In my coaching session with David, the way he asked questions conjured insights from me about what I really want to change. I completed the session with clear actions I could take, and qualities I could observe, that are indeed altering my experience and my behavior - not just habit changes, but context shifts. I also took one of his yoga classes. Similarly what he said there helped me open into good form with little resistance or confusion. After class, I felt younger. I have also talked informally with David a couple dozen times over the years. He walks his talk. read more

I have been seeing David as a Yogi Life Coach for around 6 weeks now. Once per week for 1.5 hrs. I'm recovering from knee arthritis and chronic inflammation. 3.5 months ago, I had stem cells injected into my knees and my blood. Although the stem cells were improving my knees, I found myself locked into this pain. So I started see David to help me thru this. The first class.... wow..... he always has something to say that just hits me hard and gives me epiphany after epiphany. He told me that sometimes we can only bend and stretch as far as our mind will let us. I realized that I've been avoiding bending my knees for 20 years! The stem cells are working, so I need to be bold and try. So I try a little harder and keep that negative voice away. I was fearful of going down stairs one leg at a time and because of what I learned from David, I started walking down the stairs like a "normal" person. I was great! not perfect, but I did it! As a 70 year old woman, I was very awkward when I tried to sit down or get up from the ground. David helped me thru this and now I feel so graceful and I do not plop on the ground anymore. I get out and into chairs more easily and gracefully. One of my yoga "take home" is to practice getting down and up from the floor. In addition to the knee pain, I was having very bad pain with my hamstrings. David did this seemingly simple thing and I'll be damned if the pain wasn't gone after 2 sessions... freakin' amazing... David really knows and understand the body and mind. If you see David, your life will be better in many ways. He's wonderful. His yoga classes are also amazing! read more

Dear David, Some reflection since October 2008... Open Here changed my whole life. It was there and with your coaching, that I set forth into action a chain of events that have lead me to now. NOW being; living and experiencing the goals I set back in 2008. This realization of my life goals have been so rewarding. It is extremely powerful to discover that I can fulfill my dreams, no matter how intimidating the journey. So, thank you! As of now I've got 4 continents and 2 hemispheres under my belt: 13 countries and counting! PS... but i do miss your yoga classes! read more

David Schlussel is the real deal! My fave yoga teacher ever. In his classes, I go the deepest and my body does crazy things like deep backbends, arm balances, and jumps I never thought would happen in such a gentle mindful way. I have the biggest breakthroughs with him that i don't have with other yoga teachers. I've taken both public classes and privates, and they are both fantastic. He is the perfect combination of gentle power, with an attention to alignment, energy, spirit, and presence. Great knowledge of the body and subtle energy, and very encouraging and supportive. I amaze myself with David's guidance and teaching/coaching. 10 stars! read more

The first time I approached David for Life Coaching around 10 years ago, I was recovering from a break-up and move to a new town. He helped me create long term goals of envisioning my life at at 10. Those dreams have come true, I'm marrying my life partner, I live in a beautiful home, and I love, love love my career. So when Covid hit, and my clientele list (understandably) declined, I sought his advice. David is great at reflecting back and coming up with ideas I'd never even thought of. He then emailed our session notes back to me in clear action format. And he has such a great uplifting attitude - it is what drew me to him long ago as a yoga teacher. read more

