Interview: Italian Yoga Teacher Kranti Talks about Producing a Yoga DVD in Japan

Interview by Dylan Robertson.

Kranti is from Italy and is one of Japan’s most popular teachers of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. I was excited to learn about his recently released DVD “Next Level Yoga” and took the opportunity to interview him about what is was like producing a DVD. And, since Kranti is such an interesting character, my colleagues and I also asked him about being an Italian yoga teacher in Tokyo and his famous tattoos.

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What was it like making this DVD?

It was really interesting work. It was the first time for me and I had no idea what I was doing. The sessions were often quite long and it was sometimes difficult to understand the other team members’ points of view, especially the director’s. I would repeat things a couple of times with my own idea of the angle it should be shot from, and then they had different ideas. And then recording the vocal tracks for the teaching was also quite interesting. I had to look straight at the camera and speak.

Does the DVD feature you teaching in English or Japanese?

I originally recorded it in English, then they had a professional Japanese voice artist record the explanations in Japanese. We are going to make both English and Japanese soundtracks available because some Japanese people sent e-mails saying, “We want to hear your voice,” and also some foreigners e-mailed saying how they bought the DVD and then they found out it was only in Japanese.

It was definitely one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever done. Many yoga DVDs you see were produced by doing a lot of shooting and editing. The teacher repeats one pose until they do it perfectly and it is captured at the perfect angle. For this DVD, we did only two shoots of the whole sequence. I did the whole sequence once, we checked it and then I repeated the sequence again. There was no stopping. You can see that it’s not like other DVDs; they look so perfect and there are no mistakes such as losing balance. I did a practice that was recorded live without stopping. It was challenging because I thought we would do it step-by-step—I’d pose, then we’d stop and check the footage—but they wanted it to be more authentic. But having seen the results, I think it’s better because it looks more natural. So, I’m happy with it.

What kind of practice does this DVD offer?

It’s a unique free-style Vinyasa flow sequence which I created, which focuses on balance poses. I love balance poses because they really keep the mind of the person very focused and present. When you have two feet on the ground, you can relax your mind and move around, but as soon as you come up onto one foot, and if you’re holding the foot with the other hand, and the other hand is up somewhere, then all of a sudden there’s nothing else around you. It’s just you trying to find your balance and feel your body. You feel so much more alive.

In terms of teaching mindfulness, it’s good to start people with the balance poses because it’s something they can feel immediately, whereas to get modern, busy urban people to sit down and meditate, it’s too hard. With balance poses, you have to be so focused and present, you can really just be there and feel what’s happening.

In order to balance properly, you have to build up some strength, otherwise there is always a risk of injury. If you have a beginner do a balance pose, they’re not going to stay very long because their muscles are weak and they lack flexibility. So generally, in my beginner classes, I teach only very easy balance poses.

Why did you choose the title “Next Level” for this DVD?

Of course, beginner level DVDs are easier to sell, but there aren’t so many DVDs catering to the intermediate level. In Japan nowadays, there are people who have been practicing for several years and I thought maybe it would be a good idea to offer them something a little more challenging.

People who have done yoga for a while have more understanding about themselves and are more focused when they practice. Because when you’re a beginner, you’re still trying to figure out basic things like how to stand or what to do with your right arm: “I’m going to have stretch my right arm. Oh, I’ve never done this,” or, “I have to spread my toes? What’s that?” So this DVD is one step beyond that level.

I have some beginner classes here at UTL on Tuesday evenings. Although it’s a beginner class, most people who come have actually been practicing for quite some time. I guess the words “intermediate” or “advanced” sometimes intimidate them, but physically they can do much more than they think.

What did you learn from your experience working on this DVD project?

It took much longer than I expected. And, in order to steady the camera as it moved, we used rails. We also moved around the camera. And, there was also one session where I did a demonstration in almost complete darkness. I also had to do some quite difficult poses several times for the demonstration. And, there were a lot of people involved. I had expected only four or five people, but there were ten. It was very interesting work.

Did you use a makeup artist?

No, I’m still only thirty-nine! I didn’t use any makeup for the shooting, actually. It was pretty natural.

Many people hate to watch themselves on video—how about you?

There’s one part I really don’t like, where I have to read something about the DVD and I think you can see that I’m reading. I tried my best to be natural, but it was hard. Then in the interview part, you can see it’s much more natural because they just asked me questions and I didn’t have to read anything. I just expressed what I feel, basically.

Do you think this DVD reflects your real personality or did you try to make it seem more professional?

