Interview and English translation by Dylan Robertson

Reiko Ota was born and raised in Japan, but she fell in love with Austin Texas, and she has been living there ever since. It is also where she encountered yoga, and since then, yoga has become a part of her lifestyle.

Reiko studied Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in the traditional Mysore style. She was inspired by her knowledgeable teachers, receiving instruction in the Mysore style from David Swenson and training as an instructor in an Ashtanga yoga teacher training course.

While she usually practices Ashtanga in her day to day life, she also studied many different styles such as Vinyasa and Hatha. Since receiving her 200 hour instructor certification from the Yoga Alliance in 2011, she has been teaching classes in Vinyasa, power yoga and Ashtanga at the Black Swan Yoga studio in Austin. She enjoys sharing class time with yogis of all different levels with all her heart.

I was able to meet Reiko while she was making a short return trip to Tokyo, and took the opportunity to ask about her lifestyle in Texas, about the studio where she teaches, the Cherry Blossom Retreat ’12 event that Black Swan Yoga is planning in Japan, and many other topics.

Reiko Ota and Dylan Robertson at 'And People', Shibuya, Tokyo

What’s Texas like?

It’s a really big state, so the big cities like Houston, Dallas and Austin all give different impressions, but basically, it’s warm all year round and the climate is often dry, also you occasionally see cowboys, like you would expect from country music. It’s a place with a lot of very friendly people.

Where do you live in Texas?

I live in Austin. Austin is a friendly town full of young people, and there are always a lot of concerts and such. There is also a rich variety of food, like vegan, vegetarian, Asian and various other ethnic cooking. There are events popular with young people open all through the year, it’s a really fun town.

Is yoga popular in Austin?

Yes. It’s very popular, and in the American yoga magazine, Yoga Journal, it was selected as one of the top 10 yoga friendly cities. There are a lot men and women who practice yoga, and there are a lot of studios and places to do yoga outdoors; it’s a town where yoga is very popular.

How long have you lived in America?

Seven and a half years.

Don’t you get homesick?

From time to time I get cravings for broiled fish, but there are Japanese and Korean supermarkets, so I don’t have much trouble getting food. Also, it’s a town where people interact in a very friendly and intimate way, so when I come to Japan I get homesick for Austin instead.

How is the food over there?

While there’s a lot of authentically Texan meat-and-potatoes-based dishes, since there are a lot of young people in Austin, healthy dishes with organic foods, whole foods, raw foods based on raw vegetables, macrobiotic, vegan and vegetarian dishes are also very popular.

Are there differences in culture and lifestyle living in America?

Compared to Tokyo, the way people interact with strangers is different. When I’m in Austin, I feel like I can get acquainted with people at the slightest opportunity and make friends fast. People will smile and chat with strangers as they pass by, or after yoga class, you soon become friendly and exchange hugs; things I never experienced in Tokyo.

What was the biggest surprise for you?

Most of the people who practice yoga have nice figures, but when I went to Houston or the suburbs, I was surprised that the people and the food were all huge.

Is there much difference in relations between men and women?

In Japan, there’s a lot of pressure to be the kind of women Japanese men like, like being thin or having fair skin, but in America, people who are assertive or comfortable with themselves are preferred, and a tight, slightly muscular, curvy figure is popular. When you do yoga, it tones your rear and thighs, and I think there are a lot of men who like that kind of figure.
Also, Americans are more romantic, they’ll buy you roses on the spur of the moment, or wait for you in a candle-lit room; there are also people who can do things I’d be a little embarrassed to talk about.

Do Japanese and Americans have the same values when it comes to dating?

A lot women in Japan leave work when they get married or become a housewife when they have kids, but I don’t really get that sense there. There are a lot of people who don’t change their lifestyle all that much even after having children, and the stereotypes about gender roles are weaker than in Japan.

There are many different cultures, so there are big differences in religious beliefs or values between Americans, and everyone speaks about those things quite plainly.

Where do you teach yoga?

At Black Swan Yoga in Austin.

What kind of studio is Black Swan Yoga?

It’s a really unique co-op style studio, where the studio and the instructors are all part of the same group. Yoga can often be expensive, but because the people in charge of the studio want to make an environment where anyone can practice yoga, there is no set fee, it’s the first studio to introduce a donation based system where the students who come to the studio each contribute what they can afford to pay (for most people it’s about 1,000 to 1,500 JPY). We create an atmosphere that makes people feel at home, and both the teachers and the students are grateful.

What kind of yoga do you teach?

Power yoga, Vinyasa, a kind called sweaty yoga where you raise the temperature and sweat a lot, and also Ashtanga.

Is it difficult to teach yoga in English?

No, once you get used to it, you’ll be fine as long as you practice. Like singing, I increase my vocabulary, and if I make a mistake, well, that’s fine.

What kind of teachers do you get inspiration from?

The teacher of the first Ashtanga class I took in America just happened to be Japanese, and that teacher had a big influence on me. Also, during every class, there were teachers who would read poetry to us during the shavasana, and I was inspired by that.

Do you have any advice for people who want to learn yoga in America?

I’d like to have them come to Austin, by all means. Also, even if you aren’t confident in your English, if you just try going to the studio in the meantime, it’s very friendly, even if you don’t speak English, you can take a class while watching the others, and it’s an environment where you can make friends, so you don’t have to worry about language barriers. I think it’s good for exchange students to try going to a yoga studio as a good environment to make friends.

Is it possible to take the instructor training course at Black Swan Yoga, even if you’re not confident in your English?

I think I can help by interpreting, and you can take the 200 hour curriculum of the Black Swan Yoga training course in just about 3 months, and since the class sizes are small, you can really become friendly with everyone. I think it would be a really good experience.

Black Swan Yoga studio in Westgate, Austin, Texas

Is it difficult to become a pro instructor in America?

I think it’s the same environment as in Japan; there are many training courses and people who want to become instructors, but I think the possibilities open up a lot if you make an effort to market yourself.

How did you market yourself?

In my case, I was always receiving invitations to teach while I was practicing in the studio. When you find a studio you like, showing your face there and becoming friendly with the people there are important things for people in Austin who put a lot of stock in networking and connections with people. I think people prefer an instructor who, rather than being a super advanced yogi, is instead serious about their own practice, communicates clearly and is approachable.

Do you have any advice for people who want to become instructors?

Practice and be yourself. Don’t get too tense, feeling like mistakes don’t matter is more relaxing and fun, I think. Also, practice. In my case, after I passed the training course in January, I didn’t have enough experience to teach at the studio, and I wanted to build up experience, so I taught charity yoga. For example, I held a yoga event to gather donations for areas damaged by the earthquake in Japan, taught my friends and started to accumulate experience little by little.

How should people who want go to the yoga retreat or are interested in Austin contact you?

I’m planning a hot spring retreat in April with another Black Swan Yoga Instructor named Tyler, so please look at the blog with those details. Also, I have a YouTube page with some of my short yoga classes, so please take a look at that as well. I’ll reply to your comments and messages.

Watch the Original Interview (in Japanese)

View the link below for information about Reiko Ota or Black Swan Yoga.

• Blog: japancherryblossomyoga.tumblr.com
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/reikoota7
• Black Swan Yoga: www.blackswanyoga.com

Interview by Dylan Robertson

After training with renowned teachers around the world for many years, in 2008 Kranti received authorization to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga directly from Sri K. Pttabhi Jois in India. In 2010, he received official authorization to teach Level 2.

In addition to Ashtanga, Kranti has done in-depth study of various yoga styles including Iyengar Yoga and Yin Yoga.

Kranti’s classes are dynamic and challenging with a focus on maintaining softness and ease through body-mind awareness. He is always reminding students to keep a smile on their face and hopes to help guide them into tapping into their own true potential.

I had interviewed Kranti in June 2010 about the yoga DVD he had produced, and was grateful for the opportunity to meet him again in September 2011 and learn more about his lifestyle and teaching Ashtanga Yoga in Japan.

How many Italian Ashtanga Yoga teachers are there in Japan?

One. I’m the only one (laughs).

How long have you been in Japan?

About five years.

You’re teaching at Under the Light in Yoyogi, tell us about that.

I’m teaching Mysore classes Monday through Friday, and I teach a couple of led classes and one beginner class.

I understand you also go out to some areas in the countryside to teach?

I do, but not only the countryside. It’s sometimes cities like Osaka, Sapporo, and I’ve also been to Fukui, Toyama, Nagoya and other places. I actually like to go to small places sometimes because people don’t get to have a teacher there very often. They don’t have regular practice. They don’t have a regular teacher, and so it’s very exciting for them and also for me. They’re very sweet and so it’s very interesting.

Do you find it’s a different atmosphere there compared to teaching in Tokyo? Is the yoga community a bit different?

I think in general people living in the city and living in the countryside are definitely different. In the countryside, the pace is much slower. The energy is much more quiet.

City people are always in a hurry. They finish their practice. They have to run to work. People do a lot of things at home in the countryside. They bring their own food to class sometimes. It’s very different.

What’s one part of Japan that you haven’t visited yet and really want to check out?

Okinawa maybe. I’ve never been there.

Are you a beach person?

I am, yeah. I like to go to the beach.

I’d like to show the viewers your famous tattoos!

Famous… (shows tattoos).

Where did you get these beautiful tattoos?

I got them here in Japan, actually.

What is this kind of style called?

It’s tribal, basically. Actually the guy who did this tattoo is half-Brazilian-half-Japanese. He’s kind of made his own style, which is a little bit Japanese, but takes a lot of inspiration from Polynesia. It’s kind of tribal.

How long did it take to complete your tattoos?

They’re not complete yet (laughs). It takes time and patience.

What advice would you give to somebody who saw your tattoos, really liked them, and was thinking of going out and doing the same thing?

Think about it because it’s something that remains with you forever. But I think if you really like tattoos, just do it.

Did you cry from the pain?

No, I screamed a couple times. It depends on the area. Sometimes it’s more or less painful.

Was it painful to put clothes on after? How long did the pain last?

Not really. Just the first night, I think, it was a little bit uncomfortable.

Obviously most Japanese people are thinking, “How can he get into an onsen?” Are there any which you can get into?

There are onsens I can get into, but not all. That’s true, but it’s also true that even in Japan, I’ve noticed just in the last five years that more and more people are getting tattoos, especially young people. And I think at some point also the mentality about tattoos will change.

You are an Italian gentleman, and I understand that you like cooking.

I do sometimes. I love good food.

What is your best dish – the one that you’re most proud of?

Maybe lasagna.

How long does it take you to bake a lasagna?

To make the whole thing, it takes an hour and a half. You have to prepare different things.

And Italians, or certain parts of Europe, are famous for having a bit of a more relaxed lifestyle. You have siesta in the afternoon. Do you also do that here in Japan?

Well I have siesta in the afternoon because I get up at 3:20 every morning to do my practice, so by the time it’s two or three o’clock in the afternoon sometimes I feel a little tired. Sometimes I take a nap in the afternoon.

Do you have any advice for people who are thinking of starting Ashtanga but they’re a bit intimidated about getting up so early?

First of all, you don’t have to get up at 3:20 like me. I get up so early because I first practice and then I teach. I think getting up early is not that bad, and I find myself when I practice early in the morning, as I always do, my mind is so much more calm and quiet. It’s very conducive to practice.

Tokyo is a very stimulating environment. Another challenge is going to bed early. What time do you usually go to bed and how do you manage getting to bed early enough?

I go to bed at 9 o’clock in the evening, and it’s not super challenging for me, I have to say. But if I were living in Italy, it would probably be much more of a challenge. In Japan, there is nightlife, but its perhaps not as intense as in Europe.

You’ve been teaching Ashtanga in many parts of Japan, and you also go abroad to teach and also to train. Have you noticed a difference in the way it’s practiced in different places?

Well the practice is the same, but people’s approach is different. And this comes very much from the local culture, the attitude you have towards the practice. No matter where you practice, no matter who’s practicing, it’s most important when people practice that it really comes from within. It’s not something they are doing just because somebody is telling them to do it.

You’ve been based in Japan for quite a while now. How has the Japanese yoga community changed since you first discovered it?

When I arrived here about five years ago, it had already started. It was early, but it was already developing, and now I think it’s really expanded a lot. There are many good teachers, and also Japanese teachers – new and younger Japanese teachers. There are some very good students that we’re teaching that have developed into teachers.

What advice would you give to somebody who would like to teach Ashtanga Yoga here in Japan?

