Workshop by Duncan Wong, Tokyo, June 19, 2011 (Minako is on Duncan's right)

Article by Minako Suzuki
English translation by Dylan Robertson

One evening in the latter half of April, thanks to one of my yoga instructors, I set out for Tokyo Midtown with the inventor of Yogic Arts, Duncan Wong. He teaches a moon viewing yoga class through park yoga, so I went along as his interpreter. Despite being warm during the day though mainly cloudy, when the sun went down the wind gained strength, and it became cold. When we arrived at the meeting place in this environment, everyone was already there warming up on mats on the lawn.

First, his Yogic Arts began with words of light philosophy. “Let’s send the energy created by the action of asana to everyone in the disaster area! Let’s love Mother Earth as well.” They rode the pop music, arm balancing and dancing in sun worship. After that, genuine, sword-waving martial arts moves appeared too. I was very cold just interpreting so I jumped on the bandwagon, but even that was cold. It seems everybody was enjoying themselves trying their hardest to move around to stay warm. There were even people mimicking Duncan-sensei and trying handstands. There were also children among the participants. Parents and children seemed to be having a good time together. Ah, if that was the case, my enduring the cold to interpret was worthwhile.

I started to interpret for Duncan-sensei this way in May 2010. His workshop at Ohanasmile Studio in Meguro in Tokyo was my full-blown yoga interpretation debut. I had this chance thanks to attending his Yogic Arts 100 hour teacher training at the end of 2009.

2009 was a year when my yoga life reached a turning point. I was introduced to the very first Tibetan Heart Yoga 300 hour teacher training, at Sun and Moon Yoga Studio in Meguro, which I started to attend in the spring of 2007. The training was split into two modules, so I went to Arizona in America twice to receive my diploma. During the same period, I was affected by a personnel reduction at the American insurance company where I was working. Frankly, I was very surprised by virtue of the timing. Not worrying about living expenses for a while thanks to the severance pay, I was able to immerse myself in practicing and studying yoga!

So, I registered to volunteer at Yoga Generation, which has an office near my home. I got the things I learned in Arizona published on their blog. Then, at the end of the year I found out about Duncan-sensei’s 100 hour teacher training at a ballet studio near my home. In spite of having attended his workshop only once, I filed my registration as if somehow guided.

Workshop by Duncan Wong, Tokyo, June 19, 2011 (Minako is behind Duncan)

When I was in the lower grades of elementary school, I lived near Yokota Air Base in Fussa City in Tokyo. I had the opportunity to play with the American kids after school, and naturally picked up real English. Since becoming a working adult, I’ve taken advantage of this English to work as a freelance translator/interpreter, conference interpreter for foreign companies, and bilingual secretary. During my time as a conference interpreter, I mainly specialized in simultaneous interpretation of Japanese into English. It consumed considerable physical strength, and strained my physical condition so much that, when I switched to become a bilingual secretary, I thought I would never do interpreting again.

Because of that, when Duncan-sensei asked me to be his interpreter, as backup for Padmini-sensei who’s his interpreter in the Kanto region, I was frankly quite hesitant. While I had interpreting experience, because the core of yoga interpretation is English to Japanese consecutive interpretation, it’s the exact opposite style of the interpretation I did previously.

The first few times, capturing the tempo of the interpretation was fairly difficult. Striking a pose while moving your body as a student, and just converting the language of the instructions to Japanese for other students, are completely different things. Then, I remembered when I studied stage plays in the past, and attempted to interpret playing the part of Duncan-sensei. By doing so, I became able naturally to sense what he wanted to say, and the words would come forth.

Since May in last year, apart from Yogic Arts, I have had the privilege to interpret for teachers of many styles, from Anusara, restorative, yin yoga, maternity yoga, mantra yoga and kids yoga to Pilates. In order to prepare for interpreting, I study beforehand by gathering information on the style and poring over textbooks. Thanks to this, I have been able to obtain a wide knowledge of yoga. In addition, I have been translating yoga workshop and instructor training manuals and other yoga related materials.

By doing so, the knowledge I’ve gained through my interpretation and translation work will not only become my background knowledge for new interpretation and translation work, but will also be extremely useful for when teaching yoga myself, and writing articles on the Yoga Generation site’s blog. Every day, I am truly grateful that my way of thinking and outlook are broadening, and my life is advancing.

