Amy crafted a powerfully embodied and oh-so tender Underbelly experience that combined self-styled yoga, meditation, and gentle improvisational dance. It’s as if Rumi learned contact improv and Hatha yoga at the same, and tried to shuffle to its paradoxical rhythms. Do I stay still? Do I move? Do I look? Do I hear? Where does love reside in the end?
I spent the first part in a corner feeling my own body in the space, and then listened to Amy for facilitated part. I was awestruck by the way she led the meditation. I sat supine with my knees bent the whole time while holding my ear against the wood floors; it was like she was pouring sacred butter into my soft and vulnerable body hidden in the dark. Was she reciting a poem of stillness, or guiding us to the here and now? All of this helped me enter the intentional states of restlessness, sadness, and playfulness in a more profound manner. I recall letting go of my expectations of dancing, meeting others, desiring them, seeing them, or finding a “form” to work with. I was even able to notice some of the painful memories held in my spine and notions of my “injured” self melt away into the high-pitched piano reverb and slow rhythms bouncing off the walls (and painted canvases stored above).
Indeed, there was a kind of cosmic, existential quality to the event. I loved how this event shifted the way I thought about people and movement, the internalization of desire and externalization of feeling, and how light and shadow often flickers and flows endlessly within ourselves from one moment to the next.
~Underbelly Participant
Emeryville, CA
I appreciate what you do with Underbelly, and how you engage with people - and the heart and unveiled humanity that you bring. Thank you for all in the in-person Underbelly events. Thank you for the complete allowing you bring and guide. Thank you for the community you cultivate. Thank you for the gentle and encompassing humanity you stand out for. Thank you for sharing your grief and joy and quiet and laughter. You've made a real difference in my life, and I suspect you've made a difference for a lot of other people as well.
I'm grateful to know you, and grateful you exist.
~Underbelly Participant
California
Amy creates this incredibly sacred and cozy space for deep expression and healing. The magic of Underbelly exists in the way she guides you through them-it's in her words, the passages she shares, the music she curates, each pause she takes- this beautiful recipe allows me to tap into a deep place where I can feel what's truly alive in my spirit. My heart and soul crave this exact form of nourishment.
~Stacie
Berkeley, CA
That was so deep. My first Underbelly. I ventured to secret realms I’ve experienced with friends, energy movement, and meditation. I felt through trauma from childhood to loss of my community with COVID, to my mother’s fear and relationships with men throughout my life. To giggles and joy bubbling up out of my being. I’m just so in awe at how my range of emotions and ability to feel life has filled out in the last few years. Thank you for offering this precious container. When I’m longing to be deeply met and seen in values I hold so dear, precious internal bits... to be seen by someone who understands the level of continual practice involved to be able to sense the emotions that arise in our being just at mere fingertips. To be able to dissolve and open to and hold those feelings. Then to have the courage and self-love to be able to name them to another. I feel so seen and appreciated in the continual practice that I’ve done to be able to feel and open to and hold and travel through so much in my own being. But again, the container was unlike any I’ve experienced.
~Karen
Portland, OR
You'll have no choice but to laugh with Amy. It's unavoidable. Playfulness is her tool for mental hygiene. "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." Get ready for some deep cleaning.
~Louis Jackson
Mountain View, CA
Amy is pure joy! I was lucky to work alongside Amy as a fellow teacher and have the privilege of holding space for her intuitive, vibrant, and creative energy at my yoga studio in the Bay Area. Her Comedy Yoga/Improv, Somatic Movement, Meditation, SlowFlow, and Vinyasa classes were always full and radiated with love and energy. In all of her classes, Amy fosters an environment that invites students to play, learn, and grow. Because of her infectious and authentic warmth, our students enthusiastically showed up for any and everything Amy offered. Anyone who has the opportunity to experience Amy’s yogic laughter and grace will strive to become a better version of themselves.
~Emily Galvin
Redwood City, CA
Amy Rogg was my yoga teacher for about two years. She always had a wonderful, welcoming way with all of her students and a creative interpretation of doing the yoga practice. Her creativity and thinking out of the box are appreciated in a place where people really don't have the guts to step outside the box. Amy does. And she is an inspiration. She has background in improvisation and I know that she does some Comedy Yoga as well. I've never been able to attend those but I know that they would be life-changing. We are lucky to have Amy.
~Susan Brochin
Portland, OR
I was a few years into my yoga life and I believed it had evolved nicely but to what I would characterize as a very physical experience.
I had the pleasure of being introduced to Amy as a yoga instructor at a Palo Alto yoga studio for "lunch time flow" classes near my work and I practiced with Amy for approximately two years a few times a week.