If you want to teach yoga, first you have to practice. And I highly suggest people to first have a rigorous practice and eventually go to Mysore, or at least study with one teacher for an extended period of time. Stick with one teacher, and if there is the opportunity, become an assistant because I think it’s a very good way of learning how to teach.

What do you find challenging about teaching yoga here in Japan?

The language, maybe.

Would you have any advice for people about that? Do you think there’s a certain minimum amount of Japanese people should learn?

I think I should learn more Japanese. Like everywhere in the world, when you speak the language properly, communication is easier. But it’s also true there’s certain things that I can transmit to my students, and I can understand from my students, without any words. That’s one of the beautiful things, I think, that we can actually get through the practice.

What is the main message that you would like to communicate to students through your Mysore classes?

I would like my students to become more independent in their life and also from me. I want people to be independent, to get stronger, and to perceive what they want to do in life. In class, I just always like to see people laughing and being happy. My classes are pretty fun.

You released a DVD.

Yes, two years ago.

It was a very nice DVD. How was the reaction from that DVD?

I think it’s been pretty good. I really don’t know exactly how it’s been going, but I think most of my students got a copy. And other people from other places where I went to teach, they always ask me, “show me the DVD”. It was just a nice gift to the Japanese yoga community. Something fun to do.

Would you like to do something like that again in the future? Or would you take a different approach, perhaps?

Maybe different. I think videos, books and things like this are just another way to spread the message, so why not?

Looking forward, how do you see the Japanese yoga community developing?

I think it’s going to expand more and going to spread. Hopefully it’s going to spread even more into the male side of the Japanese community because in my class I have maybe 5% men, the rest women. I think also that’s a cultural thing. There’s been always some kind of strange idea that yoga is not for a men, that it’s a female thing. But actually, traditionally, it was the opposite. Yoga was always taught only to men, and it’s only been in the last 100-150 years that it has been taught to women.

Of the Japanese men who come to your class, is there something unique about them, or different from the average Japanese guy on the street that makes them seek yoga?

I don’t know the other people on the street much, but I know that the guys who come to my classes, they work in an office. They work for companies. They’re just normal guys, and I think they just maybe try yoga, and they find out it’s actually something that can improve their life on many different levels. And that’s why they keep coming.

On March 11th, there was the major earthquake and tsunami. Where were you, and what were you doing at that time?

At the time I was riding my scooter as I do every day. I noticed the faces of people in front of me. They were looking at the sky and looking around with very frightened faces, and I turned to look while I was driving. I saw the cables floating everywhere, and I thought it must be a hurricane or something. I could not feel much because when you’re driving, it’s a little bit different, but then I turned the street and I saw the poles moving. And I started actually to feel movement under my wheels, and so I stopped my scooter, and saw people were coming out from their cars and their offices. When I noticed that the Japanese were very scared I realized it was something serious.

Since then have you been involved in any kind of charity activities?

We raised some money at my Mysore classes. Also I did some pictures, and my students would buy those pictures and give some contribution for Fukushima.

Let’s have a look at this shirt you’re wearing — “Hope Japan 2011.”

This T-shirt is for Fukushima. It was a special gift from Ralph Lauren Japan.

Did you have any students from the affected areas?

No, but I had been to teach in Sendai, which is not too far. I had a little talk with them and stuff. It was not as severe as Fukushima, but they felt really strongly there. There was a lot of fear and uncertainty about the future.

I think this event has brought even more awareness to people about the impermanence of life, and the fact that — and this is something that I always I try to teach this to my students – if you want to do something, do it now. If you want to say to somebody, “I love you,” don’t wait until tomorrow. If you really feel it, just say it now. Because tomorrow, or even the next hour, you really don’t know what’s going to happen.

That morning, I think a lot of people just got up, and they were going to work, and just living a normal life. Nobody expected this big tragedy. So, that’s really one message that it can teach us. We all know how life is impermanent, but we have the tendency to forget sometimes and postpone things, saying “I’m going to do it tomorrow.”

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

Interview by Dylan Robertson

Kino MacGregor was the youngest woman to receive certification to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from its founder Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India. She has completed the challenging Third Series and is now almost finished with the Fourth Series under the guidance of her teacher R. Sharath Jois.

In 2006, Kino and her husband Tim Feldmann founded Miami Life Center, where they now teach daily classes, workshops and intensives together in addition to maintaining an international traveling and teaching schedule. She has also produced four Ashtanga yoga DVDs and is currently working on her first book.

As a life coach and Ph.D. student in holistic health with a Master’s Degree from New York University, Kino integrates her commitment to consciousness and empowerment with her yoga teaching.

I had interviewed Kino in April 2010, and was grateful for the opportunity to meet her again and learn more about her travels and teaching.

Kino MacGregor in Japan

What are you doing in Japan?

I am teaching at Under the Light on my visit to Japan this time.

What type of classes or workshops are you teaching?

I’m teaching Ashtanga Yoga, which is what I normally teach. What’s actually really cool about the workshop this time is that on a Saturday night, we’re going to raise some money for the tsunami relief here in Japan. It was really actually important for me; if I was going to come to Japan this year, I wanted to do something that would be beneficial for the people of Japan rather than just riding around for myself.

You have been coming to Japan for a while now. Have you noticed a change or evolution in the Tokyo Yoga community?

I think that Japanese students are such hard-workers. It’s really inspirational for me to be around them and see the way that their dedication and sincerity really pays off in their practice. I am really inspired by that. I think there are really amazing students here in Japan.

One thing I keep hearing from visiting foreign yoga teachers is that there’s a much higher ratio of women to men in Japan compared to other countries. Do you find that in your classes?

Well, I’m teaching this weekend so I’ll have to answer you on Sunday night. (Laughs)

I took Kranti‘s classes the last two days, Mysore class, and didn’t notice anything particularly different, like ratios between men and women, to other studios. We know more women do yoga all over the world.

I think that’s kind of cool, actually, and I didn’t notice anything particularly different about it here in Japan other than everybody just seems to be pretty awesome.

In terms of Ashtanga here in Japan, do you find that there’s a different flavor to it compared to other places you’ve seen it practiced?

People here are very traditional and dedicated and I don’t think there’s anything that’s really different. The Ashtanga Yoga method is the same wherever you go. If there are small differences, they’re more from the students’ personality or maybe their teacher’s influence coming through. I really do believe that what’s amazing about the Ashtanga Yoga method is that it’s heart is really the same wherever you go.

In terms of your personal practice, it must be quite challenging keeping it up with your hectic schedule and traveling across time zones. Do you have any tips for people who would like to keep up their practice while traveling?

Everyone always asks me that, like, “Do you wake up and not know where you are?”. I love traveling and even if I were traveling and teaching, I would still love to travel. I love seeing new places. I love experiencing new cultures, new cities, that sort of thing, so for my personal practice, one of the things that’s really important is that when you arrive to new place, do your practice right away. Get on the time zone that you’re there. Even if you feel really groggy and you need a nap in the afternoon, just get up and do your practice in the morning to get yourself set up for the time zone as much as you can. And if you need a nap or something like that, that’s cool. I don’t usually do this, but occasionally when I’m traveling, like when I came from Europe to Asia and when I landed I had a cup of coffee. I have lot of energy normally and normally I am not drinking coffee, only tea. It’s not that I have anything against coffee. I just never liked the taste of it.

So you came directly from China to Japan this time. What was it like in China?

China was awesome! I went to Hong Kong first, which was quite tropical and the combination of the mountains and the water there is just so beautiful. I am from Miami so I really love the tropical humidity and the ocean. I absolutely loved Hong Kong. It’s just was an amazing experience of people and cultures. It really felt like the capital of Southeast Asia. There are so many different cultures and everyone coming together in the studio was so wonderful. I was teaching at Yoga Mala there and it was awesome.

Then I went to Beijing, I went to Fine Yoga which is one of the studios there and is run by Anders and Cherry. I got to see some really amazing historical things like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. It’s like the wonder of the world. So I’m really thankful for that experience and I was also really thankful for the studios because without them, I don’t really have a purpose of going. I’m really grateful for the students that came to my classes.

A lot of people in the West who haven’t traveled to Asia tend to think of Asia as being one big region and they talk about “Asians”. How would you describe the differences that you noticed between the different countries within Asia?

I’m not qualified to be able to talk about the differences between the cultures in Asia but they are very different. Maybe if you’ve never been to Asia you could try to experience differences between the food, and that will give you a clue as to the differences between the cultures. Thai food is dramatically different from Chinese food, which is dramatically different from Japanese food. And a lot of people think of India as part of Asia but India is really its own experience, and I think that’s important for people to know. That being said, you could say the same thing if you’ve never been to Europe. Europe is also often clumped by people into one region particularly by Americans. We talk about a “European sensibility” and there is this idea of an ethos that ties together Europe just like I had imagined that probably a particular ethos ties together Asia. At the same time there are different pockets of individuality. The US is just like that, too. If you’re not American, you can probably easily tell that I’m American, it’s a comment that I get pretty often. But even within the US there’s differences that you can notice once you get more acquainted, you can experience more nuance.

In terms of the yoga community, or the people that show up in your classes and workshops, have you noticed a difference in the way they approach their practice compared to your students back home in the US?

Yeah. I mean the students, students in Japan are really dedicated. They’re really hard-workers. The same thing is true in Hong Kong and Beijing. I was also really impressed with the students in Poland this year. It was my first visit to Poland and I was really touched by how hard the students work there and how much of their hearts they put into the practice. Actually, the studio there made a short video clip about the whole experience. It was a really touching, moving experience to be there.

I love my students in Miami. The experience of having a yoga center creates long-term relationships with students and that is really important. I’m also thankful that I have a really great team of teachers and staff at Miami Life Center that are able to keep the business running because I am committed to teaching, traveling and helping spread the message of Ashtanga Yoga around the world. The most important thing is that more people get inspired to practice. Whether you take a class with me or not is not really the point.

I would love for more people to practice yoga. Imagine if half the planet was practicing yoga. Imagine how much more peaceful and conscious interactions would be. Imagine if all our politicians had a daily spiritual practice, a constant awareness practice; what kind of world would we live in then? That inspires me. The idea of increasing consciousness one person at a time. Yoga practice is really great tool for that.

Ashtanga has a reputation of being very physically demanding. Is Ashtanga something which you would recommend to people who are past a certain age? Is it more for younger people or can it be adapted?

The people who should try Ashtanga Yoga are the ones who like it. It doesn’t really matter how old or young, or if you are tall or small, or Japanese or German or American or Canadian or South American – it doesn’t matter. If you like to practice, that’s the number one qualification. When I was in Mysore, I saw a woman who was 90 years old starting to practice. She came with her daughter who was 60. They both came to Mysore for the first time. If you like Ashtanga Yoga, then you do Ashtanga Yoga. If you are inspired by a different type of spiritual practice, then you do that. It’s really about the person what they are inspired by. That inspiration is a seed of awakening that we’re looking to cultivate in a yoga practice, whether that’s with the Ashtanga Yoga method or some other style of yoga, is really irrelevant to the total journey of practice.

How can people get into getting up early and going to practice? Were you born a morning person?

I love to sleep, actually. I really look forward my days off and I can sleep for ten hours. I don’t really like to get up early. I kind of dread going to Mysore; the idea of getting up in the middle of the night and practicing yoga at 4:30 in the morning. But I think that what inspires you to do it is the transformation that’s possible, or the experience of how good you feel during the practice; particularly in a place like Mysore, when you’re there for the devotional purpose of doing your practice, you get up when you need to – it doesn’t matter.

A lot of Japanese are increasingly interested in traveling abroad and going to Mysore and places like that. Would you have any advice for people who are thinking of making the trip to Mysore?

Yeah. Buy your ticket today; think about it later. (Laughs)

If you think about it too much, you can develop fear around it. Some people don’t want to go all the way to Mysore. You can go to Goa for a two-week retreat. There are also great retreat centers in Thailand. Thailand is really beautiful and maybe it feels safer. I’ll be teaching in both of those places next year. Bali has a great Ashtanga Yoga center.

I mean, there are places to go if you’re afraid of India, if you want an Indian-like experience. But if you have any little place inside of your heart that’s thinking of going to Mysore, there’s no other place like it in the world. I would just say buy your tickets today, and figure it out later.

Coming from Miami and going to all these different places that you travel to, how would you describe to somebody who has never been to Miami what to expect from your hometown?