David Schlussel is hands down one of the most talented and amazing practitioners I have ever come across. He is keen and observant, kind and incisive, engaging and deeply knowledgeable in all aspects of the physical and emotional body. I first met David as an energetic and enthusiastic teacher of a Vinyasa yoga class where he offered help and adjustments to all the students in class. In just one follow up private session, David provided me with so much concrete help for my back and hip pain that I signed up for a series of privates. I've been working with him for over 4 months now in weekly sessions and I am stronger, more fit and most importantly, I have learned how to move my body to find my way out of the chronic pain I had been living with for way too long. After being very physically active my whole life, the back and hip pain that I thought was typical for a mom of two young boys turned out to be much more serious. I was diagnosed 6 years ago with avascular necrosis of the left hip which led to recommendations for a total hip replacement which I chose not to do. Also, my lifelong scoliosis had progressed and contributed to intense and constant back pain. When I met David last summer, I was past the worst thanks to Chinese acupressure, but I was still stuck and super limited in my body. Add to that the recent and sudden loss of my husband 2 years earlier, and my father 5 months after that, and I was dealing with a lot. David seems to knows everything about the human body. We started immediately with stance and alignment exercises and he's helped me to incorporate muscle strengthening and relaxation into my daily life. He's helped me to build an awareness of my habitual posture and correct it so that I can repattern how my body holds itself. He's modified the typical exercises given to scoliosis patients to fit me uniquely. He's also taught me how to delineate original pain from the self-imposed pain of muscles clenching in an effort to protect the initial site of injury - this has been mind-boggling for me because I thought I'd always live with pain, and now I'm better and quite amazingly, I'm able to do yoga poses I never thought I'd do again and even new ones I've never done before. Working with my body led me to feel emotionally sensitive in a way I had not anticipated. Mostly, I felt hope again, but also sadness and self-pity. My grief and sorrow over the loss of my husband and father felt raw again. My boys (now 8 and 11) and I are better, but we continue to carry the burden of our loss. I started to talk with David around these and other feelings including anger and resentment. He's been able to help me navigate the emotional maelstrom and release feelings I had not been able to let go of on my own, or even under the guidance of therapists. There's something about the combination of mind-body-spirit work that David offers that has been incredibly powerful. It has quite simply changed my life stance and outlook. I'll end this review by urging any of you needing body work, or emotional support, or yogic wisdom (I mean who doesn't) to seek David's support and guidance. He is a gifted man with a compassionate and open-hearted presence. I know he can help. read more

I have taken classes with at least a hundred yoga teachers over the past twenty-two years, both in the USA and India, and I have to rank David as near the top in terms of teachers that I have gotten positive value from taking classes with. David is of course skilled at normal yoga teacher things like making adjustments, designing a class flow, and at modeling the poses. But the two skills that he really excels at are: (1) bringing his life-coaching background into class, which means bringing enthusiasm, a bigger perspective, emotional health practices, and a facility in translating the benefits of yoga back into daily life, and (2) a precise master-level knowledge of anatomy, which helps him know intuitively which yoga poses can help, in what way, to address student's specific somatic issues. read more

I'm so grateful to know David. My overall health and well being has greatly improved since I've started taking his classes. He has incredible knowledge of the body, giving great instruction on alignment and breathing. David also brings wonderful insight to each class. I always walk away with a new perspective on my life, emotions, and ways of the physical body. David's guidance really helps me to get out of my head and into my body, which means more peace and connection to my feelings. David is by far my favorite yoga teacher and I highly recommend him to anyone looking to bring yoga into their wellness practice. read more

There are ENDLESS WONDERFUL THINGS TO SAY ABOUT DAVID and his teaching style!! I adore his tues/thurs 9am class. One of the things I love most about yoga is that you don't have to be in any particular state or condition to practice. You come as you are, and work with your body (all points that David expresses throughout class!). David inspires you to approach your edge with full awareness and connection to what you are TRULY feeling and then to mindfully go beyond that point. Through subtle and perfect adjustments, you learn how to move, extend, and stretch the way you were meant to. His instruction exposes/identifies your approach and way of being in the world. Issues I have in my life come up during my time with David, and I am able to face them, get to the root and go through "the pain to get to the pleasure" (as David says in class). I take those lessons learned in his class out into my everyday life. I feel more in touch with body from my classes with David. I don't really want to take classes with anyone else, but I feel that if I were to do so, I would be able to get the most out of my asana practice as a result of David's profound instruction. He challenges and pushes you to go beyond what you think you are capable of doing. You find out things about yourself that you have been ignoring for years! You find out where you have been storing and harboring pain in your body, and he helps you begin to let go. Thank you so much David! A couple of great quotes from his class: "this is what it feels like to be afraid when you are truly safe" "whether you tell yourself you can or you can't, you're right" read more

