Midday Meditation at Within Meditation SF

Within Meditation is a 30-minute in-person, guided meditation. While it’s not a physical workout, it’s certainly a mental one.

CLASS: Midday Meditation at WITHIN Meditation.

Wednesdays 12pm – 12:30pm

TRAINER: Ani Bular

Ani really knows her stuff when it comes to meditation. She practices what she calls “feel good” meditation, which focuses on feeling lighter, calmer and happier. Sign us up!

SWEAT:  0/10

This is a mental workout, not a physical one. You’ll be sitting motionless for 30 minutes.

LEVEL: This class is great for those new to meditation as well as advanced meditators.

APPROX CALORIES BURNED: 0 (well, not completely zero since the body burns calories at rest, but you get the point.)

TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS:

• Waiting to exhale: Ani’s classes are all about breath work. She’ll remind you to bring your awareness back to your breath throughout the session. If you’re struggling at first: Inhale for four, hold your breath for a count or two then exhale for four counts.
• Let the thoughts creep in: When you come across a thought, just note it and move back to the breath.
• Sharing is caring: At the end of class, share your experience — whether it was positive or negative. Ani has so much knowledge in meditation that she will help you find a solution or offer advice to improve your practice.

MUSIC: There is no music other than the gong at the end that Ani uses to bring people back to the present moment after the session is over.

BRING: An open mind!

CLASSPASS: Yes

Pro Tip: It’s ok to move a bit during practice. You’ll likely find parts of your body tensing and getting sore. Ani advises to make necessary adjustments to calm your mind: if your body is not relaxed, your mind won’t be either.

THE WORKOUT

The class starts with Ani asking about past meditation experience and what to expect. Then she will jump right in and have everyone close their eyes and begin to focus on the breath.

Ani likes to keep the class quiet so as not to distract the mind. She will occasionally jump in with advice and helpful suggestions. This will continue for the entire duration of the session.

The most challenging part of the class for us was maintaining a cross-legged position for 30 minutes and by the end, some pain was accumulating. After the class, Ani mentioned that moving and changing positions is encouraged, to prevent the mind from getting too distracted by discomfort. It was also a bit challenging to suddenly jump straight into the meditation after rushing over to class through the rain and SF lunch hour hustle and bustle. It took about 20 minutes to really settle and get focused, so we really only got in a few minutes of real meditation. That said, those few minutes were pretty nice and set the tone for the rest of our day.

Ani will close the practice with three strikes of a gong, followed by a quick discussion about everyone’s experiences, to which she follows with valuable insight and tips.

WITHIN Meditation | 110 Sutter St. Suite 100 San Francisco | (650) 746-4470