Be a Pacifica Yogi For a Day

Go to any yoga class or studio in Pacifica and, if your experience is anything like mine, you will find that this city does have a yoga “sangha” - that’s Sanskrit for “community.”

If you don’t yet know Sanskrit, you would also find that it is easy to pick up a few words in the practice of yoga. Since yoga itself is a practice that originated in ancient India where Sanskrit was prevalent and the first steps to practicing yoga are to learn the “asana” - that’s Sanskrit for “poses.”  

Some may simply describe yoga as a low intensity exercise. The truth is yoga has become so popular as to be found in countless gyms, the 24-Hour Fitness location in Pacifica to name just one. It can easily be made part of anyone’s fitness routine. However, serious practitioners say yoga is more than just an exercise.

B. K. S. Iyengar, a well-known practitioner and teacher of yoga for whom the Iyengar method of yoga is named, wrote in Astadala Yogamala that in its earliest origins, “yoga is a subject which deals with the health of the body, clarity of mind and growth of intelligence.”

In Pacifica there is no shortage of instructors and studios that take this tri-focus approach.

Meet a Pacifica Yogi

“I never planned on becoming an instructor, but then practice changed my life so much,” says Wini Linguvic.

Linguvic teaches alignment based yoga at Ocean Yoga studio which is located in Pacifica’s Eureka Square shopping center.

Coming from the body and wellness industry with a background as a fitness trainer, her initial interest in yoga was a way to “calm down.” Soon after, Linguvic found that while her fitness regimen was “literally working out, O-U-T. Yoga is working in.”

In a studio that encourages students to arrive before class and enjoy complimentary tea in the lobby or stay after class for a massage session (in one of two private massage rooms), Linguvic is teaching budding yogis how to “calm down” also.

Many variations of yoga practice, from Bikram to Hatha, incorporate meditation and breath patterns as a way to transition from one pose to another - if not to focus on one’s breath alone.

At a recent class at Ocean Yoga, instructor Dana Pifer decided to “slow the class down for a day” and began with a relaxed, seated pose and a breath-focused meditation.

It is no wonder Linguvic attests that yoga can be a calming practice where “endurance and stability are just an added bonus.”

Where popular fitness regimens are focused on body image perhaps endurance, stability and piece of mind are a welcome change of pace for Pacifica’s yoga “sangha.”

Where to find a class, join the sangha 

Ocean Yoga

Practice: This studio offers classes in multiple disciplines, from prenatal yoga for expectant mothers to Iyengar alignment-based yoga. In other fitness offerings, this studio also has bellydancing and pilates classes. Certified massage therapists are also on-staff at this studio.

When: Morning and evening classes are offered Monday through Sunday. Massage is booked by appointment, call (650) 355-9642. See the latest class schedule here.

Where: 90 C Eureka Square (The shopping center is located on Oceana Boulevard and Eureka Drive).

Cost: $99 unlimited monthly membership, with a minimum 4-month commitment. Students and seniors receive a discount on the $18 drop-in per class rate. See here for all rates.

Pacifica Yoga

Practice: This studio offers only Bikram classes. This is a 26-pose series in an environment of about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and is commonly called “hot room yoga.”

When: Morning and evening classes are offered Monday through Sunday, with a $10 dollar class offered twice on Sundays. See the latest schedule here.

Where: 1615 Oceana Boulevard (at Paloma Avenue)

Cost: An introductory special of 10 classes for $20, with the credit expiring 14 days from sign-up. See here for all rates.

Pacifica Donation Yoga  

Practice: Instuctors Carol Dunne and Susan Grade are practiced in the Hatha tradition of yoga while their classes are said to be “designed for people of all ages and abilities,” according to the Donation Yoga website.

When: Thursday 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Where: St. Peters Church Pacifica, 700 Oddstad Blvd (at Linda Mar Boulevard)

Cost: Suggested donation of $10 dollars