When I started seeing David I was really hurting; hating myself and trying constantly to check out on life. I had recently separated from my wife and partner of ten years. I was struggling to perform well at work and having a hard time finding any enjoyment in life. I deeply appreciate all David has done to support me in transitioning to a new life. His guidance was instrumental in my gaining tenure, buying a new home, and falling in love with the woman of my dreams, among other important growth milestones. I have always found him to be an incredibly sensitive, patient, and insightful person. I feel deeply grateful knowing that I can call David if I ever need his support again. read more

I am so glad that I get to write a testimonial about David's life-enhancing, bliss-expanding, strength-building, soul-opening yoga classes. I started attending class with him on my birthday, when he gently and lovingly guided me into meeting -- and then exploring beyond -- a particular physical edge. That experience, one of *possibility* around what my body could do and be, was the greatest birthday present ever. It is a gift that David gives every time he teaches a yoga class: deep wisdom about, and joyful faith in, the capacity of human beings to grow, expand, release what is no longer serving. In the few short months that I have practiced yoga with him I have noticed a marked increase in my strength and flexibility; I also have noticed myself applying insights I've heard him share to different situations in my life, with great benefit. David is an amazing teacher! Don't miss the chance to learn from or work with him. read more

I just wanted to take a moment let you know how much i appreciate your gift as a yoga teacher. I find your invitation to come to the edge without going over the exact amount of encouragement and acceptance that has allowed my practice to deepen and blossom over the last year. And, as you know, when one's practice deepens...so does one's life (and mine has!! ) Your knowledge and expertise of the physical body support me in feeling safe. And trust that those around me are safe too. And finally, your eloquence with the dharma of yoga support me in making my practice and act of prayer. Thank you for your devotion to your work in the world... you're really good at it. :-) read more

How does a Yoga teacher read all these gushing reviews, and not start getting sucked into a conversation with the ego? If yoga for you is about mindfulness, then David is a great way to get some refreshing perspective, and a gentle push from directions you wouldn't expect. My favorite yoga teacher! read more

David Schlussel is not only an inspiring yoga teacher, he is also an amazing life coach! As a yoga teacher, while taking a class with David, I could see that he has a beautiful practice. I was curious about his teaching so took one of his classes and was pleased (but not surprised) that he is also very knowledgeable about both the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga. His enthusiasm is infectious, which is both uplifting and motivating. After taking a few of his classes, I knew that I wanted to work with him as a life coach. David's firm belief in our innate goodness is the basis of his approach. David helped me establish a clearer understanding of my goals and helped me identify and work through some personal roadblocks. Because of his significant (life coach) training; positive and insightful listening skills; and gentle yet dogged task-mastery, I have achieved a number of my goals. If you seek happiness and peace, David can definitely help! read more

I've been working with David for the past year in his capacity as a life coach/mentor via Zoom/virtual sessions. I carried many detrimental family of origin issues well into adulthood, and I found myself feeling blocked, embarrassed for being blocked and not being "strong enough" to just deal with these long-standing issues, and a host of other related shames and sadnesses about the whole deal. My relationships were suffering, I felt affected in every area of my life. I've known David my whole life, and knowing the kind of work he does reached out to him and am SO glad I did. With not one ounce of judgement "Dave" has been an incredible resource of kindness, navigation and help for me. He suggests compassionately and advises cooperatively, helping me live the life I deserve (but got stuck on a few things I thought I'd never be rid of)... If you were ever considering contacting David on your path I would say to do it without hesitation. He is an amazing coach and friend :) read more