I quickly realized that she had a very unique and intuitive skill set. Her smile is infectious and pure. She is a master with communication ranging from adjustments to encouragement. She provided extra special savasanas, music, touch, thoughtful readings, sound/bowls and meditations. I quickly came to a much deeper view of my personal yoga from the standard exposure I had received to date. She helped me with exploring a much more deep, thoughtful approach to yoga and life.
We had a simple coffee after a practice one time and I quickly realized she had deep knowledge of energies and related personalities to which they accompany.
She has her own unique sense to quickly cut through noise and complexity to get to basic root imbalances.
She is physically young but her wisdom is rich and deep.
I have enjoyed her restorative sessions with hands on body work in which I was blown away by her ability to identify areas of locked up, old, unproductive energy and her methods to access them to mind blowing releases. It is these experiences that have given my solo yoga practice new areas of focus and exploration to continue the evolution that she initially “mined.”
~Mark Mikl
Saratoga, CA
Amy is magical. She led a yoga class for a group of Stanford University college students in my dorm and established such a deep connection with them. The class was rigorous and fun – she’s a talented and innovative yoga teacher. But I always felt that for her, yoga was a path to a deeper goal; she used class to move us into a safe space of calmness, contemplation, exploration. She cares deeply about everyone’s personal well-being and she connects on that level with everyone. Her concern for others and loving kindness are sincere; she does have a sort of healing touch.
~Nancy Kollmann
Palo Alto, CA
One day I took a class called “Slow Flow” because I liked the “slow” part.
This might help me “slowly” get into positions easier. And the instructor was a bright light of Positivity. And she was able to dictate and demonstrate positions using language and metaphors that instantly clicked with me. “Now relax, like you’re a noodle.” And when she corrected me, she would be both encouraging and offer some metaphoric device that would make it easier for me to visualize what the body is trying to do. Plus she was super funny and spiritual at the same time. She made me believe I could really do this yoga thing.
Her name was Amy Rogg.
After that class I thought it would be a good idea if I could get some private instruction with her because I figured if I had concentrated one-on-one time, I could start to reacquaint myself with this whole “body” thing. I asked her if she did private instruction and we scheduled our first lesson.
Thus began what I know will be a lifelong friendship with somebody who is born to teach and inspire others. Amy taught me how to really focus into my body, to breathe correctly, how to move and twist in a way that supported my back. I would take more classes with her at Peacebank and found that I was more and more confident with the routines and positions. I didn’t feel like the spastic first-timer anymore. And I also got a great workout from it.
When I think about how tight my body was when I first started yoga and how it has loosened up after working with Amy, it’s really remarkable. And not only was Amy influential with the body/joints/muscles part, but she always was spiritually nudging, offering new ways of looking at things, new ways to calm down, new ways of choosing foods.
And new ways to laugh! Among what I have learned are her infinite talents, that girl can make me scream with laughter. I still laugh when I think about a night of Comedy Yoga she hosted. This wasn’t “three guys walk into a bar …” comedy, this was her totally immersing herself into characters and going all the way with it.
I can be at odds with my physicality and coordination but so far Amy has been the best person in my life to awaken me, showing me how it all works together.
And I get to do yoga with her via Grokker.com where she has several yoga videos.
~Paul Engel
San Carlos, CA
Amy is an amazing person and teacher. I took many yoga classes with her. Both her incredible energy and her great song selection always made me push myself, despite chronic injuries, all the way through to Shavasana. She also introduced me to the world of meditation. She knows all the techniques of meditation you can think of. I cannot practice yoga anymore but I still meditate, thanks to you Amy! Thank you for everything, especially for being you.
~Anne Rerolle
Palo Alto, CA
Amy Rogg is my favorite Yoga teacher of all time. I have been going to yoga classes on and off for twenty years. Until I went to Amy’s class I never had the experience of my spirit soaring in class. My body feels great, my mind feels great and I feel in love with and in control of my life when I have been to one of Amy's classes. And the best part is that it has happened every time no matter the theme of the class. I have come to realize it is because of who Amy is. She brings her pure and generous spirit to class along with her strong expertise and humanity. Her authenticity and brilliance allows every member of her class to shine. Amy is a beautiful light in the world in what ever she does.
~Dr. Cindy Sholes
Redwood City, CA
Amy is one of the most inspiring and delightful humans/yoga teachers that I have had the pleasure of meeting. Her sense of humor is pervasive throughout her classes and you leave with a smile on your face and a glow in your heart. From her gently classes with her angelic touch to her challenging asanas, she is and always will be my favorite yogi!
~Kim Selby
Redwood City, CA
Amy Rogg is the best yoga teacher I've ever practiced with...her calm energy, playfulness, and just-right balance of poses and mindfulness were so healing....wish she were still nearby.
~Dr. Robyn Preising
Palo Alto, CA
Several years ago I was suffering from osteoarthritis on both knees. The only way to treat my condition was to build strength and flexibility all around my lower body as well as my core. Through doing yoga with Amy, I'm happy to say that I no longer have any knee pain. The best part is that I've come to thoroughly love yoga. Amy - thank you sincerely for this life long gift!
