Five minutes with Simon Hui
five minutes with
Cheyelene Fontanilla meets the founder of Mindful Studio HK Simon Hui is both an Ivy League graduate and an ex-Buddhist monk, so it’s safe to say he’s got a very unique mix of life experience. Having attended Cornell University where he majored in civil engineering, Hui jokes that his degree gives him a bit of an edge when it comes to the vocation he’s chosen. “I can explain how bodily forces are distributed in bridge pose in a way no other yoga teacher could,” he says. While he is of Chinese descent, Hui actually grew up in Nigeria. “It was hands down the most natural, unpolluted, and serene environment–this was 40 years ago. The city I lived in was nestled between the Sahara Desert and the Atlantic Ocean. We got to experience sandstorms as well as thunderstorms. There were no tall buildings so you could see as far as your eyes could see on clear days, and in the evenings my favorite activity was stargazing. I think that was how I developed a deep connection with nature,” says Hui. Now, as a trained yoga practitioner and the founder of Mindful Studio, Hui set out to achieve his goal and realise his purpose–and he did just that. “Having asked myself repeatedly what I really wanted to do with this life, it became clear that my calling is to help others who want to walk the path of purity. Mindful Studio was founded for those who have seriously pondered the question, what is the meaning and purpose of life?” says Hui. Years ago, Hui took to India to learn yoga at its source. “The programme was severe. Morning practice was two and a half hours long, followed by meditation, lectures and an hour and a half of back-bending. Nothing but back-bending. Around sunset, there was chanting.” Hui says. Although he wears his experience as a badge of honour, he admits that it was no easy ride. “Honestly, I was ready to leave after the first three days of the programme. But then I persevered. The experience taught me one key secret to life: Never give up, even if you think you cannot handle the challenge anymore. Hard work will always pay off,” says Hui. Hui was also an ordained monk–and the trials that came with that journey were just as fascinating and difficult as his experience
in India. “The biggest obstacle of my life was the decision to get ordained as a Buddhist monk. Understandably my family and friends thought I had gone insane, that something traumatic had happened which caused me to abandon my life,” says Hui. “I once stayed at a meditation center for three months–and that was three months of practice. There were no weekends off. The morning bell goes off at 3:30am and the first meditation session begins at 4:00am. The day ends around 9:00pm,” says Hui. “I remember at one point I started crying profusely, wondering why I ended up at this place, having ‘abandoned’ my relatives, my work, my life.” One can only imagine the depths to which you’re pulled in an environment that invites such devoted introspection, but to Hui, it was a beautiful moment of truth, “to meet suffering eye-toeye,” he says. So, what makes his career so fulfilling? “Seeing how people gradually change for the better, a little step at a time. It could be physical, mental, or both. Someone who was never able to touch his toes suddenly managed to; someone who never knew how to relax fell asleep in shavasana; someone who was filled with remorse and guilt decided to forgive herself.”
It is abundantly clear that Hui sees such life-transforming value in yoga and meditation. He believes that the power you find in yourself through these simple, refined practices is priceless. “Many people do not know that the definition of yoga is the ‘stilling of the fluctuations of the mind’,” he says. “At Mindful Studio, we aim to share the full spectrum of spiritual knowledge. The challenge is that, generally, people have limited patience. They saw me doing a particular posture and they asked why they could not do the same. But they do not understand the years of commitment and effort that took place behind the scenes.” Mindful Studio’s bread-and-butter lies in their private sessions, particularly because the feedback they receive from clients is about how overwhelming or intimidating larger studios can be. But with private sessions, which is what they focus on, they can really tailor to clients’ needs, pace, and answer questions in-depth. Taking it a step further, Hui is also a counsellor-in-training. He hopes that this will enable him to include counselling services at Mindful Studio, “to truly work with clients in a holistic way–physically and mentally.”
SOUTHSIDE | 13
