The Movement

Barefoot Movement is located in the heart of Downtown Oakland. Our sunny, third-floor studios have huge windows, 15 foot ceilings and the original douglas fir floors, refinished. This down-to-earth, community-oriented studio offers a friendly, personal approach to practice and in-depth study of both yoga and bodywork.

The studio offers a full daily schedule (50 classes per week!) of affordable classes in vinyasa flow yoga at various levels, prenatal yoga, postnatal yoga, meditation, restorative yoga and bodywork. Childcare and bilingual instruction are available for some classes.

Workshops, Advanced Study programs, and Teacher Trainings are offered throughout the year. Our programs are both rich in experience and affordable in price! Monthly payment options and early registration discounts are available.

The Flow Yoga Teacher Training programs (FYTT) are registered with Yoga Alliance at the 200 hr & 500 hr levels. The programs provide structure that motivates and encourages all levels of students, with additional opportunities for those who are ready for more.

The bodywork styles offered at the studio are floor-based and clothes-on, such as Barefoot Bodywork, Ashiatsu and Thai Massage. These are all styles that are efficient to practice and gratifying to receive. Receive a private, low-cost session in a community setting, or, receive and learn how to give bodywork with your feet and whole body by taking our classes and workshops.

Our entrance is on the short block of 17th Street between Broadway & Telegraph, across from Youth Radio and the south entrance to the 19th Street BART station. We have bike racks in front of our building and suggestions for parking on the “Location” page on our website. We supply mats and other props for no charge. Please visit our Location page for more information

Leah Gillman is the founder and director of Barefoot Movement. She began using the name, ‘Barefoot Movement’ in 2004 to encompass her yoga teaching as well as her Barefoot Bodywork practice. In 2010, Leah opened the original one-room Barefoot Movement studio and expanded in 2013.

Barefoot Bodywork & Ashiatsu

Barefoot Bodywork and Ashiatsu provide a back-to-basics method of massage that allow therapists to practice without expending their physical health. Although massage therapy is a popular vocation to pursue, the attrition rate is high due to repetitive stress injuries and exhaustion. Eastern cultures have been working with their feet for centuries, though it is seen as unique in America. A sustainable modality for the practitioner, various methods of barefoot massage are considerably less tiring than other styles and present little-to-no risk of injury. The quality of pressure is beneficial and pleasurable for the recipient because of the natural and direct way in which the pressure is delivered. The practitioner works as an agent of gravity, their falling body weight creates a deep, broad pressure that the receiver instinctively accepts. Read more about the bodywork styles offered here.

Flow Yoga Teacher Training

Since the benefits of a yoga practice are substantial and even life changing, it is a natural progression for many students to want to take their practice to the next level by deepening their study and possibly by sharing it with others as a teacher. The Flow Yoga Teacher Training (FYTT) program offers students the in-depth understanding of the yogic processes and principles that are only touched upon in a standard yoga class. The curriculum is well-rounded, providing the skills necessary for truly effective teaching, while exploring the connection of modern day, westernized yoga to its deep history. The program offers personal growth and development for the participant’s mind, body and spirit and graduates are eligible for the most widely acknowledged accreditation through Yoga Alliance.

Advanced Study

For students who are looking for a structured, well-rounded program, similar to the FYTT program, to take them deeper into their practice, without involving the aspects related to teaching, we offer the Advanced Study program.

Workshops

To focus in on a particular topic, workshops offer more depth than a regular class can offer, while being less of a commitment than a full program. Workshops are offered in both yoga and massage, and some things between.

Yoga Classes

Approximately 50 affordable yoga classes are offered every week at the Barefoot Movement, enabling folks with most any sort of schedule and/or financial restriction options for great classes. Attentive, creative instructors, all graduates of the FYTT program, are ready to work with students who are brand new to yoga as well as seasoned practitioners.

One on One

Private sessions are available for more concentrated, specific work that addresses your individual needs. Feel free to approach any of our teachers for private sessions to arrange a private with them directly. If you are not sure who you would like to work with, send us an email
with some information about what you are hoping for from your private session and any restrictions you may have, including physical, financial or scheduling restrictions, and we will connect you with a teacher we think might be a good match for you.