~Jeffrey Yan
Palo Alto, CA
I spent the first part in a corner feeling my own body in the space, and then listened to Amy for facilitated part. I was awestruck by the way she led the meditation. I sat supine with my knees bent the whole time while holding my ear against the wood floors; it was like she was pouring sacred butter into my soft and vulnerable body hidden in the dark. Was she reciting a poem of stillness, or guiding us to the here and now? All of this helped me enter the intentional states of restlessness, sadness, and playfulness in a more profound manner. I recall letting go of my expectations of dancing, meeting others, desiring them, seeing them, or finding a “form” to work with. I was even able to notice some of the painful memories held in my spine and notions of my “injured” self melt away into the high-pitched piano reverb and slow rhythms bouncing off the walls (and painted canvases stored above).
Indeed, there was a kind of cosmic, existential quality to the event. I loved how this event shifted the way I thought about people and movement, the internalization of desire and externalization of feeling, and how light and shadow often flickers and flows endlessly within ourselves from one moment to the next.
~Underbelly Participant
Emeryville, CA
I appreciate what you do with Underbelly, and how you engage with people - and the heart and unveiled humanity that you bring. Thank you for all in the in-person Underbelly events. Thank you for the complete allowing you bring and guide. Thank you for the community you cultivate. Thank you for the gentle and encompassing humanity you stand out for. Thank you for sharing your grief and joy and quiet and laughter. You've made a real difference in my life, and I suspect you've made a difference for a lot of other people as well.
I'm grateful to know you, and grateful you exist.
~Underbelly Participant
California
Amy creates this incredibly sacred and cozy space for deep expression and healing. The magic of Underbelly exists in the way she guides you through them-it's in her words, the passages she shares, the music she curates, each pause she takes- this beautiful recipe allows me to tap into a deep place where I can feel what's truly alive in my spirit. My heart and soul crave this exact form of nourishment.
~Stacie
Berkeley, CA
That was so deep. My first Underbelly. I ventured to secret realms I’ve experienced with friends, energy movement, and meditation. I felt through trauma from childhood to loss of my community with COVID, to my mother’s fear and relationships with men throughout my life. To giggles and joy bubbling up out of my being. I’m just so in awe at how my range of emotions and ability to feel life has filled out in the last few years. Thank you for offering this precious container. When I’m longing to be deeply met and seen in values I hold so dear, precious internal bits... to be seen by someone who understands the level of continual practice involved to be able to sense the emotions that arise in our being just at mere fingertips. To be able to dissolve and open to and hold those feelings. Then to have the courage and self-love to be able to name them to another. I feel so seen and appreciated in the continual practice that I’ve done to be able to feel and open to and hold and travel through so much in my own being. But again, the container was unlike any I’ve experienced.
~Karen
Portland, OR
You'll have no choice but to laugh with Amy. It's unavoidable. Playfulness is her tool for mental hygiene. "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." Get ready for some deep cleaning.
~Louis Jackson
Mountain View, CA
Amy is pure joy! I was lucky to work alongside Amy as a fellow teacher and have the privilege of holding space for her intuitive, vibrant, and creative energy at my yoga studio in the Bay Area. Her Comedy Yoga/Improv, Somatic Movement, Meditation, SlowFlow, and Vinyasa classes were always full and radiated with love and energy. In all of her classes, Amy fosters an environment that invites students to play, learn, and grow. Because of her infectious and authentic warmth, our students enthusiastically showed up for any and everything Amy offered. Anyone who has the opportunity to experience Amy’s yogic laughter and grace will strive to become a better version of themselves.
~Emily Galvin
Redwood City, CA
Amy Rogg was my yoga teacher for about two years. She always had a wonderful, welcoming way with all of her students and a creative interpretation of doing the yoga practice. Her creativity and thinking out of the box are appreciated in a place where people really don't have the guts to step outside the box. Amy does. And she is an inspiration. She has background in improvisation and I know that she does some Comedy Yoga as well. I've never been able to attend those but I know that they would be life-changing. We are lucky to have Amy.
~Susan Brochin
Portland, OR
I was a few years into my yoga life and I believed it had evolved nicely but to what I would characterize as a very physical experience.
I had the pleasure of being introduced to Amy as a yoga instructor at a Palo Alto yoga studio for "lunch time flow" classes near my work and I practiced with Amy for approximately two years a few times a week.
I quickly realized that she had a very unique and intuitive skill set. Her smile is infectious and pure. She is a master with communication ranging from adjustments to encouragement. She provided extra special savasanas, music, touch, thoughtful readings, sound/bowls and meditations. I quickly came to a much deeper view of my personal yoga from the standard exposure I had received to date. She helped me with exploring a much more deep, thoughtful approach to yoga and life.
