Interview: Dani Rippingale, Yoga Instructor and Writer (Part 1/2), Talks about Teaching Yoga in Tokyo

Interview by Dylan Robertson.

This is the first installment of a two-part interview with Dani Rippingale, a Tokyo-based yoga instructor and writer. She is known for her popular yoga classes in central Tokyo, her eco-friendly lifestyle articles in a number of well-known publications, and for distributing an eco-friendly range of bamboo fabric yoga wear in Japan. Here in Part 1, I interview Dani about her yoga background and her experiences teaching yoga in Tokyo. Next time, in Part 2, we talk about the eco-friendly yoga wear she distributes.

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Where are you from?

I’m from New Zealand, but I have lived half of my life in Canada, so I consider myself New Zealand-Canadian.

How long have you been in Japan?

Almost two years.

What brought you here?

There was an job opportunity in Japan for my husband and, seeking adventure, we came!

Where did you do your yoga teacher training?

I did my training in Tamil Nadu (Southern India), as well as in Canada.

What was it like in India?

I love India and studying yoga there was wonderful. I studied classical Indian Hatha Yoga, Sivananda. It was one of the most rewarding and challenging things I have ever done.

Tell us a little more about your training in Canada.

I studied Yin Yoga in Whistler, Canada, with Bernie Clark. I was introduced to Yin by Bernie when I lived in Vancouver, and I was drawn to his meditative Zen approach to the practice.

Tell us about the types of yoga you teach.

Classical Indian Hatha (Sivanada), Yin Yoga, and a combined class of Yin and Yang (Hatha). The Hatha I practice and teach aims to bring health to the body by strengthening and improving flexibility of the spine and peace to the mind using twelve core yoga asanas (yoga poses), meditation, and pranayama (breathing exercises).

Tell us about the other style of yoga you teach, Yin Yoga

While people are drawn to various forms of active (Yang) yoga practices for different reasons, I teach a lot of Yin Yoga in Tokyo, and without a doubt I believe that everybody benefits from this practice. It is the complement to our active lives and active practices. Yin is a very powerful practice because it targets the most inflexible, deep, cool layers of our body (particularly the hips and spine), where we are able to stimulate an energetic flow of stagnant and deficient prana (vital energy).

How are your Hatha and Yin classes different?

Together, the styles I teach offer the perfect compliment of Yin and Yang (Hatha), where students respectively bring emotional, mental, and energetic flow and strength to their body. In all yoga, we move our prana (chi), but the stretching, twisting, and compressing of the Yin layers of our body allows us to open up these channels and let the energy flow. These challenging postures teach us to sit with discomfort rather than deny or turn away from them, as well as bring nourishment to our vital organs and a calmness to our mind.

How would Yin Yoga make you more flexible compared to an athletic style of yoga such as Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga?

In Ashtanga and other active yoga practices, we build strength and tone to muscles. We hold a lot of tension in our muscles, and it is important to work them; however, most of our inflexibility is in the Yin layers of our body. Because we don’t actively exercise these layers, we must approach them differently. While subtle in approach, this practice offers Yin practitioners a sense of lightness and opening by increasing lubrication to the joints and releasing contracture around our joints (among other effects) that create a lot of stiffness in our body.

Tell us about where you teach yoga in Tokyo.

I teach regularly at three places currently:

Yoga Tree—a lovely bright and airy space in Hiroo where students can enjoy eco-yoga mats free to use and an eco-yoga boutique;

Pema—an intimate studio space in Kamiyama-cho, Shibuya-ku. My evening candle-lit Yin class enjoys the beautiful backdrop of a Zen moss garden, Tibetan Thangkas, and tranquil illumination;

The Canadian Embassy—where I teach privately.

I also teach corporate classes and private one-on-one classes.

What sort of people come to your classes?

I get a mixture of students from the foreign community and Japanese, and beginners to advanced students.

Have you taught yoga outside of Japan?

Yes, a little in Canada and India, but yoga has become my primary work here in Japan.

What is it like teaching yoga in Japan?

I enjoy it and people are excited about the potential of yoga in their lives. I don’t speak Japanese, so there are some limitations. I’m also used to people being very regular and committed to their practice; however, the work hours in Tokyo make this a challenge for many.

Do you have any advice for other foreigners considering teaching yoga here in Tokyo?

Being able to teach in Japanese is an asset. Otherwise, just do it! We need a lot of yoga teachers and there is plenty of room for everyone!

What is your favorite thing about Tokyo?

Tokyo is a very accessible city and I love that I can bicycle everywhere here. And, of course, the culture of Japan.

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For more information on Dani, her yoga classes, and the Movement range of eco-friendly bamboo fabric yoga wear that she distributes in Tokyo, visit www.ThatGirlDani.com.