We shot the whole sequence once nonstop. I was just practicing. That’s really me. There was no fixing or trying to make it look nicer. Actually, there’s one moment where I had sweat dripping off my nose, so I blew it off! So it was very natural and nothing was faked. The only thing that was more produced was when I did the demonstration, which is about ten minutes long. For this I did some poses several times because they wanted to record from different angles, and then they put it together very nicely. I feel it was produced beautifully, with all the right angles, colors, and lighting. But I like natural things—if you fall, you fall. That’s natural. But of course, on the other hand, you have to sell! In any case, I do know I did my best.

Well, now we’d like to take the opportunity to ask you some general questions about yourself.

Are you married?

I’m married to Shiva!

You have a lot of tattoos and many places don’t allow people in with tattoos. Has this been a problem for you?

Unfortunately I cannot go to most swimming pools or gyms in Japan because of my tattoos.

In the case of onsen, I’ve been maybe eight or nine times and was only ever asked to leave once. It was a really nice resort in the mountains. I went inside, undressed, and bathed. The first time was okay, but then the morning after I went in again, and I think the cleaning lady saw my tattoo and two seconds later a guy came up to me and said—pleaded—very apologetically, “Please, please, please, please! No tattoos!” I told him, “But, I came here yesterday.” He said, “Oh, sorry sir,” and then showed me a notice which says, “No drunk people and no tattoos.” I thought, “What? What is the connection?”

You teach mainly in English and sometimes some Japanese. Do you ever have an opportunity to teach in Italian?

Yes, not the entire class, but I do use Italian to give some instructions to some of my students. Actually, one of my assistants understands Italian quite well. So when I talk to her, I talk in Italian. But sometimes I have to adjust in English. I also have a few students who speak a little bit of Italian but not enough to understand instructions in class.

There is one Italian flight attendant who comes sometimes. But, there aren’t so many Italians living in Tokyo, so I don’t get to use Italian so much here.

Do you cook?

Oh, yes. Not every day, but I do. Italians all love food—and I like to cook sometimes, so I can find my own pace.

Are you a strict vegetarian?

No. I eat fish. I was strict for maybe three years, a few years ago. But I felt like fish was ok.

Do you still think in Italian?

No. Actually I haven’t lived in Italy for almost fifteen years now. So I think in English and sometimes some Japanese.

Actually I had one student the other day, he’s German, and I speak German. I used to speak better; now, I forgot. And I wanted to speak in German, but instead words in Japanese were coming out. So I couldn’t speak German. It was like mix of Japanese-German.

Do you eat cheese?

I do eat cheese sometimes but here cheese is so expensive. My flight attendant student brings me olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Parmesan cheese is expensive here, but I love it on pasta and use it a lot in my cooking.

Do you drink alcohol?

Very rarely. I sometimes drink a glass of red wine, but I never really liked drinking.

Are there any places you recommend in Italy for practicing yoga?

Italy’s yoga scene has developed a lot in the past eight years or so. Their center, of course, is Milan, because it’s the most cosmopolitan city. There’s also a growing yoga scene in Rome and Florence. But I haven’t lived in Italy for a long time, so I’m not aware of the real situation. When in Italy, I teach mostly in Italian.

Do you have any advice for people who are thinking of trying yoga?

I suggest to everybody to try—and then try again! Because sometimes people will try once, twice, and they feel like it’s too hard. Most people think that in order to go to yoga, they should be flexible. In fact, that’s not the point and if you’re not flexible, you’re going to become more flexible eventually. Sometimes people give up too soon. But on the other hand, I also say that you should not impose some standard on yourself like, “I should do yoga because everybody is doing yoga, and because everybody’s saying it’s good for me.” I think it’s important that you go with an open heart and that you explore it a little. Give it a try, not once, but maybe for a month, and then see how you feel. Because the changes won’t happen after just one or two classes. The benefits start to be felt after several months, and also you’ll start to understand a little bit more about yoga. In the beginning, people often think, “Okay, I’m going to do some workout. I’m going to stretch my body; become strong and flexible.” But there is so much more—the physical benefits are just the first little step. Yoga is a very deep exploration of yourself, so it takes time.

Kranti’s DVD “Next Level Yoga” can be purchased from Amazon.co.jp.

For more information about Kranti and his classes, please see the following websites:

• Kranti’s personal website: www.krantivira.com
• Under the Light Yoga School: www.underthelight.jp
• Prana Power Yoga School: www.pranapys.com