We had a simple coffee after a practice one time and I quickly realized she had deep knowledge of energies and related personalities to which they accompany.
She has her own unique sense to quickly cut through noise and complexity to get to basic root imbalances.
She is physically young but her wisdom is rich and deep.
I have enjoyed her restorative sessions with hands on body work in which I was blown away by her ability to identify areas of locked up, old, unproductive energy and her methods to access them to mind blowing releases. It is these experiences that have given my solo yoga practice new areas of focus and exploration to continue the evolution that she initially “mined.”
~Mark Mikl
Saratoga, CA
Amy is magical. She led a yoga class for a group of Stanford University college students in my dorm and established such a deep connection with them. The class was rigorous and fun – she’s a talented and innovative yoga teacher. But I always felt that for her, yoga was a path to a deeper goal; she used class to move us into a safe space of calmness, contemplation, exploration. She cares deeply about everyone’s personal well-being and she connects on that level with everyone. Her concern for others and loving kindness are sincere; she does have a sort of healing touch.
~Nancy Kollmann
Palo Alto, CA
One day I took a class called “Slow Flow” because I liked the “slow” part.
This might help me “slowly” get into positions easier. And the instructor was a bright light of Positivity. And she was able to dictate and demonstrate positions using language and metaphors that instantly clicked with me. “Now relax, like you’re a noodle.” And when she corrected me, she would be both encouraging and offer some metaphoric device that would make it easier for me to visualize what the body is trying to do. Plus she was super funny and spiritual at the same time. She made me believe I could really do this yoga thing.
Her name was Amy Rogg.
After that class I thought it would be a good idea if I could get some private instruction with her because I figured if I had concentrated one-on-one time, I could start to reacquaint myself with this whole “body” thing. I asked her if she did private instruction and we scheduled our first lesson.
Thus began what I know will be a lifelong friendship with somebody who is born to teach and inspire others. Amy taught me how to really focus into my body, to breathe correctly, how to move and twist in a way that supported my back. I would take more classes with her at Peacebank and found that I was more and more confident with the routines and positions. I didn’t feel like the spastic first-timer anymore. And I also got a great workout from it.
When I think about how tight my body was when I first started yoga and how it has loosened up after working with Amy, it’s really remarkable. And not only was Amy influential with the body/joints/muscles part, but she always was spiritually nudging, offering new ways of looking at things, new ways to calm down, new ways of choosing foods.
And new ways to laugh! Among what I have learned are her infinite talents, that girl can make me scream with laughter. I still laugh when I think about a night of Comedy Yoga she hosted. This wasn’t “three guys walk into a bar …” comedy, this was her totally immersing herself into characters and going all the way with it.
I can be at odds with my physicality and coordination but so far Amy has been the best person in my life to awaken me, showing me how it all works together.
And I get to do yoga with her via Grokker.com where she has several yoga videos.
~Paul Engel
San Carlos, CA
Amy is an amazing person and teacher. I took many yoga classes with her. Both her incredible energy and her great song selection always made me push myself, despite chronic injuries, all the way through to Shavasana. She also introduced me to the world of meditation. She knows all the techniques of meditation you can think of. I cannot practice yoga anymore but I still meditate, thanks to you Amy! Thank you for everything, especially for being you.
~Anne Rerolle
Palo Alto, CA
Amy Rogg is my favorite Yoga teacher of all time. I have been going to yoga classes on and off for twenty years. Until I went to Amy’s class I never had the experience of my spirit soaring in class. My body feels great, my mind feels great and I feel in love with and in control of my life when I have been to one of Amy's classes. And the best part is that it has happened every time no matter the theme of the class. I have come to realize it is because of who Amy is. She brings her pure and generous spirit to class along with her strong expertise and humanity. Her authenticity and brilliance allows every member of her class to shine. Amy is a beautiful light in the world in what ever she does.
~Dr. Cindy Sholes
Redwood City, CA
Amy is one of the most inspiring and delightful humans/yoga teachers that I have had the pleasure of meeting. Her sense of humor is pervasive throughout her classes and you leave with a smile on your face and a glow in your heart. From her gently classes with her angelic touch to her challenging asanas, she is and always will be my favorite yogi!
~Kim Selby
Redwood City, CA
Amy Rogg is the best yoga teacher I've ever practiced with...her calm energy, playfulness, and just-right balance of poses and mindfulness were so healing....wish she were still nearby.
~Dr. Robyn Preising
Palo Alto, CA
Several years ago I was suffering from osteoarthritis on both knees. The only way to treat my condition was to build strength and flexibility all around my lower body as well as my core. Through doing yoga with Amy, I'm happy to say that I no longer have any knee pain. The best part is that I've come to thoroughly love yoga. Amy - thank you sincerely for this life long gift!
~Jeffrey Yan
Palo Alto, CA