Every thoughtful word David utters speaks directly to my heart. He has an incredible gift of gently nudging old thought patterns off of their track and replacing them with possibility, self-acceptance, hope, love, and tenderness. I suffer from the common condition of believing that I need to be perfect, I need to do more, and despite evidence to the contrary, I'm not quite good enough as I am. I came to Yoga to help heal that. From my very first class with David, he was able to connect my stuck and limiting thought patterns with complimentary asana, to show me how to open my body, my mind, and my heart. His vast knowledge of anatomy allows him to instruct me in subtle changes in my poses so that I can go from clenching and straining to deep unfolding, and lengthening. I also take private sessions with David. This work has been the most transformative. With his guidance and direction, I have been able to recover from a complex mystery illness (where the ONLY time I felt at peace in my body and mind was during our session), I have gained awareness of my destructive patterns and feel more able to make loving and healthy choices for myself, I have been able to visualize and articulate what I want my life to look like in the future, I have been able to look at my self with less judgement and criticism, and most importantly, I have began to cultivate REAL love for myself. I feel so grateful and fortunate to have David to help me along this path. Just like I would never be able to trust someone who had never had a weight problem to assist me in losing weight, I would never turn to someone to coach me in changing my life's patterns who only knew in theory what it is like to struggle, and strive for change. David LIVES the principals he teaches. He has experienced great tragedy and pain, and through his willingness to be vulnerable and honest, he has developed a powerful voice, a vibrant practice, and delivers (to those lucky enough to hear it) a message of "yes, you can!" If you are stuck in a life that doesn't bring you joy, if you want to deepen your Yoga practice, and deepen your life experience, if you want your life to reflect the love you have for yourself. Go see David. Let the healing begin. read more

I encountered David at Namaste yoga, where he was filling in for a colleague. In comparison to instructors at several other studios in Berkeley and Oakland that I frequent, David was superior. There are a few things about David that make him uniquely gifted: 1. he is perceptive -- he looks and listens carefully to individuals, and constantly gauges and adapts to the energies of the room. 2. his spiritual insights are deep -- the philosophy that he brings into the class is easily-graspable, but not watered down or lifestyle oriented, or drawing from the type of self-help that reducing learning to reassuringly quick platitudes. 3. his hands are connective -- when he places them on your body for posture correction, they feel like extension of your own system, aligning it, tuning it, pushing it beyond the limits that your mind has arbitrarily created. In conclusion, this is a man who lives yoga as a core component of his life, and is immersed in its teaching and wisdom. I highly recommend a class with him to restore one's sense of yoga as a total personal discipline. read more

David is an absolutely amazing yoga teacher and a wonderful human being. I've been taking private yoga lessons with him and the experience has been consistently beyond my hopes and expectations. David was able to help me understand some of the more nuanced aspects of alignment so that I could get more out of my yoga practice. I like his supportive yet gently challenging attitude, combined with a sense of humor and lightness- just what I need. This fellow has a lot of valuable understanding of yoga to share. read more

I took an intro to yoga workshop and with it came a week of free lessons. I happened in on one of David's classes and I intend to go back at least once a week. He was very open and welcoming to this newbie. He manner is gentle while encouraging always reminding us to be comfortable and to communicate with your body. All levels are welcomed in his class. read more

I've worked with David as a yoga teacher and yoga/life coach, and recommend him enthusiastically! I've relied for many years on yoga to center and ground me. David's powerful, intuitive coaching helps get to the core of yoga postures and the underlying emotional issues they connect to. I felt I did layers and layers of healing working with his help, improving my yoga, but more importantly aligning my goals and emotions within my yoga practice. David is always "right there" with where you need to go. I'm very grateful for the excellent insights, compassion, humor, and wisdom he brings to working with students. read more

I hired David as a coach and found it very helpful. I was at a major decision point in my life and David helped me get clear and move towards a life more in alignment with my highest purpose. It's been a few months since I worked with him and the wisdom, advice, and clarity he offered have stayed with me. I feel happy about where I am and my business is thriving. David's coaching was a key element in getting me here. I've worked with a few other coaches at times in my life. From the first session with David, I felt that he understood me and I felt better about myself and empowered to move forward. When I came to him feeling stuck, he always found creative ways to move through and beyond with yoga practices, movement and surprises. He balanced this with practical ideas and advice that worked. David is also an inspiring man and a role model himself. I know many coaches and therapists, etc who may give good advice but their personal life is a mess. David practices what he preaches. I highly recommend David as a coach. (and his yoga classes are great too) read more

