Intro to Meditation

This class is taught by:

Jim Coughlin

Jim was introduced to yoga in 1967 at the age of 10. He began practicing yoga in earnest in 1993. Jim has traveled to India extensively to expand his knowledge of yoga with his teacher H.S. Arun. Jim teaches yoga with a sense of humor and grounded in the fundamentals of the Yoga Sutra's of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, and the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar.

Jim was born in Buffalo, New York in 1957, and has lived in California since 1964. Jim's "other" career has been as an executive recruiter. He has managed and owned several staffing companies since 1989. He also has worked as a career counselor and outplacement consultant.

In 2005 Jim had the privilege of traveling to India several times over the next three years. It was during this time that he met his beloved teacher and friend Yoga Praveena H.S. Arun from Bangalore, India.

You will find Jim practicing at the studio at 6:00 a.m. every day except Sundays when he sleeps in and teaches the 8:30 a.m. class.

In addition to the above, Jim manages the business of the yoga studio, including building our online presence and community. If you have comments or suggestions as to how we could make this site better, please let Jim know.

Check out Jim's Yoga Blahgasana.

Stacy McGinty

Stacy has been practicing yoga for over 8 years. She graduated Downtown Yoga’s Advanced Studies Program in 2007. She was first attracted to yoga after the birth of her second child. With a need to reconnect with her body, she began taking yoga classes and felt like she was “at home” with yoga after the first class. With over 15 years of experience as a personal trainer, Stacy enjoys bringing her knowledge of the body and wellness to her classes. She loves to share the inner journey with students and truly enjoys guiding people back to their inner selves through the movement of yoga. Stacy believes that yoga calms the mind and energizes the body. Her classes are taught with an emphasis on going within and listening to where you are in that moment through a vinyasa style yoga with an Iyengar influence.

Linda Lamson

Linda loves bringing her knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology to the mat. She is a licensed Physical Therapist with expertise in the evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal problems. She has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher having completed the 200/300 hour Advanced Studies Program under the direction of Kate Coughlin at Downtown Yoga in Pleasanton, CA. Linda has also spent over 100 hours studying with Tias Little and the Prajna Yoga faculty in Santa Fe, NM. Linda has a committed sitting meditation practice and has been guiding meditation classes for more than a decade. She has studied with many spiritual teachers including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, and Jack Kornfield. Linda has taken her formal Bodhisattva Vows and is committed to helping others awaken to the present moment. In her classes, she is devoted to creating a sacred space in which to cultivate harmony of mind, body and spirit.

Practice gentle and restorative asanas to prepare the mind to meditate. Learn the reasons meditation is so difficult to practice and how to make it easy on yourself. Each session will contain 20-30 minute lecture on particular topic, 30-45 minutes of asana practice and 25-30 minutes of meditation practice in 2 or 3 small segments. No previous yoga asana or meditation experience required. All welcome to attend.