COLLAGE: UNPLUG MEDITATION: STYLE GURU TO SPIRITUAL ENTREPRENEUR SUZE YALOF SCHWARTZ SHARES THE JOURNEY WITHIN

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Thursday, 10th May
COLLAGE: UNPLUG MEDITATION: STYLE GURU TO SPIRITUA...

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Meditation is a practice whose aim is to focus the mind on the here and now. Mindfulness meditation uses breath as a homing device. One sits comfortably in silence, noticing when the mind wanders and gently bringing it back to that single focus. The thousand-year-old practice has been shown to benefit mental and physical health by decreasing stress levels and bolstering the immune system. With the launch of Unplug Meditation fashion guru Suze Yalof Schwartz welcomes the modern meditator to a chic and calming space, where a range of classes help both the novice and the old soul find her way to her best self.

The spiritual entrepreneur shares her belief that meditation is a profoundly inspired form of travel.

WHAT INSPIRED UNPLUG MEDITATION?
“I was looking for a place to learn how to meditate and the available options didn’t resonate with me. Most were 4 day to 6-week programs, very expensive or in time slots that did not work with my lifestyle. I wanted a clean, chic place where I could learn to meditate. Between drop-off, pick up and everything else that comes with being the mom of three boys I needed less than an hour to practice-I know, I'm such a New Yorker. When I realized that this type of space did not exist, I knew I wanted to make it happen.”

WHAT IS THE BEST MEDITATION EXPERIENCE?
“Selecting a single experience would be impossible. The best part about opening a meditation studio is meeting the teachers and the free, guided meditation. Yesterday I was so stressed. Then I did a sit-down guided breath meditation with Jane Garnett (one of Unplug Meditation’s teachers) and I felt like a new person. I have also done some really strange meditations where I sit and just stare at another persons face as the teacher guides us into imagining one another in different scenarios It is highly uncomfortable- and fascinating. Definitely memorable.”

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ULTIMATE MEDITATION DESTINATION?
“To quote Will Dalton, a Vedic Meditation teacher, "Before meditation you are always looking for the party and then once you become a meditator you realize that the party is here” -he points to himself. In essence, my dream location is our premier space. It is 10 minutes from my home in Los Angeles and provides parking. The fantasy would be Unplug Meditation going global -Paris, London, Milan and more.”

HOW IS MEDITATION A FORM OF TRAVEL?
“Meditation gives you the opportunity to travel within. Taking time to sit still and focus on only your breath can be as calming as a week long vacation in Anguilla. I am not kidding - it works.”

HOW DOES THE NOMAD CHIC SPIRIT MANIFEST IN UNPLUG MEDITATION- AND IN YOU PERSONALLY?
"Inspiration is the Destination- I could not say it better than that. My only hope is that everyone who comes to Unplug Meditation finds their own inspiration, not only from the teachers but from within. I am going for an AHA moment for all.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?
“Never confuse who you are with what you do. My father, Herb Yalof, always said this and it was the best advice- on so many levels. When you have a job you tend to associate yourself with it- I'm a Fashion Editor or I'm a barista. I prefer to say, I am a lover of life and on a quest to enjoy the moment of now."

2014