Iyengar Yoga with Deborah Saliby

I took her class 3 times now. After her 1^st Sunday class, I was sore, but felt great afterwards, but then I injured my hip from a different yoga class. I showed up at the second time still recovering, I ended up reinjured it. I tried her Tuesday evening class for the first time recently and I felt better afterwards. She’s always very attentive on each of our body issues/​needs, her class is very hands-​on. It turned out that her Sunday class is a bit too challenging for me, but I’ll try to go to her Tue or Thur evening classes. The crowds tend to be older, too and I like that.

With the abundance of yoga classes and yoga instructors in the Bay Area, it was difficult to find someone who was the perfect fit for me. Fortunately, I found her. Deborah Saliby is not only a highly trained, yogini, with years and years of teaching behind her, she is truly passionate about yoga, particularly Iyengar style for which she trained extensively and is certified. She is not some fresh out of school, bootee-​bottom yoga teacher. Taking classes with Deborah is the difference between shopping at Tiffany and shopping at WalMart. She actually understands the integration of the spirit, mind and body of yoga. Plus she is incredibly good at explaining the poses in a gentle way. She is encouraging, not the least bit judgmental and fun to take class with. I am a middle aged woman with good flexibility but overweight and I know the yoga has already helped me feel better.

Deborah is an unbelievably talented yoga teacher. I took her prenatal classes regularly during my first pregnancy and couldn’t wait to get back to her prenatal yoga class as soon as I found out I was pregnant again. She provides expert adjustments and is one of the most attentive teachers I’ve ever encountered! I’m so grateful for her Sunday morning classese at Yoga Room!

I’ve taken Deborah’s prenatal classes for both my pregnancies and I highly recommend her! They are the perfect length of time, usually about 1hr and 15 min — 1 hour and 30 min. and she listens to everyone’s needs and incorporates them into the practice. It’s a very good balance of working on strength, opening and restorative yoga. She also works on proper breathing for birth and relaxation which help immensely during labor. I don’t know what I would have done without her classes. Thank you Deborah!

I’ve taken Deborah’s prenatal yoga classes (as well as her hypnobirthing classes) throughout both of my pregnancies (I’m currently pregnant with my second). I always walk out of her classes feeling relaxed, stress-​free, and strong. Deborah is extremely knowledgable about yoga, anatomy, and birthing. She’s caring, patient, passionate about her work, and goes above and beyond as a teacher. Something I love about her classes is that she explains the purpose of the poses very effectively, and she goes around to each student to check them and correct the poses when necessary. She makes sure everyone is comfortable and doing each pose correctly. Deborah has a sense of humor and a wonderful personality. I highly recommend both her yoga and her hypnobirthing classes. I had the birth that I wanted, free of drugs, thanks to her training. I feel confident that my second birth will be just as wonderful. Thank you, Deborah!

Deborah Saliby’s prenatal yoga classes have truly been one of the highlights of my two pregnancies. Deborah’s years of experience in yoga and hypnobirthing provide for not only a rejuvenating exercise class but for an opportunity to learn how your body changes from week to week and how you can make the best of your pregnancy. Moreover Deborah has a warm, positive way about her that I find to be perfect for guided meditation and makes her a very approachable and supportive teacher.
In my first pregnancy I found myself reassured by her classes every week as well as met my wonderful moms’ group among her students, and I felt like her teachings really helped make my labor and delivery very positive and smooth. I was delighted to be able to come back to her class in my second pregnancy, which felt like a homecoming!
I recommend Deborah’s classes to all my friends who have become pregnant — I have felt like I truly had a caring friend teaching and taking care of me throughout my pregnancies.

After trying 7 yoga instructors, I finally found Deborah, the pearl of yoga teachers in the Bay Area. She is extremely thorough and clear in her explanations and thanks to her guidance, I have taken my 10+ years of yoga experience to a new level.
I highly recommend the Sunday Iyengar class she teaches at 9 am at Namaste Yoga in Berkeley. I come out of there renewed and focused. Plus Deborah is uplifting, she makes me feel good.
Deborah is truly gifted. There is a depth to her that I can only hope to emulate.

Deborah is a wonderful yoga teacher — one of the best I’ve had in over 10 years of practicing yoga in three different cities. I took her prenatal yoga classes twice a week during the last three months of my pregnancy, and know that the classes helped contribute to the relatively quick and easy birth of my first child. I am so grateful for Deborah’s mindful, calm, and positive teaching approach. She is an amazing instructor for both those who have never tried yoga and for those who have been practicing for years. I cannot recommend Deborah’s yoga classes highly enough!

