that something has changed ones life. But I can honestly say that about my sessions with Samantha. I feel more aware of my body and the way it works than ever before. I have a new sense of hope that my pain will be manageable. And thanks to Samantha, I am learning to be at peace with my body."
Christina D., Event Planner
Los Angeles, CA
"My story begins with a whiplash injury that seemed to be minimal at first but became progressively worse, until the constant pain in my neck, upper back and arms became debilitating. The pain meant I was unable to sleep more than 45 minutes at a time and needed high doses of pain medication. I tried physical therapy, chiropractors, and general yoga classes. The physical therapist and chiropractor helped during the worst episodes of muscle spasms and pain, but I had no tools to actively address my back health or relieve pain. Yoga classes would sometimes result in spasms. Eventually, I was forced into inactivity.
I found Samantha by searching for yoga classes that addressed back and neck issues. Living in Atlanta, I could only meet with Samantha for private sessions on visits to SF. The first session was overwhelming in the best way. I work in the medical field so I can tell when someone knows the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, and she did! That did wonders for building my trust. I spent 3 sessions with her, 1.5 - 2 hours each time, over the course of two visits to SF.
Those 3 sessions changed my life. Samantha gave me a set of yoga poses and strengthening exercises which I do daily -- some of them you can do pretty discreetly while waiting for the elevator. As a result, I have not had an "episode" in over 6 months -- and an episode resulted in total immobility and pain at a level of 7-10 out of 10.
I am now able to travel and participate in light sports, and the best part - I can now sleep through the night. I am no longer bound to bi-weekly chiropractor visits, and I haven't taken prescription pain medicine since my last visit with Samantha.
My pain tolerance is actually lower because I am not in constant low level pain - this means I can actually tell when I feel run-down from illness or general fatigue. My quality of life is tremendously improved and I have Samantha to thank! I would tell anyone who thinks there is nothing they haven't tried for their pain, to try a private session with Samantha. Her healing powers through yoga are abundant."
Anna W., Speech Pathologist
Atlanta, GA
"Samantha’s teaching has helped my chronic neck and back pain more than all the different types of physical therapy I've tried. I've been to multiple doctors, including one who recommended spinal surgery.
I've tried acupuncture, regular yoga, pain medications when it got really bad, doing nothing and being miserable, stretching, rest, and massage. Nothing really helped in a lasting way. For five years, I was in chronic pain every day. I never realized how bad I felt until my back started to feel better.
Samantha’s relaxed teaching style and reminders to "work with where your body is today" were reassuring, and the poses and prop use she taught continue to provide relief from my back pain while I work on healing.
Now my back feels good most of the time, and when it doesn't feel good, I know exactly why, and can help it feel better. Now when I'm in pain, it's so much more bearable because there's something I can do about it! The relief from chronic pain has also made me a happier, more patient person."
Elizabeth H., Student and Doula
San Francisco, CA
At the ripe old age of 45, I decided that if I didn’t work on being more flexible, I would one day be a very stiff old man. This was, in fact, confirmed by a Physical Therapist who urged me to do something (yoga, she said) about my very stiff hamstrings. I am pretty fit with an often rigorous workout regimen of weight-training, biking, swimming and running, but like a lot of people, I did not stretch after exercise. I also have an demanding job as a psychotherapist in a free medical clinic in the Tenderloin. While I love my work, it often drains my physical and emotional energy.
While I’ve been to a few yoga classes, I never really “took” to yoga, as I always felt intimidated in class around all those super-fit and super-flexible yogis and yoginis. I began meeting with Samantha for private yoga sessions biweekly, following her prescribed routines specifically address my stiff hamstrings, other problematic areas of my body, but more importantly my whole body. After just a few weeks, I began to feel results and have now made amazing progress. I am stronger and more flexible in ways that traditional exercise cannot bring. I also feel more centered, balanced and in-tune with my body. Yoga has also almost eliminated my sweet-tooth!
Samantha’s style of teaching is warm and compassionate with a completely empathic presence. These qualities are balanced by excellent technical and diagnostic skills. What I found especially helpful was the way Samantha very generously shared her own personal physical and emotional struggles and how yoga-practice has helped her overcome them.
With Samantha’s guidance, I have developed a daily yoga practice designed to meet my specific physical and emotional needs. I highly recommend Samantha to anyone with physical or emotional challenges or if you simply want excellent one-on-one yoga instruction tailored to your own specific needs.
I sought out Samantha for yoga therapy to target my hamstrings specifically and while they have loosened up, our sessions were about so much more. I discovered, in a deep way, my mind/body/spirit connection. I have, with Samantha’s wonderful guidance, discovered the gift of yoga and the clarity, strength and balance that it can bring to one’s life.
K. Marcus H., M.A., MFT, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
San Francisco, CA
"Samantha's approach to yoga is about incorporating joy into the very marrow of one's being. Her joy of teaching is illuminated by a joy of learning. All of her lessons are suffused with compassion and patience, tailored for your incremental yet profound change into an altogether healthier being.
I felt so much better from my sessions with Samantha that I stopped going to see my chiropractor.