I love the beautiful beach in Miami. That for me is home. Its beautiful white sands and Caribbean turquoise water. For me it’s really about being in this tropical environment and living and working so close to the beach. At the same time there is this culture of outdoor cafes, being outside and beautiful weather all year around. It’s important to me to have a home in a place that is beautiful and feels tropical and sunny. I really love that part of Miami. People who are thinking about coming to Miami and combining it with yoga; you would also get a wonderful experience in the tropics, usually good enough to leave with a good sun tan.

In Japan veganism has recently started to take off and develop. I know it’s been a big thing in Miami and the US for some time. Are you vegan yourself?

I’m not vegan but I am vegetarian. My choice to be vegetarian is an ethical one. I don’t force other people to take the decision but I do believe that if you’re practicing yoga, you should try to align yourself with the basic principle of Ahimsa and we should try to have “Ahimsa Pratishtayam”, to be grounded in the tradition of ahimsa, so that we can experience its true benefits. One of the first steps is to have a non-violent relationship with our choices in food. We don’t need to kill other beings to sustain our bodies. I love animals, I always have, and it breaks my heart to think about animals suffering. For me the ethical choice to be vegetarian is a really important choice as a yoga practitioner both for myself personally and I believe strongly that this is also the best choice for the Earth. Because the amount of resources that it takes to create a life whose only purpose is to die, for consumption, is not the most efficient use of our resources here on earth; so for me the ethical choice to be a vegetarian involves that. I choose vegetarian rather vegan because it’s more feasible when you travel. I try to choose organic dairy products whenever possible because I get to believe in the ethical treatments of animals.

What’s it been like for you coming to Asia and trying to maintain being vegetarian?

It’s been wonderful. I mean in Hong Kong for example, the studio took me to the Lock Cha Tea House in Hong Kong Garden and they have a monastery nearby that makes vegetarian dimsum and they bring it down everyday. So I had this amazing Hong Kong Style vegetarian dimsum lunch and this really exquisite Chinese tea from the ancient traditions of China. It was awesome.

How about in Japan, what do you eat here?

The little hotel that I’m staying at makes breakfast for me every morning. It’s not a huge breakfast; just an egg, a little piece of bread and some fruit, but what I’m actually really touched by is how much they care for every little detail. It’s amazing. Even though I came late today, the man washed his hands before preparing my plate. And I felt bad. I thought, “You could just hand it to me. I don’t need you to-”, but you could see that he wanted to. That was really touching for me.

For yoga teachers in the US thinking of visiting Japan, do you have any advice; things to expect or be aware of?

You would probably want to have a local host or a friend that speaks a bit of Japanese that could show you around. I really can’t imagine just being a complete tourist here; not having a contact to just show you around. Everyone is quite willing to do their best to show you around but if you have a friend that can help you, it’s best. My grandfather is Japanese and I came to Japan often as a little child. I have quite strong memories of visits to Japan and my family here. I had a family taking me around, but if possible, I would recommend maybe have a friend to visit. It’s kind of nicer if you know someone.

Japan is well-known for being a good destination for shoppers, what do you like to buy when you come to Japan?

I feel like I’m half-Yogi and half-American girl. Sometimes when I’m out shopping, I feel more like an American girl than Yogi, so I like to shop. On this trip in particular I bought too many pairs of shoes. I bought shoes in Hong Kong and I bought some really beautiful shoes today, too. I’m smaller, so I like that in Japan I can actually find sizes and things like fit me here. A lot of the time, if I’m traveling, even if I see things I like, they don’t fit me anyway. It’s cool to be in a country where things fit.

What are you going to take home to your husband?

I was just talking to him this morning and I’ve been looking around and actually, there’s a pair of shoes that he’s been looking at and he really wants to get. I said, “I could look around and buy a present but I’d really like to buy you these shoes that you love.”

And what’s one thing that you haven’t done yet in Japan that you really want to do if possible this trip?

I’d love to see the view from the Park Hyatt, and if there’s time, maybe even tonight, because it’s such an iconic hotel. It’s been in movies. The hotel is a movie star, so I think that would be pretty fun. Have you seen the movie “Lost in Translation”? Maybe some other movies, too; so that I think would be great fun.

For more information about Kino MacGregor and her yoga, please see the following links:

• Details on Kino’s upcoming Tokyo workshops
• KinoYoga.com: Kino’s website
• MiamiLifeCenter.com: studio and community founded by Kino and her husband, Tim Feldmann

Interview by Dylan Robertson

Victor Chng has been practicing yoga since 1999. He met Paul Grilley – the founder of Yin Yoga in 2004 and completed a teacher training with Paul in Yin Yoga and Anatomy for Yoga. He continues to study with Paul, and also Sarah Powers, another well-known master of the system.

A Chinese by birth, Victor is inspired by ancient Chinese classics such as The Yellow Emperor’s Sutra and the I Ching. He is also a scholar of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Since 2005, Victor has been teaching Yin Yoga all over Asia and trained over 600 teachers in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong and China.

I interviewed Victor in July 2011, and was grateful for the opportunity to meet him again and learn more about the theory behind Yin Yoga and his yoga retreats held in exotic locations around Asia.

Victor Chng and Dylan Robertson at the Rhythm Cafe, Shibuya, Tokyo on September 29, 2011

What is Yin Yoga and how is it different from other styles of yoga?

Yin Yoga is a style of yoga that emphasizes relaxing the muscles. That clearly differentiates it from the traditional ways of practicing asana where students are taught to contract the muscle tissues and be strong in the joints.

In Yin Yoga we do the opposite. We get students to relax their muscles and focus on the deeper layers of the tissues. In addition, Yin Yoga advises long holding in the pose. Time is the central factor in working on Yin Yoga asana. As we continue to relax the external layer of the muscles, we start to penetrate deeply into the inner layers such as the fascia and connective tissues. That is the goal of Yin Yoga practice; to target the layers of the fascia in the body instead of working along the muscular tissues.

Can we become more flexible quicker using Yin Yoga?

There are two kinds of flexibility that we should consider. One is the flexibility of the muscular tissues and when we talk about flexibility of the muscular tissues, again, we are focusing on the external layers of the body. And, then there is flexibility that has come from the joints themselves. The flexibility of the joints has to be worked deeper from the flexibility of the fascia; the connective tissue layer.

When we look at flexibility, we have to consider flexibility of the external layer as well as flexibility of the inner layers. Yin Yoga creates space around the joints. This is how we gain our flexibility. When this practice is then combined or worked together in tandem with a traditional dynamic form of yoga, you find the body has more choices on how to go into each pose because you gain space from within and you are also trying to cultivate the length from external layers. This gives you choices and the ability to maneuver in each of these poses.

Victor Chng teaching yin yoga in Japan

A lot of people start yoga with goals such as wanting to lose weight or to look better. Can Yin Yoga help them with this?

If you are looking from the prospective of trying to lose a huge amount of water from the body or the effectiveness of trying to lose a large amount of fat, then Yin Yoga is not a suitable practice. But from the meridians perspective, then we are trying to bring more vitality to the whole digestive system. One of the reasons why we start to accumulate fat in the body is the organs are not functioning at their optimum and are in disarray. We have to think about of a way to bring this balance back into the organs. In Yin Yoga practice we actually work along the meridians for the stomach, gall bladder, spleen and liver to bring more vitality to these regions. This increases the metabolic rate and eventually helps the whole digestive process as well as the absorption of nutrients from food.

Therefore, I see Yin Yoga as a complimentary practice to the traditional Yang forms, whether you’re talking about Hot Yoga, Bikram or Ashtanga. These dynamic forms of yoga allow you to lose a huge amount of water quickly from the body. You can lose fat quite quickly, but at the same time you might need to think about working on the Yin side to stimulate or to bring balance from the perspective of the internal organs, to raise the functionality of the organs. Then you would have an internal and external application into what you’re trying to achieve.

How does Yin Yoga help with stress relief?

Stress can come from so many sources. One of the things is to first embrace a practice which allows us to come out of our current situation. If you are stressing the organs or the mind all the time then there is a reaction in the body tissues which is tension. Many people that are working in a highly tense environment and having stress on a daily basis will find there is something in their body that is impacted and becomes a source of tension in their tissues. Tension in the neck, shoulders or lower back tissues are all signals that the body is undergoing excessive stress.

Tension is the issue. How can we loosen up? Yin Yoga practice calls for you to relax the external layers. This is how we try to recondition ourselves. We let go of our current patterns of holding tension in our body. We allow the body to become completely soft without trying to do much or activate anything. We just allow it to be as it is and maintain that sense of softness and relaxation on the muscles. Signals will be fed back into the nervous system and if you cultivate long enough the muscles will learn to come back to that state more easily.

Yin Yoga actually allows us to go into the parasympathetic nervous system quite quickly because we stay in the pose for a long time and soften the whole body. We can then target the breath better. As the body becomes more stable and still, we can actually access a greater capacity of our breath. We can focus on working deeper on each exhalation and inhalation. As we continue to focus on our breath, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Once that occurs, it’s easy to actually feel a sense of peace in the body.

What is involved in Yin Yoga teacher training?

Many people are interested in Yin Yoga these days. Yin Yoga has been a blind spot in the yoga world for a long time and people are beginning to understand the benefits and therefore there has been a great interest in Asia. But the most difficult part about teaching Yin Yoga is that the teacher needs to embrace it as part of their lifestyle.

They first need to learn to let go of their body, the temptation to push or the need to do more. This is the biggest obstacle for most teachers because we have been trained by different styles or methodology to activate the muscles more, to be strong in our bones and then when we are told that we no longer need to do that, it is the most difficult part. In fact, in many modern yoga classes we actually have too many poses. We flow too quickly and without giving that fineness of detail in our movement. We seem to be more in the flow than refining our poses when we are actually in each asana. This becomes a big problem when we’re trying to come out of this kind of conditioning to embrace something like Yin Yoga.

One of the things I try to do is to provide a shift in perspective to first allow the students to understand why it is that they feel difficulty in totally embracing Yin as a practice. The more recognition we have about our difficulty in allowing our self to be in a state of Yin, the better it is over time to teach this. But just switching overnight to come out of our current teaching pattern to teach Yin Yoga is clearly not going to happen. Therefore, although there are many teachers wanting to teach Yin, eventually they have to give up because they have not first come to that recognition of their own difficulty in embracing this is a practice.

I can’t imagine anybody wanting to teach Yin Yoga has a problem with staying in a pose for five minutes or longer. Now if that is the case and there is no self reflection as to why, that could be a difficulty for that person. Then it would not be possible for that person to eventually think about teaching Yin Yoga as a practice to others.

In my training, going through a set of self reflection and trying to understand for oneself the challenges that the person has to go through the kind of change in their perspective in yoga, in their lifestyle and the way they understand yoga. Meaning the ultimate purpose of why we are practicing yoga. If there is no change in this perspective from the philosophy of Yin, then it would be difficult to teach Yin Yoga.

So on one hand, I encourage people to bold about trying this practice. On the other hand, to teach this, I require someone to go through a period of self reflection and thinking seriously about whether they could integrate their life with Yin Yoga before teaching.

It seems that currently there are more women than men attracted to Yin Yoga. How can we attract more men?

This is not a Yin Yoga problem, this applies to yoga in the world in general. (Laughs). Whether we’re talking about America, Europe or Asia, woman dominate the yoga world. But we are seeing some change in Yin Yoga in Japan actually. It seems that Yin Yoga appeals to men more than other forms of yoga. Primarily I feel that this is because it is little bit slower and doesn’t require a beginner to feel that huge amount of stress to start off with, or they don’t really need to be as flexible or as flowing in a Yin Yoga class. So men starting off with Yin Yoga have a clear advantage; it provides them with more flexibility, it is a slower practice, they can all catch up, we go pose by pose, and we don’t flow quickly. So it allows them some time to stay in the pose, to create the space in the joints. When they then go back to traditional yoga, whether it be Hatha Yoga or any kind of Vinyasa, they actually perform better. So that could encourage them to stay put in yoga practice for a longer time.

How is Yin Yoga developing in Japan?

Since 2009 when first I came to Japan to introduce this idea, Yin Yoga has become widely accepted and many people are practicing it and liking it and there has been great interest in Yin Yoga. I hope this trend of exploring Yin Yoga will continue. More people are seeing the value of why they should be practicing Yin Yoga and hopefully integrating it into their yoga practice and also into their life.

You’ve organized some very popular retreats in quite exotic locations. Can you tell us about your retreat in Bhutan?

