Pausing For Breath At Noe Valley's Sanchez Street Studios

Pausing For Breath At Noe Valley's Sanchez Street StudiosPhotos courtesy of Mary Baumgartner.
Brittany Hopkins
Published on June 29, 2016

While high-intensity exercise classes are only growing in popularity locally and nationally, Mary Baumgartner's weekly class in Noe Valley focuses on something people take for granted—breathing.

At 11am every Wednesday at Sanchez Street Studios, Baumgartner teaches what she calls "Breathing Yoga." Based on a traditional form of yoga taught by the "modern father of yoga" T. Krishnamacharya, Baumgartner's one-hour sessions focuses on building a deeper connection between the mind and body through the breath.

Mary Baumgartner

Before becoming a yoga instructor, Baumgartner worked in technology for years, and like many women in the field, she suffered from physical strain, she said. To find relief, she turned to Iyengar Yoga. However, with its focus on precise movement and alignment, it can be quite vigorous, she said. And after years of practice, she could no longer continue to meet the practice's demands.

That's when Baumgartner found that yoga could be a form of meditation, rather than highly physical exercise, and secured her instructor credentials.

Before each Breathing Yoga class, Baumgartner says she checks in with each student on their current health and any mobility issues. Based on the age and mobility in the room, she then guides the class through a series of coordinated breaths and movements. 

Sessions may also include prāṇāyāma, which involves controlled inhales and exhales to help focus and calm the mind, and often puts some people in a dreamy, meditative state, Baumgartner said. Visualization and mediation sessions are also commonly practiced during class.

Baumgartner's $14 drop-in classes are open to all ages and abilities. From her experience, individuals with extensive yoga experience and individuals with zero yoga experience have experienced a range of benefits, including sounder sleep and mental clarity, she said.

Students have also said the practice has helped increase their self-awareness—making it easier to notice and alter their thinking when they're heading into a negative thought pattern—as has their ability to cope with their personal challenges, Baumgartner noted.

"It's the perfect mid-week break," Baumgartner said of her mid-morning Wednesday classes, which don't require students to wear or bring anything special. "Get a completely differently perspective, clear the mind, stretch the body and shift your perspective."

Sanchez Street Studios is located at 1587 Sanchez St. (at 29th Street).