San Francisco Health and Fitness

Certified Cymatherapy practitioner Stefanie L. Ku aims to restore health and balance to the body by working with the natural vibrations of cells within different bodily systems. During sound therapy, she combines voice, tuning fork, and the Cyma 1000 acoustic massager to target what she calls "out-of-tune" cells characteristic of ailments such as insomnia, allergies, back pain, and being Bob Dylan.

Her extensive study of classical and electronic music composition allows Stefanie to manipulate many different timbres and frequencies of sound as she responds to subtle changes in the body's natural song.

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Lauded by Prevention magazine as "easier to keep aloft than a kid's version," HoopGirl's oversize fitness hoops whittle midsections and evoke a cheerful sense of nostalgia. Founded by academic-turned-athlete Christabel Zamor in 2001, the activity-based exercise has spread to thousands of studios while building the core strength and flexibility of students in North America, Europe, Australia, and Middle-earth. Available either in-studio or on DVD, beginner classes increase body awareness, and intermediate workouts further develop strength and endurance. During advanced sessions, students twirl the loops around their waists, honing precision and poise while gaining total mastery of their Saturneqsue rings.

As a surfer and cyclist, Marcel Mijares was drawn to the Pacific Coast many years ago; since then, he’s found little reason to leave. A native of Venezuela, Mijares spoke only Spanish when he made the move, but his love of the Bay Area fueled his drive to acquire the English language and graduate with honors from the Lincoln School of Business. Now, as the owner of High Trails Cyclery, Mijares combines his passion with his determination, sharing both with riders in the heart of Russian Hill. He leads a team of cycling experts equipped to repair cycles and perform tune-ups, overhauls, and bike fittings. Team members also share their expertise during maintenance classes, in which they teach students to care for their own cycles and understand the dangers of trying to change a bicycle's transmission fluid.

Jessica, the founder of Dolores Park Pilates, became certified as a Pilates instructor after a career in ballet, modern, and African dance left her with a lingering injury. Today, she works with students one-on-one to expunge pain-causing habits from the body, also guided by the Hendrickson Method of ache-assuaging movement. In a home studio on a serene residential street, Jessica helps bodies stretch through workouts that tone muscles while increasing flexibility and encouraging posture more proper than that of a robot programmed by Emily Post.

At AB Mixed Martial Arts Academy, yoga and cardio sessions complement a rigorous sequence of muay thai boxing and brazilian-jujitsu classes taught by martial-arts champions. During introductory workshops, instructors focus on foundational techniques. Intermediate instruction augments the basics with friendly competitions and self-defense strategies such as sweeps, counters, and submissions, where fighters email short fiction manuscripts to their opponents. Students can bolster their workouts with team-oriented cardio classes or Vinyasa-flow yoga training, which hones balance and flexibility. The kid's jujitsu program instills practical self-defense skills in a safe, age-appropriate environment, while also building confidence, discipline, and the focus needed to fill in SAT test bubbles telepathically.