Rafael Amar

Group Fitness Instructor

Fitness

For Rafael Amar, yoga isn’t just movement, it’s healing. After working in the Emergency Room during COVID-19, he faced burnout and PTSD. “Yoga saved my life,” he says. “It taught me how to regulate my nervous system, and now I want to help others see that they already have all the tools they need within to manage life’s obstacles.”

In his meditation, breathwork, and slow flow yoga classes at the JCCSF, Rafael brings warmth, calm, and community. Guided by his mantra, “Those who say they can and those who say they can’t are both usually right,” he inspires trust in one’s own strength.

A San Francisco native, Rafael has deep roots at the JCCSF. He had his bar mitzvah here, worked as a security guard for five years, and now teaches in the same space he once protected. Outside the studio, he loves backpacking, exploring nature, and learning new languages. He’s visited over 40 countries and speaks four languages.