I’ve been doing yoga retreats in Bhutan since 2006, primarily because of my Buddhist heritage. Some of my lamas were been born in Bhutan, so when I was in my twenties, I had already heard about Bhutan while it is still unknown to many people. Bhutan is actually near a place on the western border of India known as Sikkim. So if you have been to Sikkim, you have already been very near to Bhutan.

One of the motivations for me to go to Bhutan for a yoga retreat is the rich culture. As a Buddhist, I go to Bhutan as a pilgrimage but at the same time I like to share the culture, the people and Buddhism, and combine it all with Yin Yoga. So I created this program to integrate everything. We have cultural programs, yoga and Buddhism studies there.

Our studies on the next retreat, in May 2012, will focus on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which is a meditation on living and dying. We will actually have a Tibetan scholar of Buddhism to talk to us about these ideas for about 12 days. We want people that come to Bhutan to feel this deep sense of peace and relaxation, so we really provided enough time for people to settle down and be restful.

The first 6 days will focus on yoga, meditation and study. We are not going to go out much. That provides plenty of time to settle down, rest and perhaps do some self reflection; for planning about rest of the year or the coming year. After that we’ll have a short trip outside of Paro. The main retreat is going to be in Paro and then we’ll move out to the capital city, into the Punaka Dzong. We’ll explore some of the ancient monasteries, meet some of the yogis and then come back to Paro.

Bhutan is quite a bit more expensive than people realize. Tell us a bit about the logistics and pricing there.

Bhutan’s government is partially opening the country for tourism and they are not really looking to attract a huge number of visitors every year. That causes a little bit of a problem in terms of trying to visit Bhutan. The taxation is high. At the moment, for a day in Bhutan you would need to pay a minimum of 250 US dollars, but this only provides you with a very minimal type of accommodation.

Finding a place suitable for a yoga retreat was a process of trial and error. It was challenging to find a good hotel with a decent room for practice. We’ve managed to solve all the various issues and now have very good partners in Bhutan that provide us with nice accommodation and a good dining menu so that our retreats run smoothly and people can actually feel that sense of restfulness.

I want to emphasize that in Bhutan you really don’t want to feel that sense of busyness or wanting to visit a lot of places. I want give people a sense of peace, stability and restfulness when they are there.

The property that we have found is about 2,700 meters above sea level. Behind it is a pine tree forest and in front is a snow covered mountain. It’s a beautiful property and even without moving out of the property you feel so restful and relaxed every day. Bhutan is really a rest place, sort of like a spiritual cradle and you absorb what the environment provides you. In Bhutan, we are trying integrate spirituality into our daily life and we are seeing how that can be done in a daily yoga practice.

Another program that we run annually is a retreat in Nepal, Katmandu. It is also a source of yoga, there is a rich historical culture and again we are in the mountains. We have some cultural programs and sightseeing. When you are in the Himalayan mountains you feel a sense of awe and the magnificence of Mother Nature. For me, that is inspiring as a yoga practitioner; when you wake up and look out your window that range of mountains it reminds you about being part of nature. We feel a sense of wanting to come back, to understand the most fundamental things about our purpose, our motivation and who we really are when we are out there. The yoga philosophy provides a foundation for us to go into that state of reflection and contemplation.

Katmandu is a place that is relatively cheaper. We don’t get into government taxes like Bhutan so financially it is a little bit less of an investment for people who like to experience the Himalayas but they may not be able to afford Bhutan or they may not want to make a huge investment at this moment; so Katmandu is an alternative.

I’m also running a program in Bali next year. This is a fun program. Bali is another culturally rich place. Again, we’re in a mountain, near Ubud. This retreat is very casual. It’s for families or even friends without any yoga knowledge to come and practice two sessions a day and in between there is plenty of time for resting, shopping or going to a spa. We have included a free massage just to make sure everyone gets a massage in Bali and we have included culture programs to share the richness of Balinese dance.

Every time I watch Balinese dance it amazes me with its movements, use of mudras and steps. As a yoga teacher, we are more sensitive to movements. When we look at how the body could be moved in a particular way we are quite intrigued and one of the things I always ask myself is how can I explore the depth of my movement as a yoga practitioner and how can I increase that experience by going deeper? When I look at Balinese dance, it gives me a sense of what the human body can do. I like to share the Balinese dance. We will be watching a performance done on a full moon. This was deliberately planned on that calendar that it will be a full moon day when we are watching this dance.

For more information on Victor Chng and Yin Yoga, please see www.yinyogainasia.com.

Interview by Dylan Robertson

Jules Febre was born and raised in a section of New York City known as the Lower East Side. He grew up in the Lower East Side during a very rough period surrounded by violence, drugs and a general atmosphere of anger. At the age of 13, Jules spent three months in India; two of which were spent in Mysore studying Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois. During that time he was invited to share satsang with Swami Nirmalananda and Shyam Das, two radical yogis that have each helped to add to the progression of yoga in the West.

At the age of 16 Jules began working at the Jivamukti Yoga School helping to clean, by 21 had become the general manager of two Jivamukti Yoga Schools and eventually became the C.O.O of Jivamukti Inc. in New York City.

These days, Jules is an internationally recognized yoga teacher who travels throughout the world regularly giving classes, workshops and participating in events.

I first interviewed Jules in February 2010 to learn more about his teaching of hip Hop asana in Japan. He came back again in September for another Japan tour and I had the good fortune to catch up with him in Shibuya to talk about his views of what it’s like to be vegan in Japan and how he sees Japan’s yoga community having developed over the years.

Tell us about the vegan lifestyle and what is it like traveling to Japan as a vegan? How do you survive? It seems so difficult.

I’ve seen it grow so much. The first time I was in Japan I really didn’t know what to eat because I was afraid that everything had dashi in it. And so I just ate plain soba noodles for about one week, in which case my skin got really dry and my scalp was itching because I was getting no oils, no fats, and I started to smell a little bit like wheat noodles.

But eventually on subsequent trips I found more and more places. And what I found was actually a lot of traditional Japanese cuisine is vegan. The older you get with the cuisine, the more vegan-friendly it is. So if I could find traditional places that did locally grown food, most of it was vegetarian or vegan. Then I started looking for little places with little obachans (old lady) cooking. That actually opened up my eyes to so much more traditional Japanese foods that are also vegan.

Dylan Robertson and Jules Febre having vegan lunch at Freshness Burger, Shibuya

What about modern food in Japan?

The more places that I go it seems like the idea, or even just to contemplate veganism, has been blossoming. For example, some of the regular places such as Eat More Greens or Brown Rice Café. But even in places you wouldn’t necessarily suspect; Freshness Burger has vegan sandwiches or people don’t ask you what a vegan is, they have more of an idea, more of a concept. It’s getting so much easier; still difficult, but easier.

How do people react when you explain to them that you’re a vegan?

Jules Febre ordering vegan lunch at Freshness Burger, Shibuya

Have you seen any vegan events or participated in anything?

In the beginning, there weren’t very many vegan places. And so whenever I would teach, at the end of the week or the couple of days that I would teach, we would have a vegan potluck. So people would cook food at home. One of the things that it really highlighted was how easy it was to make vegan food; rice, all kinds of different little dishes that they give you at the macrobiotic places, or their own fusion. And so we will all come together as a group and each person would talk a little bit about what they made. And then we’d all share and people would say, “Oh, this is so easy!” It was also about how much love went into their food, how much care and attention, and then sharing that with everybody. People love that.

Also, I taught a class last year in Shinjuku Park. So you get the class and the vegan bento. And you can pick between the two. Those are the two things that stood out for me because it was really the people making the opportunity available to themselves. A student put all the bento. Another student organized. So it wasn’t necessarily so much from my motivation. They just got it together themselves, which was beautiful.

I understand you’ve been to some pretty interesting places in Japan that even a lot of Japanese haven’t been to.

Yeah. You know this movie, The Cove? The Cove is about the dolphin problem. I actually went down there. It was about a 6 hour drive. And we actually saw the dolphins being corralled. Then we did our own little mini stand-in and advocating for the freedom and non-harming of the dolphins down there. We went to the places where they actually sell the dolphin and the wale meat. And it’s very sad in one way but it was also very empowering to actually know that we could go and feel like our actions made a difference. And the last time I was there, we did about 12 cities in 15 days, driving from Tokyo, all the way down to Fukuoka. We stopped in Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Gifu, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Saga… It was really great.

Did you notice a difference between the class atmosphere and the type of students in Tokyo versus these other places in the countryside?

Well, definitely, people in the countryside were an underserved population in terms of exposure to yoga. In Gifu we had something like 200 people. And we rented a small section of the World Cup Stadium; a soccer stadium in Gifu, just outside of Nagoya. In Okayama, I’ll be teaching there tomorrow to close to a hundred people who have registered for the class. So these places, they’re desiring yoga, they’re wanting it.

Jules Febre with students in Japan

So you’re getting a bigger response in the countryside areas.

Much bigger, and it’s also the places where people who are in touch more with the earth. There’s a lot of farmers, especially in Saga where I teach, it’s the largest region of rice crops. The houses are really cool. There are rice paddies all over the place. And so veganism isn’t such a bizarre concept to them, or working with the earth, or doing sun salutations as the sun comes up, as opposed to practicing in a basement studio. They have no lights or anything like that. It’s very beautiful and we even try to incorporate walking meditation outside, and walking or hiking.

Have you noticed the Japanese yoga community maturing or evolving during the years that you’ve been coming to Japan?

Tremendously so. I’ve found there is a greatly increased willingness to participate in some of the more traditional aspects that aren’t fitness oriented. People are a lot more willing to participate which is great. When I first came to Japan just a few weeks before, there was a great tragedy where there was a group that called themselves Aum. And so just chanting the sound Aum was so difficult because they had this idea that it was a bad cult oriented sound. I would chant Aum, maybe to 50 or 60 people in class, and I would be the only one chanting. No response. So now, not only are people responding but Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. Everybody seems to know this and so many other different chants. So this year, I brought my harmonium.

Also, people aren’t so afraid of inversions anymore. Before, everywhere I went people would be afraid or they would just watch everybody else or the yoga teachers do it. So it’s so beautiful now to see that different yoga studios are providing Kirtan chanters. They are opening up small cafes.

I read an interesting fact the other day that in Japan, it’s estimated by the year 2015, there will be more yoga teachers than yoga students; and by the year 2017, more yoga teachers than human beings. Everybody is doing teacher training which is great. It shows that people want to get more in tune, in depth with the more historical context of the teachings. They’re leading chanting on their own. Ayurveda is becoming quite popular now. So it’s matured to a great extent and very quickly.

Jules Febre being interviewed by Tomoko Kawahara on Avo-cado Channel at Japan Yoga Festa 2011

What kind of trends do you see happening here in Japan now, overall?

Different things in different places, I think especially outside of the bigger cities where there are more opportunities. When I first came, people wanted just to take classes, and then people wanted to become yoga teachers. Now, it seems like everybody also owns a yoga studio and they’re giving teacher trainings, and then they’re opening a café. Especially in Hiroshima, it’s not uncommon, or even in Fukuoka, to see a yoga studio that also has a café inside of it, which is really beautiful because all the cafes I’ve seen are vegan. So they advocate this ahimsa lifestyle.

When I first came, this idea of LOHAS was very popular. What does that stand for?

Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability

LOHAS would be printed on plastic bags that you get from shops. But, now, LOHAS in Japan is a little more practical; asking “How can we have a healthy and sustainable lifestyle?” And in Tokyo one of the great places is Natural House. You see a lot of organic and fresh veggies. But still, one thing that I’d love to see change is not to have each fruit wrapped individually in a piece of plastic, or just a small amount of rice in plastic. I would love to see places where you could bring your own container. You don’t need to wrap five apples in five different pieces of plastic and then put them in your LOHAS bag. It’s important to find how we each can incorporate more of that to our own lifestyle. And for me, that means I walk around with hashi (chopsticks) everywhere I go. There are so many places that have the throw away kind. I carry a shopping bag, of course, and also a water bottle. And traveling all around the world, even when I’m in Europe I’m eating with chopsticks because they’re just so easy and small to carry around with me. I even have my own napkin.