David Schlussel is my favorite yoga teacher. He has a way of getting me out of my habitual self-judgement loop and into a more curious and productive state of mind. The only time I ever did a hand stand was in his class. I recommend trying one on one classes with him. In one on one sessions, I learn faster. He has helped me learn to push my limits without taking bigger risks. I've gotten more in touch with what my body can safely do and what I want to avoid. I end up doing more yoga because it feels better. read more

Im so grateful to have found David several years ago. I started attending his classes after a bike accident and suffering with a torn rotator cuff injury. He gave me the confidence to practice yoga again safely and to realize I was stronger than I believed despite my limitations. His knowledge of anatomy was impressive. I would gain so much from him other than feeling better in my body. I came to know and look forward to him saying something profound in class and he always did; often being something I needed to hear that was right on time. Although I am not currently living in California at this time he is remembered as being one of my favorite yoga instructors. Im thankful to him being genuine and helpful and he will continue to share his gifts with other's. read more

I've been taking classes from David for a while now and he is definitely the best yoga teacher I've ever had. What I appreciate most is his deep understanding of anatomy and the body mechanics involved in yoga. Not only does he provide hands on adjustments during class, but he explains what your body is doing (or should be doing) in such a way that I've been able to do things in his classes that I've never been able to do before. He is totally accepting and understanding of where you are at and what you are able do and provides various levels of poses so that everyone in the class can participate at the level appropriate for them. The class I take is a mixed level class, and as a level 1 student, I never feel diminished by the things I can't do (yet), but look forward to the things I hope to be able to do in the future. Thanks, David! Over 4 years later and I'm still taking classes with David. He just gets better and better as a teacher. I often find yoga teachers' talking/patter during class to be really annoying, but find David's yoga and personal commentaries very thoughtful and insightful, adding to the experience of each class. Here's to another 4 years! read more

I've been going to David's classes consistently for almost a year now and he is amazing! He is sensitive to injuries and always has practical suggestions to work through whatever is happening in your body at the time. At the same time, his classes are challenging and fresh, incorporating typical asanas of an anusara class with other more playful and crazy shapes. Though, to be clear, his classes are not about getting into shapes, but about feeling good in your body and examining our relationship to challenge. David encourages our yoga practice to foster complete physical and emotional bliss in our lives and who doesn't need that?! read more

I still remember the first yoga class I went to with David. It was the first class I'd been to in 2010 and David did so well at bringing in the new year through our practice that day. Yoga is much more to me than physical stretching and David does so well at weaving in the metaphors of our physical practice to the day-to-day experience of our lives. His gentle manner of teaching and guiding are a reminder for how to live. Thank you for bringing so much to your yoga practice. read more

David is an outstanding yoga teacher who helps me find more sensitive awareness in yoga. He often knows just how to show me learn and stretch more deeply into the posture. David gives each person in the class so much personal attention. He tells wonderful and inspiring stories about his beautiful children! read more

David's Yoga classes are the best! If you are into finding mindfulness, healing your body, and getting a great vibe - his classes are for you. David has helped my rehabilitation process for several injuries and provided great mindfulness practices along the way. I also see David for individual coaching and find his insight extremely helpful in navigating the waters of life. read more

David is a wonderful yoga instructor. He is very attentive to form, giving each student adjustments in the asanas. He is a true yogi, imparting wisdom throughout the class. read more

David took my tired, creaky, sweaty old self and showed me that things ain't so bad after all. The one-on-one sessions are the best--you can focus on whatever is on your mind, and make HUGE strides. I wouldn't have gone into a studio on a bet before working with David. Now I look forward to it every time. He's got tons of knowledge and a great sense of humor to go with it. Very highly recommended. read more