Our sessions made me aware of shallow, hesitant breathing patterns, and taught me where and how to bring more oxygen joyfully into my body. The yoga assists greatly in the healing process of chronically sore and strained spots.
Samantha presents the spiritual component, in the meaning of each pose, its origins, why one leads to the other, how the physical stretching and strengthening prepares you for the pushing and pulling of the outside world. I have found that yoga helps me to cope with an unrelentingly strenuous world, by preparing and strengthening body and mind.
In spite of my lifelong preference for lying around, and my work habits, I began to welcome the strain and exertion of yoga, and to see how my lifelong habits invited ill health and drained my life energy."
Catherine T., Mortgage Consultant
San Francisco, CA
"Samantha is so smart and intuitive in her teaching. She will meet you wherever you are physically and finds creative ways to work with limitations. She is good at finding solutions. I have always felt open, clearer, energized, and present in my body after leaving a class with her. She will give you do-able homework, and it really makes a difference if you do it.
Samantha is very motivating, and obviously loves teaching and helping people. She is warm and friendly. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to feel more connected with their bodies, wanting to see change, and feel better."
Amy B., Salon Owner, Hairstylist, and Doula
San Francisco, CA
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testimonials - zen mind, yoga body retreats
Samantha and Robert have put together a marvelous, inspiring, thoughtful retreat that really integrates body and mind in extended periods of yoga practice and meditation. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and came home feeling fully renewed, relaxed, and with a panoply of new ways to approach both meditation and yoga. The balance of different intensities of yoga, zazen and outdoor meditation, dharma talks, and free time, was perfect, and the Green Gulch setting idyllic.
As retreat leaders, Samantha and Robert's two styles compliment each other superbly - they're by turns serious and entertaining, as well as responsive, knowledgeable, compassionate and kind. This was reflected in the diverse group of people who attended the retreat, all of whom were personable, interesting, and lovely folks with whom to share a weekend.
- E., UC Berkeley doctoral student and teacher
I am so grateful to Robert and Samantha for helping my soul and body remember what they are supposed to feel like. I get totally distracted by life and my "thinking", but between Samantha's yoga and Robert's meditation I can honestly say I was at least 70% better physically and 100% mentally when I left on Sunday. Samantha's yoga is very healing, and there was an energy created between the two of them that words cannot do justice describing. This retreat truly more than exceeded my expectations. My heart is filled with gratitude that I found my way to Green Gulch for this retreat!
-Deena
"I came to the Zen Mind, Yoga Body Retreat at Tassajara because I wanted to take my ideas about zen and to make them a practice in my life.
I think that Robert does an excellent job of giving zen philosophy and meditation and practical significance and the yoga sessions by Samantha strengthened and stretched every muscle that was necessary in order to sit for meditation.
Since the retreat, I have made mindfulness meditation a part of my everyday life. I feel more mindful and happy and the retreat feels like one of the best things I have done for myself."
- Neil
I very much enjoyed the weekend retreat “ Zen Mind/Yoga Body”. Of all the workshops we have taken, this was in my mind the best integration of bodywork and introduction to Zen.
Samantha’s instructions were easy to follow and considerate of all levels of ability. Her aides did a very good job assisting with alignments and helping participants with adapting a posture to their own level of comfort.
Robert’s talks were easy to follow yet provided thoughts for reflection. You physically, mentally and spiritually prepared us to sit Zazen (meditation).
- Karin
“I had a fantastic time doing the retreat. It really helped center my mind and body before embarking on my new journey, and it definitely helped allay my fears about meditation.
The times we spent at the end of yoga sessions just sitting were very rewarding. One of the things I liked best about the way you taught yoga is that, without exception, my body felt incredibly better afterwards.
And not only better and more limber, but also somehow more stable. My legs felt more connected to the earth, and more able to support the rest of me.”
-Rudi
“Samantha, you and Robert are the real deal. I was honored to study with you both for the day… you were both so open and loving and gentle and real and knowledgeable, that I came away completely satisfied.”
-TMF
"My experience of the weekend workshop Zen Mind, Yoga Body was very positive. Samantha and Robert provided the group with an inspiring blend of yoga practice and zen meditation that was warm, non-judgemental and fun.
They took great care to address everyone's needs, and encouraged each person to stretch their own comfort zone. At the end of the three days I returned home rejuvenated, muscles stretched and peaceful inside.
Overall the retreat was a wonderful experience, and I thank you both for your mindful presence, good humor, commitment and wisdom."
-BR
“The retreat was truly a "treat" to myself. I have had a busy year emotionally and physically and I've felt a strong need to connect with myself (and the rest of the world) with the help of a meditation practice.
This was a wonderful introduction to the process.... I came to the retreat thinking I wanted something but was grateful to be given what I needed. Both my mind and body got a good "wringing out" and I left with a sense of openness all around.”
–Brit
“I have enjoyed the two workshops with you and Robert tremendously and both times I have come away feeling very grounded and only wanting more…I will be eager to attend your future workshops and hope I will have the opportunity to learn from you both again soon.”
-Nina