These are the things that I think yoga really teaches us. What does “Sthira Sukham Asanam” from the Yoga Sutras mean? To have a steady and joyful relationship with the earth. What was the very first chant? I’ll tell you, “Ata Yoga Nusananum” or “Now is the yoga as I have observed it in the natural world”. How are we really trying to commune with nature? What does it mean to take the shape of a tree or take the form of a mountain? Does that mean then that we support gross agricultural intensive places that rape the land, that take away from the beauty of the mountain or level it down? And I think that’s the type of maturity and that’s the trend that I’ve seen happen in Japan.

Duncan Wong, Barry Silver, Akira Watamoto, Jules Febre at Yokohama Yoga Fest 2011

Have you noticed anything in Japan that you would like to see in your own town, in New York?

For me it’s been beautiful because I’ve taught so much in New York for such a long period of time that my classes are perhaps a little bit different than other places that I go in to practice. I would say there could be a great foreign exchange program – if we could import one thing here and send one thing back. The one thing that I would love to see here is yoga teachers taking other yoga teachers’ classes, which I never see. And people are always surprised when I show up and take their class. They ask me when I practice and I ask them, “When are you teaching? I’ll come and take your class”. And it doesn’t seem to be so much of a concept in Japan.

In the States, I would love to see a little bit more of the eastern influence of receptivity, of being open when a teacher has something to say and really contemplating on it. Some of these ideas have been known for a bit longer in the States. Sometimes people are like, “Oh, veganism, I know about that – not interested” or, “Oh Bhagavad Gita, I know about that – not interested” or, “Oh, I already took a one hour workshop on it.” But as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika says, in order to really give something your all, you’ve got to give it 12 years. That applies to asana and meditation.

It only takes 7 days for the palette on your tongue to change, to become subject to another flavor or another taste. But, people have just one bite of raw broccoli say “I can’t be vegan!” Well, I couldn’t be vegan if I ate raw broccoli all the time either.

So, I’d say for the West, people need to be more receptive and open to teachers and have the willingness to try something out. And, in the East, people shouldn’t feel that once they’re a teacher, “That’s it!” but rather, continue to grow and expand. These trends are happening but I’d like to see them magnified in both places.

For more information about Jules Febre and Jivamukti Yoga, please see the following websites:

• Jules Febre’s: JivamuktiJules.com
• Jivamukti Yoga NYC: JivamuktiYoga.com
• Jivamukti Yoga Japan: JivamuktiTeachers.jp

Interview and English translation by Dylan Robertson.

Takumi Hasegawa is the owner of Neti Neti, an online store specializing in eco-friendly yoga wear and yoga related goods. Based in Kobe, he was visiting for the Yoga Festa and stopped by our Shibuya studio to talk about the philosophy and inspiration behind his company’s business, and environmentally friendly products such as yoga wear by Canadian brand, Eco Gear.

Please tell us about your company.

We sell yoga-related products online.

Mainly environmentally-conscious products, many of which are from overseas locations such as Canada.

What type of product is your most popular?

Yoga wear is selling very well.

There is a brand from Canada called Eco Gear. Among people who do yoga, many are very interested in the environment, and when that point is promoted, many people will make an original purchase, and the percentage who make repeat purchases is very high.

Additionally, the founder of Eco Gear is a very intense person, and he has taught me quite a lot (about the environment). The first time I dealt with him, in the email to say that he was about to send the items to Japan, he said “this time I’ll iron them”. What that meant is “I don’t want to iron, because it is a waste of energy. But Japanese customers would probably be turned off by that, so I will iron for them”.

“Oh, I see,” I thought, realizing that I could learn a lot from him. Since then he has taught me a lot, and it has been well received when I have passed it on to my Japanese customers.

About the size problem, are you concerned about sizes for customers who purchase online?

I am. Most of our customers are within Japan, so it is best when dealing with foreign made products to consider an S as a Japanese M, everything one size up.

With respects to bottoms, Eco Gear has shortened them to be in line with Japanese sizes (laughs).

What is the reason for the popularity of your most popular product?

I think everyone has a different opinion, but I think it is due to so many yoga practitioners being so concerned about the environment. Consumers are able to choose between clothes that just look nice, and those that do not put much strain on the environment. I feel that many yoga practitioners choose clothes that are environmentally friendly. I think that’s probably the reason for their popularity.

Although of course, many are also choosing these clothes based on their functionality and design.

A sample of eco-friendly women's apparel by Canadian company, EcoGear

Do you feel that the yoga market in Japan is growing?

I do.

I am not an instructor, but I have been doing yoga as a hobby since about ten years ago. The number of people around me doing yoga has also been increasing. And when thinking about the current state of Japan, with the March 11 disasters, and political and economic uncertainty, everyone is going through their daily lives with some sort of stress. That stress may increase further in the future.

In that situation, I think if we are able to spread yoga, or if people come across yoga in their own way, everyone will naturally start doing yoga.

I think that it will continue to grow for these reasons.

In fact, many of those people will say they were saved by yoga.

Is yoga growing in Kobe, or the Kansai region?

Let’s see, the number of instructors peaked around 2006, but I have heard that studios in Tokyo are packed.

Kansai is not at that point, but it has been increasing in Kansai as well.

How do you plan to develop your web shop in the future?

It has only been six months since we have started, so we are still doing a lot of trial and error. The thing we want most is to be helpful to people, and whilst our site is good for what it is, we are thinking of creating a community that spreads yoga by providing people with a place to exchange valuable information, of which products and yoga related content will both be present.

A sample of eco-friendly men's apparel by Canadian company, EcoGear

You have a website for pcs, do you have a mobile site as well?

We don’t.
But our site is compatible with iPhones and other smartphones.

You currently only have a Japanese site. Are you considering other languages for the future?

We’re actually working on it right now.

The reason we started the online shop was because we wanted to share information to those not without access, unlike in the Kanto region, where all the information is concentrated.

For example, we think that it is likely difficult for people who have moved to Japan from overseas to make purchases from a Japanese web site.

For us, we would like to help people who are feeling restricted in any way towards purchasing or receiving information.

We think that we will start with English, and will listen to requests for further expansion of the site.

How are you engaging in software development?

The extent of what we can do ourselves is limited, so we want to make the best creation possible through the connection and help of everyone.

Luckily, yoga allows for strong connections between people, so we are often introduced to acquaintances through yoga.

We are also extremely thankful for this opportunity.

How are you finding customers?

We of course have various ways in the system, such as SEO, but every day we are focused on gathering data about whether people coming to the site have enjoyed themselves, and what they did while on the site, and making a site that will be somewhere that people want to visit.

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting their own web shop?

To put it simply, go ahead and give it a shot.

When you run an online shop, shops that carry the some products will appear, and price competition results.

If you pay attention to price competition, there is a chance that it will lead to an earnest decline in what you are trying to do, and in the industry you’re involved in. Instead of that, it is better to do things such as expanding the information on your own site. For example, with the Eco Gear tanktops, I think it is best to compete and cultivate our store through product explanation about things such as the materials used. Competing based on price is easy, so I think that is the very last strategy that should be chosen. Instead, we try every day to think creatively to promote our products’ strong points and create a win-win environment for everyone.

For example, what material is this item made of?

Neti-Neti Eco Yoga Shop top page

Recycled cotton does not mean using the material from old clothes, rather collecting the parts cut away when making new t-shirts, and shredding to create new material. If this was all that was done it would be too weak, so recycled plastic bottles are also used for 35% of the material.

That is the type of material that is used, so recycled does not mean that the material itself is dirty or used in any way.

Cotton trees require a large amount of water, and there are estimates that they also use 25% of all agricultural chemicals worldwide.

The materials used in this have already been created, so there is practically no waste of water or chemicals.

There is no problem with the texture, as it is exactly the same as a normal t-shirt.

There is some stiffness to it, and some customers do not like that, so Eco Gear developed a material for them called Jute Viscose, which is much smoother. It can even be used to sleep in.

This Jute Viscose is made from a plant called jute, which grows much faster than cotton. For this reason, it uses much less water, making it more environmentally friendly while achieving a very smooth feel.

We confidently introduce Eco Gear as a brand that not only recycles stoically, but also puts a lot of effort into the functionality and design of their products.

There is a cute design on the back.

Are there any products that you plan on adding in the future?

We are currently looking.

The reason we started is that my wife can speak English, and she was purchasing her clothes from overseas.

When I tried to help, it was very difficult, because I am poor at English. That’s where I got the idea to make this site to help people in the same situation as me.

If our customers can tell us about great products that are available overseas but not in Japan, we want to rapidly bring those into our lineup, and introduce them to everyone.

Watch the Original Interview (in Japanese)

For more information about Neti-Neti Yoga Shop and eco-friendly yoga wear in Japan, please see:
www.yoga-shop.jp (currently only in Japanese).

Interview by Dylan Robertson.

Jason Crandell is known for his skillful, unique approach to vinyasa yoga. His steady pace, creative sequencing, and attention to detail encourage students to move slowly, deeply, and mindfully into their bodies. Jason credits his primary teacher, Rodney Yee, teachers in the Iyengar Yoga tradition such as Ramanand Patel, and ongoing studies in Eastern and Western philosophy for inspiring to him bring greater alignment and mindfulness to vinyasa yoga.

Jason has been worked with the Yoga Journal to produce highly acclaimed DVDs and has written numerous articles for their website and magazine. He is also a popular instructor on YogaGlo.com, a website offering yoga class videos.

Jason teaches extensively at conferences in the United States and internationally. I was lucky to have an opportunity to catch him in between workshops in Tokyo as part of his 2011 Japan tour. In this interview, I ask him about this impressions and experiences teaching yoga in Japan.

How many times have you visited Japan?

This is my second time, but each time has been a pretty significant tour. Last year I was here for almost a month, and then today is day 30 or 31 of this trip. It is a long tour. Even though only twice, it’s been almost a month out of each of the last two years.

What are your impressions and what experiences have you had visiting Japan?

It’s a really fascinating culture. This is one of the many places that, prior to coming here, I was very excited to come. Actually, the first couple of things that jump out to me have nothing to do with yoga. The first thing is design. Things are just really well designed here – very well packaged. There’s so much attention to detail and Japanese designs can get away with so many things that other cultures would not be able to get away with. One of the things I noticed is, sort of funny but men’s clothing. I mean just like these older Japanese men that just look so fly. They’re just decked out so well, with this really great casual wear that looks effortless and just really cool. I think another thing that jumped out is the architecture and – I’ve had the fortune to travel in a lot of trains here. How green it is and how mountainous it is, is just really dramatic; beautiful country side. Lush, mountainous, and really dramatic. The roofs of the homes are just like stunning, beautiful tiles, and of different shapes than I’m used to. Those are the things that sort of jumped out.

Also, the population density. We were just in Fukuoka and it was very much like San Francisco or Los Angeles, that state. I mean it was a city, but it was pretty open and spacious. The population density is really intense. And then the scale of living is very different. People have smaller places and studios. In San Francisco, an average yoga studio could hold 50 to 60 people without much difficult. Here, for all the classes of mine that are full, they are full at 24 to 27 people packed. Those are some of the things that stand out right away.

What’s it like teaching in Japan versus the other countries that you have taught in?

There are a couple things, but there’s one dynamic that fascinates me to no end. And that’s when I walk in class, and everyone is quiet. Everyone’s on the sticky mat, perfect eye contact. There’s this clarity, organization, and this quietness of the students. I’ve gotten better at reading different students. Last year I had a hard time. I couldn’t read the body language about how what I was saying or what we were doing, what sort of impact I was having. I started to feel like, “Everyone’s really quiet, everyone’s really serious, there’s low affect. I hope everyone’s having a decent time!” Then, after class, it’s like a party. There are people taking pictures everywhere; everyone is immediately best friends with everyone. There are layers of friendliness and layers of protocol. In the US when you say goodbye, it’s like “Alright we’ll see you. Bye.” And here there’s a five minute conversation to say goodbye to someone. It’s this combination of these very sincere, attentive, quiet students but it’s not overly demure, and it’s not heavy or boring. It totally has this other life to it that is fun, celebratory, jovial, and so social. That stands out of this big way; this very deep combination of quietness and total exuberant social quality in everything.

On a physical level, and this is just a generalization, in the West I spend a lot of time trying to help people open their body, especially the hips. A lot of us, including myself, are really tight in the hip joints. Here it’s a little bit the opposite. Here I focus much more on lifting out of the pose and cultivating a little bit more strength, and a little bit more stabilization, and point people a little bit off of their range of motion, especially in lunges and standing poses. There’s an ability for so many students to go too low and too deep, and too sunken into the ground. Here I work a lot in getting people to lift and to engage and pull a little bit up and spread out. But the way yoga affects people of different cultures is the same. Culturally and socially there’s all sorts of different manners. Physically, posturally there’s some differences, but when it comes to Savasana or after Savasana, I don’t care where we are in the planet, it’s the same thing, same effect.