While continuing with this work, what I want to go on to work on is teaching English through yoga. From my own experience learning English, I believe not “studying” English by learning English textbooks by heart, but experiencing it while moving your body, is a shortcut to language acquisition. I hated sitting at a desk and studying, but became able to use English naturally just by playing, which became useful as my bread and butter. I would like the children who will carry the future on their shoulders to broaden their outlooks by becoming accustomed to English, and to be active, not just in Japan but overseas as well, by preparing body and mind through yoga.

Of course, I will keep doing my best at my yoga interpretation work. Being able to act as an intermediary between all the yogi/yogini of Japan, regardless of age or gender, and the foreign teachers is truly an honor.

Namaste,
Minako

For more information, please see Minako Suzuki’s Yoga Teacher Profile.

A message from David Sirgany.

Dear Friends and Students,

I had only received news of the earth quake and tsunami as I was in transit from Bhutan to San Francisco via Tokyo.
My deepest sympathy to all who have suffered any great losses. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

I know that many of you have a regular yoga practice and also teach yoga in many cases. Below is a list/sequence of yogasanas and some information on how to practice them – when working with trauma. I hope that you can make use of this for yourself and/or for the benefit of others.

Namaskar,
David Sirgany

List of Asanas for coping with Traumatic Situations

(from BKS Iyengar)

Excerpted from an article by Rajvi H. Mehta titled “Facing Traumatic Situations” printed in Yoga Rahasya (Compilation of articles pertaining to Yoga Therapy published from 1994-2009).

• Savasana*
• Supta Baddha Konasana (with support for the spine)
• Supta Virasana (with support for the spine)
• Prasaritta Padottanasana (with head support)
• Uttanasana (with head support and legs spread apart)
• Adho Mukha Svanasana (with head support)
• Viparita Dandasana (with chair / head supported)
• Sirsasana – Viparita Karani
• Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
• Sarvangasana – Viparita Karani
• Pranayama – Antara Kumbhaka with a very short Kumbhaka after the inhalation

BKS Iyengar has clearly said; Asanas are not prescriptions but descriptions. Here are some tips for teachers on how to progress with this sequence:

1. The emotional strength in these students needs to be built up and that is what we need to work at.
2. Do not make them do standing asanas or backward bending asanas in this state.
3. All Asanas (including Savasana) should be done with eyes open. They can focus their eyes at any point in front or on the ceiling.
4. Ask the students to imagine as if their eyes are located at the temples and ask them to “open” these eyes.
5. Do not insist on a perfect asana in the current situation. What is important is that they do the asana and stay in it as long as they can.
6. While breathing in any asana (especially supine) – ask them to breathe in such a manner that the breath touches the lateral sides of the chest during inhalation.

Dylan Robertson Photographed by Benjamin Robbins at Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo

By Dylan Robertson.

Whether you’re just starting to teach yoga, or you’re a seasoned expert, at some point you may want to think about getting some nice photos done. These may be for your website, to put on the websites of any studios you teach at, or for use in advertising special events or courses.

To help those yoga teachers inexperienced with photo shoots, I written up in this article all that I have learned about photographing yoga poses. Credit goes to all the photographers I have worked so far with including Josh Lieberman, Benjamin Robbins and Max Logan – all of whom are currently based in Tokyo.

Finding a Good Photographer

The easiest way to find an English-speaking photographer is via websites such as Flickr or PhotoJapan.com that has a list of foreign photographers based in Japan. There are a lot of decent amateur photographers and a number of top level professionals to choose from, depending on your budget.

Japanese vs. Western Photography Styles

Japanese commercial photography for yoga often uses lighting which is very soft, dispersed and quite flat. They try to eliminate the use of shadow as a way to make the photo more dramatic. In Japan, this style of photography can be seen everywhere on billboards and in magazines. Japanese tend to like their photos to be very brightly lit, clear and soft in appearance. On the other hand, western photographers may rely more on the actual contents of the photograph, such as the model, background, or the model’s posture, facial expression or action in order to create drama and impact.

Photography Studios vs. Outdoor Locations

Most photographers prefer to shoot in a studio because they can control the environment. However, often outdoor locations give a better impression. However, it’s not always necessary to get on a plane to an exotic location, you can just use a local neighborhood park where there’s a lot of green in the background, or a rooftop where you have the sky in the background.

Justin Berti photographed by Josh Lieberman at JIL Studio, Tokyo

Lighting and Camer Angles

Whether you’re outside or not, lighting is certainly an issue. Hopefully the photographer knows what they’re doing and can point you in the right direction, but if you’re the model, two key things to be aware of when being photographed are your angle to the light source and your angle to the camera. If your photographer has your back to the light source, it’s going to create a shadow in your face. So if you know that your face is filling with shadow, your photographer is doing something wrong, unless that’s the look you were after. As a model, you want to be in the light and the direction that’s it’s coming from.