David is an amazing practitioner with many gifts and talents that he uniquely blends together dependent on the needs of the individual he is working with. His grounded, playful, down-to-earth, emotionally-attuned and sensitive way of being makes it easy to transform old, stale physical and emotional blocks into new and joyous ways of being and relating. it is a profound gift to work with David! I initially sought support from David to help strengthen my shoulder after a chronic injury. Though he worked with me on alignment and posture which helped to physically support my shoulder, we very quickly were also able to delve deeply into the emotional, psychological and spiritual dimensions of this injury. In our very first private, I experienced a profound release of an old emotional block that I had been holding for years. Since then, David has continued to support me in contacting old patterns that are not serving me anymore and finding new ways of stepping into my power, beauty and strength. What I love about David's work is that it is a true testament to the possibility of the mind, body and spirit working together in alignment. David embodies this himself and also is able to work within all of these modes in a fluid and potent way. David's yoga classes also embody this spirit--I always walk away with a deeper sense of myself and my body, and a new insight about my life and spiritual path. His classes are also just pure fun, play and joy! read more

David is a wonderful yoga teacher. He manages to be very specific about alignment and healthy poses while also bringing in the broader picture of how the mind and body can work together to improve one's life. His is the one yoga class I will get myself to. I've also taken private classes, which fixed a shoulder problem I'd had for about a year. He's great for all levels. He manages his classes so that newbies and experienced people alike get a great yoga session. read more

I was lucky enough to take a class from David five years ago. I haven't stopped going to his classes since. David's caring approach makes yoga accessible and enjoyable. One of his mantras, "go for the wow, not for the ow," exemplifies his philosophy as a teacher. He is also a kind and gentle human being who truly cares for his students. Treat yourself to one of his classes! read more

I think something really opened up inside of me since David guided me through a really powerful somatic experience a couple of weeks ago. He helped me move through the trauma in a way that felt cleansing, healing, and clarifying. In the last week, my sense of my intuition is so much clearer and louder than ever before, as I feel much more awareness of the sensations in my body. So grateful! read more

I went to see David for 1:1 yoga sessions to help heal a herniated disk in my back. I've had the injury for almost 10 years and I've tried everything from acupuncture to western medicine. After several months of sessions with David, I can say that my back feels better than ever and the yoga sessions have been the most effective treatment that I've found for healing my injury. In addition to being effective, David is enjoyable to work with and provides supportive but challenging guidance that helps me continue to expand and grow my yoga practice. And his rates are very reasonable. Go see him :) read more

I have been taking David's yoga classes for years! He is always bringing what he learns into the class, which makes for an evolving learning environment. One of the kindest, most positive spirits I've encountered in a yoga studio, David has helped me deepen my personal practice in ways that words can not adequately describe. He knowledge of anatomy and alignment come from astute observation, study and personal practice. His class makes it safe to go to your edge and deepen your practice on so many levels! read more

I wanted to get back into a regular yoga practice after a couple of years off of only sporadically taking classes. The first class I tried at Seventh Heaven was David's noon class. After one class with him, I knew that I had found gold. David's positivity and easy-going style has inspired me to continue. I never want to miss one of David's classes. My husband and I recently took a private yoga lesson, and my husband commented that it was like taking 10 group lessons. His love for what he does shines through everything and I am glad that I found him so quickly. read more

David is an excellent yoga instructor and private yoga coach. I've done many styles of yoga for many years and while I almost always enjoy class (it is yoga after all!) there aren't that many teachers that make me want to get in there specifically to work with them. David gives a great (and very balanced class) with expert focus on alignment/body position, some philosophy or introspection for those that want it, and a sort of sneaky physical intensity. I've learned much from him and would recommend his classes/sessions for beginner and advanced students alike. read more

I'm a very busy middleaged working mom and I fit in yoga classes when I can to keep my body from hurting, uplift my spirits, and maintain some balance in my life. There are lots of yoga classes in Berkeley, yet whenever I can I choose to go to David's Wednesday morning class at 8:30 at Yogakula because it makes me feel so great. I think what's special about David is that he is very energetic and positive and easily blends the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga. He seems to intuit what is holding each student back, and with a gentle touch or reminder, we make progress in his class. This is the first yoga class that I thought my 20 year old son would also enjoy! read more

David is everything you could want in a yoga teacher. His classes are the perfect mix of physical practice and insightful guidance. I've been to all levels of the classes he teaches, and have also taken private lessons. He is truly one-of-kind, take his class, you won't be disappointed. read more