Were there any things that surprised you teaching in Japan?

I think this goes back to the previous question that is the social dynamic, the social quality. How still, quiet, and attentive it is. And then class is over, “Namaste” “Thank you” – it’s as if balloons are going up in the air, and then confetti drops, and there’s streamers, and everyone all of a sudden is getting to know each other, taking pictures. The whole social atmosphere is incredibly dynamic.

What do you find, in terms of demographics of the gender or the age range compared to, say in San Francisco?

That’s a good question. Depending on where I am teaching in San Francisco. I’m teaching at a couple different studios and even there the demographic is a little bit different. At one of the studios that I teach, about 40 or 45% of people that come are men. 40 or 50% of people at one studio are men that are also a little bit somewhere my age like mid to late 30′s to early 50′s. Then I teach at another studio where I’m one of the older people of the room, where it’s more like early 20′s to mid 30′s. I even find in San Francisco there’s some range depending on the location of the studio. There’s also some gender differences depending on the location, the time and the culture of the place.

Here it’s all women.

It’s all women, but I tell you, a lot of the men that do practice here have killer practices; really strong, really mobile, really attentive people. I was teaching last night and we were doing a bunch of side bends, and there was a guy who came that was just so strong, so aligned, so free – I mean some of the most beautiful deep side bends I’ve ever seen and they didn’t look distorted. They were deep, but they were really even, spacious and stable. So even though it’s almost all women, the men who are practicing have pretty unique abilities. I also saw that in Hong Kong, especially with a lot of the South-east Asian men. For a lot of them, their quality of being in their body is pretty amazing. It makes me remember I played ice hockey for the first fifteen years of my life. I had a bigger, lumbering kind of body. Whereas, in a lot of the Asian students I just feel and see a physical aptitude that’s amazing.

In terms of spending time here traveling, are there any foods or drinks that you like?

Yes, everything. Do you have another three hours? In my training in Fukuoka, by day two, all I could talk about were the macha floats; macha and ice cream. I really love Japanese food. I don’t have a very restricted diet. I did for many years, and then when I started traveling a lot it just became, physically and socially, really difficult to sustain. I really enjoy experiencing culture through food. Hakata style ramen which is at thicker, heavier, and sort of fattier ramen, really good. I love mochi. Seven Eleven have decent sandwiches – I mean the convenient sandwich culture is pretty mind blowing. Everything; I have pretty much eaten everything. I miss crusts. I want everyone to know that crusts are okay! We don’t have to cut them off in every sandwich. And also brown rice is nice sometimes. I haven’t had brown rice or crust in thirty days. I’m ready for brown rice and crusts.

I guess you might have had an opportunity to do a bit of shopping, is there anything that you like to buy on your trips here and take back to the U.S.?

Usually along the same lines as I mentioned before. I became familiar with the Japanese yuzu kosho, or yuzu pepper. yuzu is a citrus fruit, and when combined with pepper, it has a taste profile that I’ve never had. That was just killer. Stuff like that; teas, various types of yuzu. I have one suitcase and one bag and a lot of trains to ride, so I haven’t gotten much stuff – though the men’s shoes are really great. They have sneakers here that don’t exist on other places on the earth. If I ever brought back another suitcase, I would have pairs of converse, Adidas and Vans that I can’t get in San Francisco.

Are there any particular aspects of the traditional Japanese arts or culture that you’ve seen particularly resonated with you or that you’ve like to try?

Last year we had a little bit more time for these things. This year we did a full 200 hour teacher training. So for the 200 hours and 23 days, it was just directly down to the business. Pretty much the routine this time was, hotel, breakfast, all day of teaching, dinner, hotel, and sleep. But in the previous year, we did see screen painting, which is really beautiful. And what really struck me was the architecture – the space, and the gardens and the sort of negative space that they used. The sort of open minimal space that’s used, and also the day to day designs. Last year and this year we stayed in a couple of decent-sized hotels and there were also smaller hotels. And we’re staying in a hotel right now that’s small but everything is proportionate. It doesn’t feel small because everything fits. And so to me it’s the modern aspect of design that is just such an amazing thing. And obviously there’s the Zen meditation practice and the teachings and so forth that had been inspiring me throughout the years. But I haven’t had enough opportunity to study it whilst here. But a lot of those tools and techniques had transfused into other cultures. And living in San Francisco, I have a pretty close access to a big Japanese community there.

It is quite interesting that you taught a full 200 hour course in Fukuoka. Tell us a bit about that.

How it came to be was sort of layered and complicated and probably not that interesting. But the actual experience and the execution of it was really wonderful. I think one of the great things about doing that full 200 hour program was how well I actually got to know people. And I learned how well you can get to know someone, how well you can get to see their nervous system, their personality, and their way of being, without communication. I was able to give verbal communication via an interpreter. But I realized as we got a closer to the last day and I spoke a lot about each student. And I realized I knew them really well because we had spent such consistent and intimate time together. That was really great and it was so fun to see this big group of students get to know each other and get some really essential and important training. And then, get a ton of experience to actually teach each other and share it. And so we did it 7 or 8 times were we broke into groups and people were teaching specific poses to each other. I didn’t understand what they were saying, but I could go around the room and I could feel the tone, I could understand the phase, I could see whether or not they were nervous, and I could see whether they were steady. I could see a lot of what was happening even without knowing what the actual words they were saying meant. And so it felt like a degree of communication and intimacy that I hadn’t really experienced before, because I am pretty dependent on words and their meaning. It is nice to be removed from words and their meaning and still see what’s inside and underneath it.

I’d imagine that there would be a great demand for teacher training programs like that and I could see if you had the time, you could do one in each of the major Japanese cities. Did you have a full show up in Fukuoka?

Yes, we had a lot of people show up in Fukuoka which was really great. A lot of people came from other parts of Japan. I would say about half of the people were from Kyushu and about half were from other parts of Japan. And it’s something that we’ll continue to do in the future years. It felt like a really good connection. Also I’ve taught full time for 12 or 13 years and so when I come across a good business partner and a good community – I stick! Both in terms of teaching and also the business aspects of this. And there are business aspects to this. When you find a really good partner, and I have many really good partners, you are happy to sustain and deepen relationships so that hopefully it would be a yearly occurrence.

Do you have any particular overall message that you would like your Japanese students to take home with them from your classes or workshops?

I think there’s a couple of themes that came out of the training we did. And one of the themes is just a simple straightforward stuff which is to really practice cultivating a balance between stability and mobility. I found out if there is relatively more mobility, there is relatively less stability. And so we focused a lot on stabilization. Feeling the bones, feeling the muscles, grounding down, lifting up, spreading out as opposed to just going down, down, down, further and further. Another aspect to that was to help students here distribute the effort of the pose evenly. And for a back bend, to distribute the curve and the effort more evenly through the various body parts, and also get the body to participate in the action rather than one or just two places participating in it. And I think the other main theme that came up, I don’t know if this is just mainly when I teach in trainings, is not only to continue to develop a skill to listen to the teacher but also to develop a skill of listening to what’s really happening inside. I think the ability to sit and focus and listen to a teacher in Japan is really great. And, at the same time, students needs to be encouraged to take authority, to empower themselves, to feel their own experience, and not just do what they’re being told. And so that balance of listening to the teacher should go with listening to the messages that their own body and breath are giving them.

Would you have any advice for foreign yoga teachers who are considering visiting Japan for the first time?

Yes. Give yourself an extra day or two – which I never do! When I arrive, I start teaching straight away, and then I keep teaching, and then I go. But if you’re not an obsessive workaholic like myself, if you are little more sane and balanced in your approach than I am, give yourself some time to settle in. Jetlag is significant and the culture is different and the timing of doing everything is different because there’s more protocol here. I think people actively manage their social relationships more here. I think in the states we come and go pretty easy and that does not work here. Everything here takes a little bit longer. And then the other thing is you need help in finding a good interpreter. I couldn’t do this without Sachiko, who brought me along. Because you really need an infrastructure here in order to do this. You could show up and teach some classes and lose a ton of money because it’s expensive to be here. You actually need an infrastructure here and you need good partnership on the side. If you want to show up and take a vacation, teach a couple of classes and feel like, “Cool – I taught in Japan!”, that’s totally radical and you can do that. But if you want to settle in, you want to teach, and you want to make sure that what you are saying is actually what you’re saying, you need an infrastructure. And it’s a lot of work. A lot of work for everyone to convert what you have to say in a different culture in a different language. You can’t just show up in the studio and go, “Well’ really I’d like you to feel, you’re in breath, touching the bottom rib,” it does not work that way. You need an infrastructure and you need to be able to scale what you say back and pretty much say, “Inhale, reach the arms”. Give a long pause so it can be translated. The pace is different. You have to slow the teaching down.

Would you have any advice for yoga teachers who do a lot of traveling, or international travel, or all of these kind of tours like you’re doing? How do you survive the pace?

I don’t know how I survive. I survive on the precipice of a nervous breakdown. No, I’m just kidding.

Lots of coffee?

I usually have a little coffee in the morning and I’ve definitely had a little bit more of caffeine on the road. You have to do whatever you can do to sleep. You have to get sleep at night and you have to gear down and get rest. Because it’s so stimulating and it so fun and it’s so exciting. But everything takes a while and that’s intense. You have to sleep, you have to take time to eat well, and you have to lessen your expectation for what you want to do and convey. Because it takes longer to say everything that you say because of the interpretation. And so you have to figure out exactly what you want to teach – straightforward, simple, direct, and clear, or else it gets really lost in translation. I think as a teacher, it’s an incredible challenge and an incredible reward to learn how to say what you wanted to say, in a specific, direct, and simple way. That’s what you’ve got to be able to do… and try yuzu kosho, try Japanese food, and try not to be hung up.

For more information about Jason Crandell and his teaching schedule, please see his website, www.jasonyoga.com.

Interview by Dylan Robertson.

I interviewed Jesse Lee Parker in April 2010 about teaching Tao Yoga in Japan. Since then, he has been featured in various magazines, on television and has gained many new fans.

Jesse recently established the Tao Healing Space in Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa district, which is has a number of yoga studios and is popular with artists and people interested in alternative lifestyles. I stopped by to chat with Jesse and learn more about his courses. He also introduced me to Tibetan healing sound bowls and spoke about healthy living from the Taoist context.

I really like this space you have here, in Shimokitazawa. I love the new tatami you’ve got and all the natural fixtures, and the way you’ve presented it.

Thank you very much.

What would you call this – I guess this is not a typical yoga studio?

No, I call this a Tao Healing Space. It’s a space where we can teach Tao Yoga—where people can come to experience restoration, rejuvenation and healing because we also have a hands-on healing therapy, which we call yojo-setai. Are you familiar with the word “yojo”?

What’s involved in yojo-setai?

Yojo is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word called “Yangsheng”. This means nurturing life. Now many magazines are starting to write about “Yojo-Ko” in Japan. This is a whole slew of healing modalities from ancient China, which includes diet, herbs, massage therapy, meditation, philosophy and yoga practice.

A lot of what we call Tao Yoga in Chinese they would just call “Yangsheng Gong” or “yojo-ko” in Japanese. “Ko” means work, or the effort and the other words mean to nourish life or to heal life. This is our yojo space.

Class at Jesse Lee Parker's Shimokitazawa Studio

I saw that you were teaching your students before, here—it’s a very nice atmosphere and you have some great people. What kind of people generally come to your classes?

Right now, we’re getting a lot of professional level students. I have a few students who are teachers of Pilates, Gyrotonics or yoga.

Before, we had more amateur students who perhaps wanted to find relief from the stress in their lives, had a health problem they wanted to address, or they wanted to lose weight or get in shape—these are kind of beginning students.

Now some of the students we are getting here in Tokyo are a little more serious. For me as a teacher, that’s really wonderful—because they take notes, they’re very serious about learning. Also, I think most people are between the ages of early 20s to mid-30s, it’s very nice.

I think Tokyo people are very active in that regard. When they approach learning something, they’re also very engaged and active in their learning. As a teacher, that’s very wonderful.

You’re teaching arts which originated in China. What is the general image or reception in Japan of these things that you’re teaching?