Be aware of the angle of the camera because you might be facing the light, but the light is quite off axis compared to the camera. Be aware of where the light is from, in terms of the positioning of your base. You want to be facing the light and have your head angled not necessarily up, but flat so you can see the light. If you put the light too high, you want to make sure that you’re not creating black shadows in the eyes. It’s a very common mistake to have a light coming in at a nice angle and think that your subject is lit perfectly but actually you’re getting quite a lot of falloff in the eye area. As the model, having light filling your eyes is uncomfortable, but at least you know that your eyes are getting lit properly.

What to Wear for a Yoga Photo Shoot

When shooting yoga poses, being able to see the lines of the body very clearly is very important. The pose itself becomes even more accentuated and defined depending on what kind of clothing is worn. If you were wearing some tights but then over that you had some loosely fitting t-shirt or a skirt, it will definitely interfere with the pose because it’s going to hide certain parts of the body that could be quite important to show the pose itself.

Generally, black clothing makes the body look thinner and white clothing does the opposite. So you are very thin, maybe wearing a white or a lighter color is better, and if you are fuller figured, you may want to consider wearing black or a dark color.

It is better to wear clothing that fits tight and shows the lines of the body. Even though it might feel embarrassing to wear tights from head to toe, something that’s actually tight and with no loose material at all, will have a lot of visual impact, and the difference will be well worth the embarrassment. You don’t have to wear tights when you’re teaching but when taking photos you should avoid loose clothing.

Toi Pua Laa Fleursacre photographed by Benjamin Robbins at Yoga Tree studio, Tokyo

Colors and Contrasts

It is important to be aware of contrast – whether that’s contrast with your backdrop, something that’s in the foreground, of with the colors of your clothes or accessories. You need to be mindful of anything that may distract from the focus of the picture, which should be the post. It’s easier to fix before taking the photo, rather than trying to edit later with PhotoShop.

Yoga Mats & Props:
When shooting, the color of the yoga mat can often disrupt the composure of the photo. For example, if you are wearing all black in front of a nice green background and then you’re sitting on a blue mat, the blue will really stand out. You should make sure that the colors of your clothing, accessories or yoga mat don’t interfere with the overall image. A black yoga mat is generally a safe choice if your skin is lighter colored because it creates a contrast so that it is easier to see the position of your feet when doing standing poses. If you’re using a mat that’s a neutral color, such as tan or yellow that is closer to your skin color, your feet can potentially ‘disappear’ into into the color of the mat when seen in the context of the whole photo. Those with a darker skin color, may want to try a lighter colored mat for more contrast.

Yoga Wear:
If a model is very tanned, they should avoid wearing a tan colored leotard, because it’s going to look like skin in the photo. In the case of hair, you would like to minimize its impact so that it doesn’t distract from the lines of the pose. Therefore, for people with dark hair color, dark clothing would be a better choice, and for people with blond hair, light clothing will work better.

Yu Natsume photographed by Max Logan at Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo

Choosing the Right Pose

Chances are that your photographer isn’t a yogi, so they are not going to know much about yoga poses. Work with your photographer to choose poses that are dynamic but don’t look ridiculous. Even if your photographer is saying to you, “Do the double-jointed one with your leg behind your head!” Just say, “I don’t want that.” Because at the end of the day you’re not going to be able to use it and you will be better off just doing a pose where you look really calm, and that inspires the message of yoga. Yoga is not about acrobatics, it’s about keeping a pose and breathing.

Choose Poses that Flatter Your Figure

Many yoga teachers aren’t so proud of their physiques. They may feel they aren’t as slim as they would like to be, or perhaps they are a little underweight. However, yoga photos don’t always have to show somebody with a perfect body. It’s nice, of course, and can make a more attractive photo, but it’s still going to be up to the photographer to take that person posing and align them correctly for the shot. It’s important to figure out a pose that works for the particular model.

Fuller figured people can choose poses that show them more from a side angle instead of flat-on. For example, it would be better to avoid shooting them doing a full lotus cause they’re going to look large, but they could do any pose that is shot from a side angle in order to hide their size. Also, they can work with the photographer to time the shots so that the photo is taken when they exhale, to give a slimmer look.

