New Year's Hacks: 7 Ways to Keep Calm + Find Inner Peace in San Francisco​

New Year's Hacks: 7 Ways to Keep Calm + Find Inner Peace in San Francisco​

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Easy ways to ensure your 2016 is a peaceful/restful/mindful one. 


1. Namaste: Yoga at Grace Cathedral

Every Tuesday night at Grace Cathedral, spiritual worlds collide. Surrounded by Gothic revival architecture and sacred Christian ornaments, you’ll find what might be the most popular yoga class in San Francisco. The perfect starting ground for whatever tranquility you're hoping to find in 2016. Namaste. // 1100 California St. (Nob Hill); gracecathedral.org

2. Relax and Unwind: Sea and Stone Treatment at Loews Regency

If, like us, you have knots in your neck that you're considering naming because of their constant and permanent presence in your life, you need to try the Sea and Stone Massage at the new Loew's Regency. More than just a massage, this is an experience. Your journey starts with a consultation and aroma analysis with a spa therapist. Based on the results, the therapist will then select a special scented oil, which is mixed with mineral salts. Next up is a foot bath ritual followed by a full-body exfoliation with the custom-blended salt scrub, leaving your skin so soft you won't be able to stop touching yourself. For the grand finale, heated basalt stones individually pulled from California river beds and a deeply moisturizing, toning body lotion are used in an indulgent head-to-toe massage featuring a variety of techniques including long, smooth strokes, deep kneading, percussion and reflexology. You are officially restored. // 1 hr 50 min, 222 Sansome St. (FiDi); loewshotels.com/regency-san-francisco

3. Get Some Zzzzs: Sense Sleep Sensor

One of the best things you can do for your body is to get a good night's sleep, but some of us might need some help. Sense is the smart sleep tracker that improves your sleep, wakes you up feeling great, and shows you how the environment of your bedroom affects your sleep. Ditch those annoying alarm clocks that make you feel even more tired in the morning, Sense is your own personal sleeping aid. You're welcome. // hello.is/3

4. Go Cold Turkey: Digital Detox Camp 

Step away from your iPhone. If one of your New Year's resolutions is to put down your phone/tablet/laptop more often, then you might consider going cold turkey and heading out into the wilderness Into the Wild-style (well, ok, not exactly). Camp Grounded is an adults-only summer camp held on former Boy Scouts quarters in Navarro, about two and a half hours north of San Francisco. A little more than 300 people gather there for three days of color wars, talent shows, flag-raisings and other soothingly regressive activities. Your iPhone gets checked at the door, so there's no temptation to peek at Instagram in the bathroom. The camp is organized by Digital Detox, an Oakland-based group dedicated to teaching technology-addled (or technology-addicted) people to, in the words of its literature, “disconnect to reconnect.” // digitaldetox.org

5. Lern to Meditate: Headspace App

If Russell Brand and Emma Watson can do it, than so can you. This cheerful app utilizes cute modern graphics and real-world visualization tools to help you meditate in a way that feels more practical than hippie dip. Creator Andy Puddicombe was even ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, so you can trust his promise that 10 minutes a day will increase focus and happiness, decrease stress, and help you essentially become a better overall human being (there’s some neuroscience data behind it, too). Plus, you can get a free 10-session trial before splurging on monthly, yearly, or forever plans. // headspace.com

6. Walk a Labyrinth: Lands End Hike

Offering some of the most stunning views in a city famous for them, a hike on the Coastal Trail at Lands Ends is a San Francisco bucket list-must for residents and tourists alike. The popular trail covers about three miles (with the option to do more) and has approximately 300 feet of elevation change. Once you reach the coast you can also walk the equally-famous Land's End Labyrinth for a urban hike filled with tranquility. // 7x7.com/ hike-lands-end

7. Join a Book Club: Bay Area Classic Fiction Book Club

Have a stack of books you've been meaning to read for years? Help move the list along by joining a friendly neighborhood book club. The popular Bay Area Classic Fiction Book Club emphasizes a casual approach. While some clubs use guidelines and prepared questions to stimulate discussion, this one emphasizes friendly discussion over food and libations. Yay! Plus, books are selected by vote, so you won't get stuck reading something you truly dread. Current reading plans include works by Edith Wharton, William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. New friends are an added bonus: The group occasionally branches out to attend films or live plays as a group.  // Sign up here

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