I think there’s not a lot of education in Japan about these arts. Of course in Japan, I think many people here have “kikou”, or in Chinese “qigong”. This is of course an art–in some aspects, came from China, but many people create their own modern systems of this art.

In the Taoist arts, which they would call tao-yin, or yangsheng gong, this has a more wide range, which includes body training, body conditioning, core conditioning, movement coordination, learning to move in every plane of human motion, and also, dealing with the energy or “ki” or “chi”. It has a very wide range/use of application, but all of these applications have to do with the aim of self-healing and creating balance in the body. So I think not a lot of things you would find in a power yoga class. But it has aspects that do address body conditioning.

The main aim is the restoration. I recently saw an article about the Indian yoga approach to restorative yoga, and what they were describing was—Aah, that’s what we do. So this is restorative yoga. It is aimed at self-healing—this is the main purpose—to self-heal and to create balance.

I think most people in modern society are very out of balance—from too much work, too much stress, so I think this is really needed. People need to slow down, learn to breathe deeply, learn to let go of their worry, and also to connect to Nature. Then they start feeling balanced, then they do a better job at work, or have better relationships with others.

What kind of conditions do you see people coming in with—you talked about imbalances, so especially in this city, it’s very large urban place—what kind of conditions are you seeing amongst your students?

Most people I see, I don’t think they sleep enough. This is my first observation, I think people have their core sleep habits. Second condition, according to Chinese medicine—the kidney is an organ responsible for nurturing the vital energy of the body and it contains an essence energy of the body. Most people—their kidneys are very deficient.

This means they’re doing too much activity, too much work, too much thinking, too much stress and not enough rest, and then not enough nurturing. This is the main thing I think. I try to get the students to take some time, everyday, to slow down. Slow down, come inside the body, balance the breathing and connect to nature.

The work that you’re teaching, as you mentioned before, it’s very broad. You have everything from body work, you teach meditation, various breathing exercises, some kind of chi-gong style calisthenics and exercise. Then you also have an extensive background in the Chinese internal martial arts—there’s Taijiquan, Xingyiquan and Baguazhang—that’s a lot of stuff.

I began my study of martial arts at age 13 or 14 with a Chinese teacher in my hometown. That teacher was great because he taught every aspect of the arts and he was also a healer. He also studied Taoism. From that age, I was influenced very strongly with a wide variety of arts.

By the time I was 16, I was an instructor in Taijiquan, under that teacher—at the age of 16. Then I had many other teachers. I don’t reveal my age, but I’m over 40, so this is over 25 years I’ve been exploring and studying, so that’s how you accumulate a lot of knowledge.

For me, I see myself as a revolutionary—which is also why I call what I teach Tao Yoga. I don’t want to be affiliated with anything that’s traditional. I don’t want to be affiliated with any preconceived ideal.

So I have the freedom to teach exactly what I want to teach because I don’t give it a specific label. So everyone, a lot of you are coming—Wow, what is this? What are you doing?

This is my original system that I conceived after a long period of training. I saw the root—all of these arts share a few commonalities. They all use the body, and the body is used in activity and inactivity—or motion and stillness.

The breath—we have the inhalation and the exhalation of the breath. We have the mind—the mind is used in concentration and also cessation of concentration. We can say emptiness or no-mind state.

So we have body, breath and mind. All of the arts use these three aspects, even Indian yoga uses these three aspects. From these, I understood the root of how to heal the body and how to develop energy. So part of what I teach I’ve actually simplified—something that was very complex into something where the students can try to understand from the start.

A lot of my teachers taught traditionally and you have to go one, two, three—you don’t understand what you’re doing, and they don’t tell you what you’re doing—you have to figure it out for yourself.

For me, I think this is also the job of a teacher—if you know a simpler way of doing something or an easier way of accomplishing something, you share that with the students because you save them time.

Everyone comes to class—they want to have health, they want to have a more flexible body, they want to have relaxation of mind, they want to feel purity of heart, they want to heal any disease or physical discomfort that they have. This is why people come to any class. They’re seeking these things.

So if you can give these things to the student in a quicker or faster way, then you have to do that. This is the job of the teacher.

What’s it like teaching in Japan?

I love Japan. I’m one of those people, I think I just really love the feeling of Japan and I love the society. Some of the most meaningful relationships I’ve had in Japan. I think that Japanese students are very sincere and very faithful students.

This is a really, really wonderful thing—the sincerity and the faithfulness of the students. When they decide to join the class, they really commit to that. They come regularly. I think Japanese students are great.

In Tokyo now though, I’m having more foreigners now, so this is making a very nice balance in my class, I have foreigners and the Japanese. It makes for more fun and social healing. People can make friends and a lot of the students go to a café together after class—this makes a kind of community. I think it’s very important.

It’s not just about practice and meditation, but also to make friends and to have community because this is an important aspect of being human. You have to have friendship, you have to have community.

And you’re starting at a teacher training program, I understand? Tell us about that.

Looking at my life, perhaps I wont stay in Japan forever. We don’t really know what they future holds and I just thought it would be really nice if other people were helping teach this system. I had really amazing results with my students; many people with chronic disease have come to our classes and very quickly alleviated their conditions. So I have faith in the approach and the system that I designed because I can see that it works quickly with people. The students help improve their complexion, their emotions become balanced. We’ve had some students come who were very depressed and were taking medicine at a dosage almost 10 times that of the prescription for over 10 years! And doctors, they’ll say you cannot stop, it’s too dangerous, you have to take these medicines your whole life. And after about three months into the practice, they stopped taking almost all of the medicines. And they feel good, and they go out and get a girlfriend and they’re being positive and then living again.

So, in this regard, I felt that this would really benefit society as a whole if other people were out there teaching these arts. And so I designed a 9-month program. Each section has three months. The first month we work on the body, body strengthening and the concepts. The second few months we work on understanding energy and energy development. And the last three months is more on the deeper meditative work and understanding spirit and mind, these kind of things. So we teach a very wide variety of the arts. I think the students are very, very excited. And it really sold out very quickly.

And how many places did you have?

We wanted to just take 5 people so that we could have a very intimate relationship and teach them deeply, but a sick student who’d been long-term student said, “Onnegai, please, please!” So I said, “Okay, come on.” So we have 6 people. And actually, now there’s a 7th person, too, who wants to come. But, I think we’re just going to do the 6 people. Among them are 5 women and 1 man. So most are female students.

I noticed you also do some work with these healing sound bowls—are they from Tibet or China?

These are from Tibet. I guess some people say Tibet is China now. Tibet is its own autonomous region.

So what kind of healing properties do these bowls have and what can they be used for?

Maybe I bring one?

This bowl is from the 19th Century, so about 200 years old. It is what they call sometimes a Buddha bowl. So this bowl is something that a monk would have used as their personal bowl. You can see in temples they have very large bowls for when they do chanting or ceremonies. These are more of a personal size bowl? This bowl is a different antique bowl and has different characteristics. It has a very special character. This has a very thick lip; most bowls have very thin lips. And this one, they actually engraved the circle here, and then actually there’s a mantra art here inside, if you look.

So this is quite a special bowl and it has a very beautiful sound. If you ever hear a modern bowl, the resonance is quite different. These have a very long lasting resonance and quite a few different octaves, if you were to measure which notes this is in.

You asked about the healing properties of these bowls. First, what is healing? Now healing is, if you look at the roots of healing, when the body becomes balanced. But then we say, what is energy? In the human body, energy generally can have five manifestations. So one is a type of electricity. People understand, “Ah, electricity is energy.” But it doesn’t stop there; another is magnetism. Another is light. Another is heat. The fourth is the sound. And these are all changing manifestations of energy because energy is changing, and the body has many different functions that it uses.

Sound waves are a kind of energy. Probably modern physics talks about some things, but now I feel that physics and mysticism will merge in our lifetime. All of these ideas will really be understood more scientifically because it is just science of nature. This is an ancient technology and they understood that sound is energy, and sound has a healing effect and a healing potential for humans and they created these tools. Actually, if we look at the history of these ancient bowls, they don’t know why they were made and what they were created for. We have many different shapes and sizes. This is a very small. Nowadays, these bowls are very popular with different types of massage therapists and yoga studios. Many yoga studios will start a class and many people use these for their own personal meditation. Also for healing, you can place it upon the body and the sound waves go into the body.

There have been interesting experiments, when you place water in these bowls and ring again, geometric patterns form in the water. Almost looks like mandala inside the surface of the water. When you see that and you think, “Oh, those waves go into my body and my body is mostly water, this is creating a pattern within my body that is a harmonizing or re-balancing pattern,” or we think it creates re-patterning. If we’re very stressed or very irritated, we have a pattern inside the body that’s operating. We can use this technology. This re-patterns and makes it more harmonious and maybe we become calmer. So I love these bowls very much.

My father was a sound healer. He was kind of a pioneer in sound healing in America. When I was growing up, and he was playing these and he produced many different healing CD’s for healing music in America. I think my interest in the Tibetan bowls mostly comes from my father and seeing the work that he did with healing or producing music. I’m not out-professionalizing him; he’s been doing it for much longer period of time than I have. But I love it. And I think that’s the reason why we do anything that we do; it’s that we feel that attraction and the love. And for other people, the sound really soothes the heart and makes people feel very centered and balanced.

These bowls are antique, there’s a history to this bowl. This bowl was in a temple or with a monk. And these bowls are made from a multitude of metals. Some 6, 7 to 12 different metals were used to make these bowls. So in the modern bowls, they don’t know how to do that anymore, that technology. It’s like a lost art. So this is a mixture of many different metals. So almost like a kind of alchemy when they made these ancient bowls. To me it’s a piece of history. I really like them. I think they look quite beautiful. The color…these are like my hobby.

When is your next teacher training course coming up?

I don’t know if we will do another teacher training course.

We’ll see how this goes. I think if I didn’t do another course, I would do a short course on a specific subject. My idea with these people is in 9 months to really give them the peak amount of experience that I have accumulated over 20 years and pass that on to these people in 9 months. And I was worried if people would commit to that amount of time. I know in Japan, people want to do a weekend teacher training course, or a 4-day teacher training course. Or 4-weekend teacher training course. I couldn’t really see how people could learn. Learning is the wrong word – I want to guide the students to experience their inner energy development; to actually reach a level of internal accomplishment then they can be a teacher. To teach them an internal art about energy, you have to have development of your own energy. Otherwise, it’s just an idea, it’s not an actual experience.

An idea is different from wisdom. Wisdom comes from experience. You directly experienced something and have a wisdom about it. With an idea, we don’t know if it’s true or not. Some ideas are true, but another idea is not true. But from experience, you know this is true because we did it, we felt it. So I want to bring these students through different experiences. And we also will try to teach about diet and lifestyle. In the Tao Yoga system we talk about inner practice and outer practice. So the inner practice is, of course, the stretching, the breathing, the meditation, this kind of work. The outer practice is our lifestyle and how we’re living. You cannot have one without the other. This is a complaint of many students because, you have to change your diet. And you have to sleep at this time. Please don’t drink Coke anymore, that kind of thing. And sometimes people are very resistant towards this. “You mean I can’t drink 3 coffee’s a day?” No, you can’t.

The outside practice is how we live our life. This is very important. And then also the teaching of ethics and morality. These have to go together. Inside practice and outside practice. I really want to teach a strong foundation for these people. Maybe I’ll teach other teacher training courses, but maybe just about a specific subject. There’s a set of exercises and people could be certified in that system. But I think this will be a very special group. And very positive people came, so I’m really happy to see what they do and what they become.

For more information about Jesse Lee Parker and Tao Yoga, please see his website, www.TaoYoga.jp.

Mimi Horiuchi teaching a student

Interview and English translation by Dylan Robertson.

In this interview, Mimi Horiuchi talks about how her unique blend of yoga therapy, NLP and coaching brings healing and relaxation to mind and body. Having trained both abroad and in Japan, Mimi brings an international perspective to her teaching. Believing in the healing power of nature, Mimi runs yoga retreats in exotic locations such as Okinawa. She also told us about her future plans to run special teacher training courses that will empower others to teach this highly effective combination of practices.

When did you first encounter yoga?

I first encountered yoga on campus when I was studying abroad in America. After that, I returned home to Japan but my heart was still in America. During a time when I couldn’t adapt to the pace in Japan, my roommate, whom I lived with my whole time in America, suddenly passed away in an accident… I had many regrets and pain and when I was really struggling with my friend’s passing I starting doing yoga regularly. At first, I was doing it for my own piece of mind.