Conversely, if the model is too thin and they are shot from the side, they might appear to be overly skinny, so the full lotus shot shot from head-on, might work better for them.

Choose Poses that You are Good at

Poses that are dynamic in terms of the way they look can great, but definitely choose poses that you’re good at because the the form has to be as near perfect as you can get. During the shoot, you’re going to take that form and tweak it because, depending on your environment, the cameraman may have to go high or low with the camera and change the angle. Maybe you’re doing a perfect Warrior III, which is a hard pose to hold, but the photographer needs you to twist your shoulders to the left or the right. It’s technically not doing the pose correctly but for it to look correct in the camera, you might need to tweak it and hold it for a long time. So you need to do poses that you are confident with and you’re strong at, because you’re going to be holding for maybe 30 seconds to a minute.

Mimi Horiuchi photographed by Benjamin Robbins at Shinjuku Gyoen Japanese Garden, Tokyo

After the Photo Shoot

Whilst it is possible to take a perfect photo on a shoot, often the post production work is vital. There are many things which can be done with modern photo editing software such as Photoshop. For example, if you are a little round, with Photoshop it may be possible to reshape body parts. Other tricks may include removing skin blemishes, erasing power lines from sky, removing red eye, straighten the photo’s alignment or cropping the photo to give it more focus on you as the model.

Article by Dylan Robertson.

Introducing HelloYoga.com

HelloYoga.com is an online information resource about yoga taught in English in Tokyo. We cater to the English-speaking expatriate market, giving them information on yoga classes and courses which they can understand. We also offer Japanese locals the opportunity to learn and practicing yoga and English at the same time.

The HelloYoga.com events calendar can be searched with various parameters such as studio, teacher, yoga type, or level of difficulty. Our system encourages teachers to put lots of details in to each event notice so that when a prospective student finds it, they have all the information they need – even if they are totally new to yoga.

HelloYoga.com’s Mission – to Connect Tokyo’s Yoga Community

My goal with HelloYoga.com is to connect the Tokyo yoga community not only through the website but also through utilizing social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. I want to make yoga more accessible, and to help with the internationalization of the Tokyo yoga community.

When most people go to a yoga classes, they rush from their previous appointment or work, arrive and do the class, and then  rush off again. They feel they don’t have the opportunity to connect with the teacher, ask questions, or make friends with their fellow classmates. So I felt compelled to provide not only an online medium for people to connect, but also to offer social events where studio owners, yoga teachers, and the general yoga community can gather to swap ideas, exchange information, and make a connection.

Advertising Your Tokyo Yoga Classes and Workshops on HelloYoga.com

HelloYoga.com exists not only for the purpose of promoting Tokyo’s yoga studios and yoga teachers, but anyone offering an event that may be of interest to Tokyo’s English-speaking yoga community can advertise for free on HelloYoga.com. If you’re wondering how to get more students, posting an event notice on HelloYoga.com is one option available to you, and it’s 100% free. Contact me at dylan@helloyoga.com and I’ll give you a free login account.

Please note, however, that we reserve the right to refuse content if we deem it is off topic or not in the best interests of our community. HelloYoga.com will not feature content affiliated with religious organizations, multi-level marketing businesses or any organizations or individuals that we judge as having a significant amount of negative publicity surrounding them.

We also feel very strongly that all content on HelloYoga.com should be available in both English and Japanese languages. Whilst HelloYoga.com is focused on yoga taught in English in Tokyo, and it is natural to post notices in English, we feel that Japanese people who cannot read English but who are perhaps curious to learn should also have access to the same information. If you are posting an event notice, but don’t have anyone to translate for you, we recommend MyGengo, which is a fast, cheap and reliable service.

Spreading the Word through Facebook

Just making the information about your class or event available online isn’t enough – you need to bring it to people’s attention. Whilst it’s true that websites are still attracting visitors via search engines such as Google, people are increasingly tending to find web pages via links their friends suggest on social media. Of all the social media services available, Facebook is by far the most commonly used among Tokyo’s international yoga community. Teachers who are good at marketing themselves first post notices for their classes and workshops on HelloYoga.com and then post links to the English and Japanese versions of their event notice on Facebook.

Facebook Friends

Facebook is for being social, not for marketing, so you need to be careful that people don’t perceive you as spamming them. Instead, you would like to draw people’s attention to information they might find interesting. You’re not trying to convince or convert people, you’re just trying to make the information available to people who are already on the lookout for what’s happening in this niche.

