[My Weekender] with Harry Yu

Before moving to Shanghai to start Y+ Yoga, in my last life I was a turn-around consultant for high-growth companies in crisis. I discovered the magic of yoga in my last job, and since then I’ve become keen on learning ways to optimize the mind and body so as to sharpen the senses and make better decisions in life and work.

For the past 10 years, Y+ Yoga has aimed to offer the highest-quality yoga program, as well as other holistic practices and programs, in beautiful state-of-the-art studios with great service. It’s my wish that we generate and recycle positive karma into our society.

Friday night, rather than clubbing, I have my own form of sound therapy -- an extended classical music listening session at home. As I listen to great recordings of Bach through my valve amplifier, the suave, caramelized sounds melt in my ears and it feels as if my brain cells are being re-aligned. Before bed, I complete my sound therapy with an hour-long meditation assisted by a software program which I am testing that claims to induce deeper REM sleep. Sound stimulates brainwave frequencies and thus compels different emotional states, and whether one’s mind is chaotic or centered, meditation is the scientific process of understanding this -- there's nothing mystic about it.

Y+ has been organizing sound meditation group sessions we call “Bhajans," with specially trained musicians playing Indian acoustic instruments, along with the chanting of Sanskrit phrases, all coordinated with visuals on a screen–sort of like a yoga karaoke party. Stay tuned…

Saturday morning, my routine includes hitting the gym (Ambassy Club), working on cardio and stretching, and then swimming when the weather gets warmer. This week, I also have a private group yoga class with a few good friends of mine in our new Anfu Lu Studio. The space was the roof of a 1930s movie theatre. They are all entrepreneurs and we meet regularly to share and learn from each other. The organization that put us together is called EO Shanghai.

After the class, we’ll walk to Yong Fu Lu to get our coffee fix plus a light Italian lunch at NeNe. This has been my favorite eatery lately –- high-quality ingredients and simple preparation. In the afternoon, I will sometimes take my camera out to find inspiration on the streets. I am a signed photographer with Getty’s contribution-artist program, and photography is a big hobby of mine. I only shoot 6x6 on manual film cameras, which forces me to shoot very slowly and to craft every picture. So it’s basically another form of meditation for me. You can have a look at my stuff online here. Flickr’s also a cool place to interact with some of the top photographers in the world.

Shanghai has lots of resources available for photography hobbyists like myself: YiQian for film development and scanning, and Jeffrey Tao (2/F B-Building of Starlight Camera Equipment Mall for scanning, retouching and fine-art printing). The third- and fourth-floor of the camera mall is probably one of the largest markets for film camera gear anywhere. For mounting and framing large prints, both my favorite places are in Moganshan Art District: Ofoto and M97, where they do cold-lamination face mounting. And, if I’m in Moganshan, I usually swing by Icology and Tangram galleries -- there’s always something interesting going on.

For dinner choices, I usually stay within the former French Concession, close to where I live. The area increasingly feels like a village these days. I’m always bumping into other villagers and although we don’t necessary know each other very well, we’ll give each other a friendly nod or sometimes stop for a causal, short chat. Places like Qian Yue Court (乾悦阁) (upstairs from LaiFu) serves excellent shun-de（顺德) Cantonese cuisine, and I like Zhi Zhen Hui Guan (致真酒家) on Huaihai Lu for tasty yet healthy Shanghainese cooking. Sometimes, when friends are in town looking for brunch, I take them to the PuLi, or Xin Rong Ji (新荣记) for excellent dim sum.

Sundays, sometimes I cook for friends at home, and I’ll usually shop at multiple places online and also go to Wulumuqi Lu (for lean, hand-cut lamb) and to the Wukang Lu market. Fields is good for foie gras, and Solo Latte for homemade mozzarella, including Burrata cheese.

City'super in the IFC is good for seafood and imported gourmet products. I like the kitchenware department there, too. For wine, I usually bring it in myself from Hong Kong, but if I need to buy here in Shanghai it will be at Pudao Wines –- it’s close to my home and they have good service. Watson's Fine Wine in Xintiandi is good too -- they have excellent logistics, so I won’t be disappointed with a corked bottle.