Check out Kim Sin’s picture on the cover of Yoga Journal this month.  It perfectly captures her physical capabilities, her focus, and her approachability. Kim teaches at Yoga Garden SF Monday-Wednesday-Friday at 7:00 am.

Read her background, reserve her class, or visit Yoga Journal.

Back Row: David Jones, Kendra Cunov, Lawrence Clark. Middle Row: David Nelson (instructor), Jen Black, Maura Tibbs, Jennifer Maulkin, Gail Eierweiss. Front row: Chet Meinzer, Clare Marash, Chrisandra Fox (instructor).

Congratulations to the Graduates of Yoga Garden’s 200-hour Advanced Studies Teacher Training program. We welcome them to ranks of women and men committed to sharing their passion, insight and gratitude for the practice of yoga and mindfulness.

Our next program starts January 9 and another starts February 1. Click here for more information.

Yoga Garden SF celebrates the completion of the third and final prenatal teacher training program in 2010, led by YGSF teacher Marisa Toriggino.  Participants spend 25 hours in intensive study of prenatal specialization, plus 10 hours of teaching practice,  6 hours of in-class observation and assistance, and they complete a final exam. Graduates who have additionally completed a minimum of a 200-hour yoga teacher training are then certified by YGSF to teach prenatal yoga.

more »

by Rebecca Rogers

Finding the yoga studio or teacher that’s right for you can be a daunting process.  If you’re new to yoga and are just beginning your yoga practice, this can be downright overwhelming.  But where to begin?  Here are a few pointers to help get you started:

read the whole article at

Blog « Rebecca Rogers Yoga.

by Chad Balch

“…we are all unique, and I recognize that there is no “one size fits all” solution for anything that is important in life, especially when it comes to personal evolution. I was moved by Eric Shaws article “35 Moments” in the latest edition of Yoga Journal. In just a few pages, Eric manages to convey the vast landscape of yoga stretching back thousands of years, framed in terms of prominent events, teachers, and achievements. So what I do is just a drop in this ocean of yoga. Well, it may be a tiny drop, but its great to be a part of that ocean.”

read the article at  Vrtti – August 2010.

We need your expertise, your compassion, and your sparkling personality!  We’re seeing a lot of new faces around here these days and we think these folks need a hand getting their feet on the ground (sorry for all the appendages there). Would you be willing to be a Yoga Buddy?  It’s low commitment–we’ll match you up with a new comer (typically someone who has shared a class with you), and we’ll share email addresses and names and you take it from there.  They want to know the best classes to go to, how much to practice, etc.  You might even make a new friend (hey, I met my wife through yoga).  Just let us know if you are interested by completing the short form below and we’ll take it from there.

more »

Iyengar yoga instructor Cynthia Bates posts from Pune.

Iyengar yoga instructor Cynthia Bates posts from Pune.

The monsoon seems to be holding off this year and as a result the local dams only have enough for 2-3 more weeks of water so they say. Is this a frightening thought? I am trying to stay positive and not hoard 5 liter jugs of water in my flat but it’s hard to imagine being without running water. Given that it is monsoon season and diseases abound, I have been doubly careful using the filtered water and then in addition using my Steripen (amazing gadget that kills EVERYTHING with UV light). The water tastes like nothing though, void of minerals and then I feel like I am not getting the minerals that I need from it so I buy bottled water, despite the waste of plastic bottles. Hard to imagine living this way for very long.

Sunday, Osha, Nora, Sabina and I went for a little ride to the Korregon Park area famous for the Osho Meditation Resort and the German Bakery which was bombed in January. The German Bakery is closed now and part of a wall is blown out. Much of the business surrounding, including attendance at the Osho ashram is also down. While the streets are usually packed with westerners in red and white robes (who take an HIV test and pay a pretty penny to experience enlightement), we didn’t see one person in such an attire. In the cool of the early evening, we wandered the streets of Korregon Park where the wealthy live in gargantuan mansions of both old and modern style, many behind huge barricades with guards. One mansion was so big that we thought it was a hotel but Nora went up to the guard and asked him and he said no, a private residence. We ended up at a fancy India restaurant ordering too much food but it was fun. The waiters are always trying to push rice and bread (roti? chapati? naan?) on me and are visibly upset when I resist. They are so much a part of the meal here and important for soaking up all the sauces when you don’t eat with utensils that they can’t imagine a meal without them.

Guruji was in a mood this last Saturday in women’s class. We were apparently not following directions well and as he put it “you are full of life energy but instead you are like sticks, like blocks! Let the energy flow!” I guess he whacked a couple of people too but I was not one of the blessed. In fact, I had started class set up right in front of him but shortly into the class they made us exchange places across the room. As the practice started in Pavritta Trikonasana, a pose that I cannot readily assume, I felt very lucky to have been placed outside of Guruji’s direct line of sight. The classes have been covering a lot of the poses that are on my syllabus for assessment which is very providential. Although it will take me some time to integrate the teachings into my own body and classes, it is helping me to more deeply understand these poses.

With only 10 more days to go, a bit of homesickness has set in for all of us. I am trying to continue to focus on being here, because I don’t know when I will be back, but it is hard when you crave your creature comforts. I hope you are all well! much love, cynthia

Yoga Garden SF is now home to San Francisco’s premier Ashtanga Yoga practice.  We offer three teachers authorized by the KPJ Ashtanga Yoga Institute, and five YA certified teachers in our Mysore practice from 6-11 am Monday-Friday, introductions to Ashtanga, and led Primary and modified Primary series classes. We regularly offer advanced studies programs at the 200-hour level.

We welcome Russell Case, Sally Evans, and Sidney Huang, who are moving their practice from Ashtanga Yoga SF, effective July 15,  joining our current Ashtanga yoga instructors Natalie Cox and Ellie Kaufman.

Click here for the schedule of Ashtanga yoga classes.

Mysore classes are not held on Moon Days — July 25, August 9, August 24, September 8, September 23, October 7, October 22, November 5, November 21, December 5 and December 21.

See demonstration videos of Russell:

more »