I wanted to say a big thank you to Deborah for her guidance throughout my pregnancy. Her prenatal yoga classes are amazing. I especially enjoyed her Monday night class at the Yoga Room. I also went to some Wednesday night and Sunday morning classes at Namaste Berkeley, which are great as well. The techniques and general calmness she brought to class were super helpful throughout my labor. I found myself striking many yoga poses we learned in class during some painful contractions. It definitely helped me cope. Going to class each week was probably the best medicine I could have taken for my mental health during my pregnancy.
Deborah is very knowledgeable about yoga and does a great job explaining why we do each move and exactly how it is helpful during pregnancy. Her depth of knowledge about yoga was very evident in every class I took. Thanks for everything, Deborah. I am sad to leave the prenatal classes, but look forward to future classes with Deborah.

I attended Deborah’s prenatal yoga classes throughout the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and feel that it assisted me in having a more comfortable and peaceful pregnancy as a result of her teachings. Her class pushed me just enough without being too difficult or strenuous. Although I had participated in yoga prior to getting pregnant, I was not a consistent student of the practice and Deborah was able to adjust her class for women of all yoga levels. I also appreciated the mind/​body connection that she brought into the class with visualizations and relaxation at the beginning and end of each class.
My husband and I also took a hypnoborthing class from Deborah in order to prepare for labor and birth. After taking the classes with Deborah we practiced on our own consistently for the last four to five months of my pregnancy and I was able to bring myself to a relaxed state during labor and birth which allowed me to have the natural delivery that I was hoping for. Though, even if I hadn’t been able to birth naturally I believe the hypnobirthing practice assisted me with relaxation throughout my pregnancy.
Deborah is very knowledgeable and I would recommend her classes to anyone looking to have a more comfortable pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Deborah is a compassionate and skilled Yoga teacher. I first attended her class when I was pregnant and found an incredible amount of relief after just an hour and a half Yoga class! I am a yoga practitioner and instructor of 10 years, and am fairly picky when it comes to taking classes from other teachers. I knew she was a great teacher when I continued to feel relief from the aches and pains of my pregnancy into the following weeks. I continued to do the postures I learned in class at home. (Another sign of a good teacher for me is when I can take something I learned in class home with me an apply it to my every day life!)
Deborah has a very warm and welcoming personality and she really adapts each posture for the individual. I like her use of props throughout the class and her attention to detail about alignment within postures. The class was multi-​leveled and adaptable to the student knowledge base. I am one of those people who can get just as much from a beginner class as I can from an advanced class, so this was perfect for me. She has a depth of knowledge about teaching Yoga and conveys it in a playful manner. Her class is always full of about 20 other expectant mamas, and she helps to coordinate groups of women who want to stay connected as ‘mama’ friends in the future.
She makes space within each class to address whatever the students are feeling is most present in their bodies. The prenatal class in particular is very restorative, yet challenging, and always includes several repetitions of Trikonasana! She sets aside plenty of time for meditation/​visualization within the class as well, usually starting and ending with some sort of guided breath or imagery.
Deborah is a really sweet woman with a depth of knowledge in Iyengar Yoga. The mamas that I see attend her class seem to really connect with her on a personal level and respect her as a teacher. I recommend her to all my mama friends and massage clientele!

I am new to Yoga and have been practicing Iyengar Yoga for about 4 months. During this time I have attended classes with different teachers in different studios and with no doubts Deborah Saliby stands above all. Being a good and knowledgeable Yoggie, doesn’t necessarily make one a good Yoga teacher, however Deborah in addition to her 35+ years of experience is first of all a teacher. She is detailed, dedicated caring and attentive teacher who doesn’t miss a thing in class — she will explain, demonstrate, correct and suggest adjustments until you get it right.
Thanks to Deborah I am now hooked on Iyengar Yoga and it becomes a part of my life — I don’t believe it would have happened with other teachers.

i took a pre natal yoga class with deborah about 10 years ago. then, i took a post natal class and then the intermediate sat class at 7^th heaven. she is my first and only yoga teacher. i used to be a gymnast, so some of the postures are familar. however, the janguage, attitudes and values are quite different. gymnastics is competetive and yoga is not. in competetion, i wanted to nail each move perfectly. however, with yoga, i am on a journey. it’s all about being present and in the moment. deborah is a terrific teacher for beginners as well as seasoned veterans.

Deborah Saliby is a knowledgeable, attentive and caring yoga instructor. I am a regular student of hers and have been enjoying her professional and devoted teaching as well as her kind character. I really think she is one of those hard to find true healers. I’d recommend her to any yoga enthusiasts or those new to yoga. She offers classes for beginner and advanced students in various studios in Berkeley which she posts on her personal webpage