It seems that you completed a yoga instructor course abroad. Can you talk a little about that experience.

Yes. I took two TTC (teacher training courses). The first was the RYT200 hour course. It was held in the Bahamas and in front of me stretched the emerald green Caribbean Sea and blue skies. It was here, in this natural setting, that I received my license in Sivananda Yoga. There were about 60 people from around the world there, however, I was the only person from Japan and so the English aspect was really difficult. We learned about the body, inhaling, exhaling, and the like entirely in English. I learned Indian scriptures, about the Bhagavad Gita, philosophy, and how to instruct, entirely in English. When I first started learning about this I had no idea how to to even instruct in Japanese. It felt like I really worked hard studying in English. Yeah.

After that I took the RYT 500 hour Advanced Yoga TTC in America. There, while I was attending both Massage College and Yoga TTC, I studied Yoga Therapy.

I always wanted to study under an instructor that was there so I saved for two years. Then, when I thought I was finally going to learn from her she was diagnosed with rectal cancer and from the treatment she gradually lost her hair. But even in those circumstances, she used all her remaining strength to teach me everything she knew and she even let me be in charge of classes. I’m here now because I always try to connect with that power she had. And I got my school’s name, Yoga Shakti, from her.

What is your current yoga practice like?

Every morning I do yoga, meditate, work on breathing techniques and NLP. After the earthquake I went to Okinawa for the first time. After that, I starting getting into the habit of practicing yoga and NLP every morning after waking up. Specifically, after I wake up I start with meditation and breathing techniques, followed by savansana (corpse pose) then sun salutation pose. When I have time I add a few more poses that agree with my body and how I am feeling that day. Lastly, I add NLP to the savansana and I communicate with part of my mind. By doing this I can heal and start my day off feeling good.

Mimi Horiuchi teaching at Yoga Fest 2010

What is NLP?

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming and is the way we handle our minds. It deals entirely with the relationship with our subconscious. There are both consciousness and unconsciousness and within our subconscious exists both good and bad problems. For example, you want to continue doing yoga, however, your subconscious sort of gets in the way and says you can’t continue easily. If you don’t communicate with your subconscious in times like this there will be so resolution. In order to communicate with your own mind, or to communicate with another person, or to achieve your goals, coaching methods and problem-solving therapy techniques are all things to learn.

I read on the Yoga Shakti.jp website that you are also coaching, but what is coaching? Is that tied with NLP?

Yes. There are two techniques included in NLP, coaching and therapy. Coaching is when you are in a neutral state, or when you want to reach a better state of mind. In times like this you would use coaching questions to look at yourself and through the usage of words like dreams or goals draw out what steps you need to take to achieve such goals. Then there is the therapy aspect of NLP. Therapy is when you are in a worse state than neutral, such as when you are traumatized by something. If you were to ask coaching questions in a time like this you will have the reverse reaction and there have been cases when people have gone into depression. When this happens you want to solve your problems and return to a neutral state by using therapy questions. You can use these techniques in a number of ways which is a good aspect about the balance of NLP.

People’s emotions change everyday so you can’t say, coaching is good for me because I’m always positive, because if something bad happens then that positivity drops or if something good happens then it increases. Those changes in your feelings can happen in an instant. With yoga, you can do what suits you and your mental state at that time, which is great.

Can you explain about the collaboration of coaching, NLP and yoga?

Yes. Fundamental speaking, NLP and coaching deal with the brain and your deep psyche. And because your brain is a part of your body, there is a really good balance if you mix it with breathing. If you were to focus entirely on your brain it will get tired. By breathing you can relax and enter a state of deep relaxation or achieve your goals by purposefully taking in energy through a state of tension. To be able to turn it ON and OFF, because the mind and body are connected as one, I think is a big advantage.

How did you discover NLP?

When I came back to Japan, I was a yoga instructor at a kindergarten. The kindergarten principal was a NLP trainer and he said, “Mimi, there are lots of NLP methods in your yoga.” That was my introduction to it and I started learning it after that.

Mimi Horiuchi (left) and her celebrity student, MEGUMI (right)

Do you have any advice for someone who is thinking about doing something with yoga, coaching and NLP? Where should they start? With all the information out there, do you have any recommendations on where to start?

First of all, trust your instincts. There are a number of trial lessons and seminars, also websites and YouTube videos that you can watch. If you are watching and think, I want to learn from that teacher, actually learning from that person is the best way to be inspired. I also learned from a teacher that inspired me. There are a lot of schools so find one that is the best fit for you and believe in it; that is the best thing I can recommend.

What is the biggest change that you have seen with your students with yoga, NLP and coaching?

There are a number of people who’s dreams have come true. For example, someone who couldn’t bear children suddenly was able to conceive, someone who got a job they wanted or someone who changed how they communicated with their husband and now they are happier. Even though you change, the situation might not, but because you have changed you might see a different path or experience a different way of looking, hearing or feeling. I’ve heard from people how their happiness affected other people who in turn became happy.

Lately, I hear that you have been practicing in Okinawa. Isn’t doing yoga in Okinawa the best?

Oh yes, it’s great. There is a spot on the beach where there is a dragon called the Dragon King, I do yoga in front of that power spot. There the emerald green sea and sky are so big and soon the setting sun will be changing to orange. In scenery like this you get the feeling that the Earth is really round and that we are coexisting on this island. If you do yoga then you should definitely be doing it in an environment like this.

I hear that you are planning on starting a yoga instructor course in the near future. What kind of course are you planning?

In the future, I want to be an instructor who can do NLP, psychological methods and yoga, and work with the body. I also want to become a therapist. My dream right now is to hold an intensive course next year at the power spots in Okinawa.

I hear that you have a number of students who are celebrities. Who are they?

Television personality, MEGUMI, Dewi Sukarno, also a Walt Disney Film producer and singers. One of my current clients is the model appearing in the Kirin commercials.

Have you noticed any changes in them after starting yoga?

They have changed a great deal. First of all, their body lines have completely changed. Also their aura and the mental state of being have really changed. It seems that they have also been able to obtain jobs that they really wanted. Something like that I customize for private sessions. I put together a menu of things that the person really wants and over a short period of time, for example, getting the leading role in a drama, or getting a commercial offer, I gradually add them in.

Watch the Original Interview (in Japanese)

For more information about Mimi Horiuchi and her yoga courses, please see www.yogashakti.jp (in Japanese).

Interview by Dylan Robertson.
English Translation by Anton Heskia.

Waka Yogi is a hot yoga instructor and former competitive swimmer from Osaka. In this interview, Waka explains the benefits of hot yoga for the mind and body. She also explains how swimming and yoga have many commonalities and, when practiced together, unite their strengths, making for a more balanced exercise regimen.

I understand that before you became an instructor of Hot Yoga, you were a competitive swimmer. When did you start swimming?

I don’t really remember. I started going to swimming school from around 4 years old.

What kind of tournaments did you take part in?

After winning small tournaments, I took part in the 4 prefecture Toukai events, I aimed for the national tournaments so I trained very hard.

Did you have a coach? What kind of person was your coach?

Because of my parents work, I moved around regularly and lived by the sea for 3 years where there are many swimming coaches. Mine was very strict and a bit scary.

How often did you swim a day?

Depending on the level and every practice session it varied. At primary school everyone practiced together. After school I practiced from 6 o’clock in the evening for around 2 and a half hours and I swam 6 or 7 kilometers. Gradually the body adapts. Other factors can be taken into consideration; because I am small and not that strong, I am good at swimming long distances of 400 meters and 800 meter races. I swam many long distance races. Usually during one lesson, I swam between 8 to over 10 kilometers, during summer and winter holidays I went to training camp where I would swim in the morning, take a rest and swim again in the evening.

I slept a lot.

I ate well and got plenty of rest.

What kind of stretches did you do for swimming?

In swimming we use our hip joints and shoulders a lot so I performed shoulder stretches and forward bending yoga stretches, I did various natural stretches.

Do you still swim now?

I stopped competitive swimming, now I just swim for fun.

When you swam competitively did you practice yoga?

No I didn’t. I didn’t know about yoga then.

Well then, how did you hear about yoga?

From my boyfriend, Ash (laughs).

Why did you decide to become a yoga instructor?

My boyfriend was doing Iyengar yoga. When we were doing stretches together, he was very surprised by my flexibility. It started with him telling me that I should become a yoga instructor. There was a studio near where I lived, so I took an audition and passed.

That’s brilliant. What was the interview like?

We had a written test and at the audition there were around 20 people. Were were told to do certain poses and at the end we all stood up and greeted each other.

How many people actually became an instructor?

Out of the 20 that took part, 4 or 5.

Very strict! When your students progress with their yoga practice, what kind of changes do you see in their bodies?

Because it’s Hot Yoga, the students tend to lose weight and develop a firmer and more flexible body.

How does Hot Yoga compare to normal yoga?

Sometimes, for example, during the summer or when you don’t have much physical strength, it can be quite tough. The room is set to 38 degrees Celsius and the humidity is at 65%. Doing the exercises makes you sweat. It has a detoxing effect and you can drink as much water as you need. Because the body temperature increases, this allows it to become more flexible and of course refreshes the body. At the end of a class, one really feels refreshed.

What kind of questions do beginners usually have?

Because its hot yoga, many of the students aim to develop a firmer body or wish to lose weight. So they ask questions such as, “How can I lose weight,” or “My body is very stiff and I wish to develop a more flexible body.”

Has yoga made any changes to your lifestyle?

It has indeed changed. Especially my way of thinking and my relationships with the people around me.

When you meet people who you haven’t seen in a long time, do they mention that you have changed?

I’m often told that my figure has become filled out nicely. I was just very thin before. After doing yoga I even realized myself that my body was becoming more muscular. Without really thinking about it, I generally thought whatever was happening was good, the shape of my body was changing in a positive way.

You’re from Osaka, aren’t you? Is yoga popular in Osaka?

Of course. How about in Tokyo?

Yes there are a lot of yoga studios in Tokyo.

But I think that there are a lot more in Tokyo.

Has your body become more flexible since starting yoga?

Yes it has changed. Before my body was rather flexible, however my balance was poor. At the audition my movement was irregular, I could never do the poses, yet after practicing every day I could do more poses and my balance improved.

How long have you been teaching yoga for?

Just over 2 years. This is my third year.

When you first started did you have any worries?

Knowing nothing about yoga and having never done yoga before, I went to the audition and did the poses, passed and after two months I became an instructor. I had no knowledge and was unsure how to proceed from there but I did what I could studying, reading books, gaining advice from other teachers and trying my best.

Do you think it’s good to do both yoga and swimming together?

I think it’s very good and I recommend it. If you can do it it’s good because when I was on the swimming team I didn’t know about yoga. Yoga improves your sense of balance, concentration and flexibility. Warming up is good for the body and at the end you can relax in seated poses so you don’t get too tired.

There are a lot of competitive swimmers abroad who also practice yoga, how about in Japan?

We’re now in a yoga boom, because of the wide benefits I think many people are taking up yoga. During my time it was about losing weight and improving the abdominal muscles.

Do you recommend swimming for people who practice yoga?

Of course. I think both yoga and swimming are good. By practicing both, different parts of the body and different muscles are used allowing better synergy.

Are there any similarities between yoga and swimming?

One similarity is that the whole body is used. With soccer and tennis, only one part of the body is used a lot. Unlike other sports, both yoga and swimming require flexibility, and while they have a positive affect on the body, they require momentum and don’t over burden the body or result in injury.

What advice would you have for an athlete who is uncertain whether they should seriously considering taking up yoga?

Please try it out, I think they will realize the benefits.

Can sports injuries be healed by practicing Hot Yoga?

Hot yoga isn’t really about healing injuries. When you’re injured it would probably be better to take a rest, I think. It’s better to practice when you’re feeling energetic and want to refresh yourself.

How about for rehabilitation, if a part of the body becomes stiff as a result of an injury?

If it’s good for the health then I think it’s good.

What are your plans for the future?

Become a yoga master? (laughs) I want to continue to stay healthy, be happy and continue yoga. I would like others to know about the benefits and the fun in practicing yoga.

Are there any other types of yoga you wish to study?

Of course I want to. I have an interest in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga so I want to try it out. Not just one, but there are many ways of thinking and poses I want to try out. This is the stage I’m at.

Do you want to study abroad?

If I have an opportunity, I would like to.

Watch the Original Interview (in Japanese)

For more information on Waka Yogi, please see her website: www.wakayogi.com.