The Meditation Minute

Looking for a way to bring your practice into your daily life? Christopher Love has one activity that anyone can do:

"The Meditation Minute is simply choosing to spend 10 breaths, or about 1 minute, in complete silence. To bring your full attention to 10 deep breaths each day is to watch your life and practice grow.

As a yoga teacher, I am forever trying not only to teach kick-asana yoga classes, but also to help others get to the ultimate lesson - their peace and calm. When we are blissed-out at the end of yoga, it is easy to think, 'Christopher is so great, he gave me an amazing practice!' And, while I appreciate such sentiments of course, I try to teach that YOU gave yourself that experience, not me.

Many people equate meditation with sitting for long periods of time, and in our busy lives this can seem daunting. I wanted to find a practice that seemed attainable, and a mere minute certainly seemed a reasonable commitment. If I can convince someone to spend 10 conscious breaths a day in silence, then not only has this person begun to implement a new habit, but he or she has also faced a more deep-seated resistance in Western culture to living outside the mind.

This point of view is the essence of yoga, that YOU are the only one deciding to pay attention or not, to think or not, to feel or go numb, to breath or not. You are the only one having your presence in the world, and no other person can touch you there. That level of personal responsibility can seem daunting at first, but as you begin to realize the choice you are making in each moment, spread across each day, and throughout your life, it can simply bring your life into focus.

As your awareness becomes more self-disciplined, you will no doubt be aware of how thoughts and emotions have been driving your experience, producing recoil or reaction to those beliefs. You will begin to notice that you stop breathing, or clamp down on your body in familiar ways to what you have come to see as a threat. Or, at other times, you seem to open and relax with what seems finally safe, loving or neutral.

Meditation is the practice of lifting one's awareness from this murmur, and finding a ground of being on which to stand that exists only for a fleeting instant, only to be replaced by the next. The abiding presence that you find awaits you, always. We only feel the absence of this presence when we disregard or ignore it again.

We can learn to live in the balance. In its many and varied forms, choosing to be entirely with oneself in a breath is to feel fulfilled more often, more cooperative with others, and more joined with a common purpose of discovering this inner truth about ourselves.

Close your eyes, and take the next 10 breaths, in peace."

Learn more about Christopher on his website or sign-up for his classes at yoga mayu on Saturdays 11:15am to 12:45pm.

Give the Gift of Yoga!

Are you still wondering what to get your mom for Christmas? Still not sure of the perfect Hanukkah gift for your brother? Why not give them the gift of balance, health and happiness? From now until Christmas Day, yoga mayu gift certificates are 10% off with the promo code 10%OFFGIFT. Either order one online or come into the studio and pick up a special card and envelope. Show the people you love just how much you love them! Give them a gift that will change their lives!

Also, don't forget that yoga mayu will be open all through the holidays as normal except for on Christmas Day when they will be closed. So sign up for a class now and get a head start on all your New Year's resolutions.

Happy holidays!

Teacher Profile: Kim Sin

If you want to get your heart beating and your breath moving during the week, one of Kim Sin's lunchtime classes at yoga mayu is just what you need. Get to know Kim a little better with this month's Teacher Profile:

Where are you from?

Sacramento, CA

When and why did you start practicing yoga?

I took my first class at 19 years old. I used to study dance. When I stopped dancing, I searched for a means to stay active. I disliked yoga at first, but grew to really love it six years later.

How long have you been teaching yoga, and where were you trained?

I've been teaching yoga for two years. I initially trained in Santa Monica with YogaPoser. My second and most impactful training was here in SF with my teacher Jason Crandell.

How long have you been teaching at yoga mayu?

I've been teaching for a year at yoga mayu.

Why do you teach?

I teach because I love yoga. It's changed my life in huge and small ways. If I can help someone to experience a sense of union or calm for a short or extended amount of time, then I'm personally satisfied.

How has yoga benefited you?

I could go off for six hours about this one. Yoga calms my overanxious brain. Yoga has been a platform for me to exemplify and integrate discipline, attention, strength, surrender, patience, and love. My body is more resilient. My mind is better at problem solving and relaxing when it normally wants to wig out. Challenges on my mat that I have either overcome or continue to meet teach me to be patient and playful with challenges off my mat. I'm more confident in myself as a person, as a family member, and friend. It's given me a fascinating and enjoyable career. It's frankly given me a reason to be.

Why should someone who has never tried yoga try it now?

Because you'll feel better afterwards, guaranteed. Because you want to feel balanced in every regard (physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.).

What pose do you find the most challenging?

I find backbends challenging.

What are some of your non-asana interests?

Family, food and traveling.

What is your favorite thing about San Francisco?

I love that my teacher is here and accessible. I love the diversity of ethnicities and food.

What is your favorite thing about yoga mayu?

I like the owners. I like the simplicity of the space. The students are rad.

What is one thing you want everyone to know about you?

I'm extremely serious about the practice of yoga, but I think laughing is a prerequisite for really good yoga.

What is your schedule at yoga mayu?

Monday 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Wednesday 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Do you have a website?

kimsinyoga.com

If you want to get some balance in all aspects of your life, make sure you sign-up for one of Kim's great classes!

Relieve Winter Fatigue with Purvottanasana

If you head to one of Caroline Kelley's vinyasa classes this month, you can expect to get a little extra emphasis on her asana of the month: Purvottanasana.

Here's what Caroline has to say about this heart opening pose:

"In Ashtanga Yoga this posture is performed after seated forward fold (Paschimottansa). Purvottanasana extensively stretches the front body. The pose strengthens the wrists, improves movement of the shoulder joints and expands the chest. It's a great posture to add to our winter practice. Have you noticed how we tend to hunch over in the cold and wet weather creating a closed off posture? This energetic pose will counter act that and relieve winter fatigue.

Variations of this posture will be taught in Beginning and level one classes."

Come shake off your winter funk with Caroline at Yoga Mayu, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 8:30am.

Take Your Yoga Practice to the Next Level in 2012

Are you interested in developing a sustainable personal yoga practice? Do you want to explore the history of yoga and develop your skills with experienced and down-to-earth teachers right here in San Francisco? Are you looking for a practical and engaging teacher training that will give you the real knowledge you need to teach? Are you ready to transform your body and your mind?

If you answered yes to those questions, yoga mayu’s 200-Hour Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Training Program might be exactly what you are looking for. Starting January 6 and running Friday through Sunday until April 22 (with a week-long break at the beginning of March), this program is about giving you the practical tools you need to teach yoga to students of all backgrounds and skill levels. According to Gizella Donald, studio director and founder of yoga mayu, the goal of this training is to “empower students to be their own teachers, learning from their own experiences and struggles and growth.”

How will this training be different than others you might be considering? At yoga mayu, you can expect personal attention, a lot of physical asana practice and more than anything, a profound change in your body and how you see the world. As a student, you will be partnered with one of the teacher training instructors, who will teach and mentor you during the training. You will spend a total of 11 hours per week training plus 3 hours per week participating in class observation and practice. And you will come away from this training as a progressive yoga teacher with extensive knowledge and skills that will distinguish you as an accomplished instructor among the many teachers entering this growing profession.

It won’t be easy but it will be an amazing journey. Interested? Submit your application online today.