Facebook allows you to create lists of your friends so that your posts can be seen only by specific people. For example, I have one list for all my Facebook friends who reside in the Kanto region (greater Tokyo), who are English speakers, and who are interested in yoga. When I post a link to my class notice in my Facebook update, I can set it so that only people in this list can see the post. This way, I’m not bothering people who have no interest in yoga, prefer to read information in Japanese, or who aren’t based in Kanto. I have a similar list for Japanese speakers, and make sure that I only share with them the Japanese version of my class notice.

A note about language: there are many (English/Japanese) bilingual people in my target market, so I put them into the list for the language I feel they are most likely to prefer to receive information in. I don’t put them in both lists, otherwise it’s just going to annoy them if they see the same notice twice in both languages. This can be complex as sometimes a Japanese person may have spent most of their life abroad, and have a preference for English. Or, some foreigners may have stronger Japanese skills than English. So, this is really about language preferences rather than nationality.

Facebook Groups

Facebook groups allow people with a common interest to share information and discuss topics. When posting in one of these groups, you should make sure your notice is applicable to the group’s main topic, otherwise you may annoy people and have your message marked as spam. We delete any messages that we feel are either off topic or not in the best interests of our community.

• Ayurveda in Tokyo
• Tokyo Eco
• Tokyo Yoga Teachers
• Vegan in Tokyo
• Yoga in Tokyo
• 英語でヨガ in Tokyo

Facebook Pages

Facebook pages are similar to groups in their functionality. However, they are usually branded. In the case of HelloYoga.com, our Facebook pages are where we first post links to any new articles. Teachers who post their event notices on HelloYoga.com are encouraged to share links to their event notices here.

• HelloYoga.com (English)
• HelloYoga.com（日本語版）

Learn More

If you would like to learn more about how HelloYoga.com can be used as a free and highly effective medium for marketing your yoga classes, workshops, retreats or events, please contact me at dylan@helloyoga.com.

Learn why women sometimes learn best in the company and community of other women.

By Sara Avant Stover.

Let’s be honest. Men and women’s bodies are not the same—and neither are their yoga practices. Yet people constantly ask me, “What is women’s yoga, anyway?” and “How are women any different than men when it comes to yoga?”

Emotionally, physically, and biochemically, women and men operate in very different ways. We all know this, and yet I’m constantly amazed at how few women realize that (a) they are practicing yoga designed by men for men, and (b) they have no idea how to care for their unique, feminine (and wonderful!) body, heart, and mind.

After years of traveling, teaching and practicing, I’ve distilled everything I have learned about women and yoga into 5 facts that have truly transformed my practice and my life; and I hope they will transform yours as well!

The 5 Truths About Women & Yoga

Fact 1: Mula Bandha is a Guy Thing

If you think about it, Every major system of yoga was created by men. And while I respect these men for their significant contributions to yoga, I also recognize their limitations. The bottom line is, that they all have very masculine approaches to practice.

Women who follow these practices often overdevelop their masculine side. They control and harden their bodies, become competitive, and value the goal over the felt experience. In the process, many women stop menstruating, have problems conceiving, and become emotionally closed and uptight.

One of the many ways that women can start to cultivate a more feminine approach to practice is in how they use mula bandha. Usually, students are taught to always engage mula bandha (a lifting-up of the tissue between the anus and the genitals). In contrast, a woman’s yoga practice should teach her how to contract AND relax her pelvic floor for optimal health. She needs to learn how to let the base of her body be full, vibrant, and relaxed.

Fact 2: Girls Need Yoga to Be Creative

The feminine body and heart wants yoga, and all of life, to be a creative dance of mood and sensation… this means moving according to how one feels in any given moment, day, or season. On days when she’s sick or menstruating, that might mean a restorative or yin practice. On days when she’s feeling fearful or hopeful, it could mean a more celebratory practice to her favorite music. Sometimes she might want to practice inside, other times with a group of girlfriends, and still sometimes, maybe all alone with candlelight and incense.

The bottom line is that women crave (and need) intuitive movement—rather than pre-defined scripted routines that lock them into a goal-oriented series that gives no attention to how she is feeling.

Fact 3: It’s a Right Brain Thing

Women have a tremendous capacity to feel deeply, which calls on the right brain. However, abiding in this feeling state takes committed bodily practice, as well as courage. It means that you feel all of life—it’s highs and lows and in betweens –more intensely (without numbing out, collapsing, or running away).

So, in your yoga class if you’re always focusing on which way to rotate your thigh bone and how to engage your shoulder blades, you’re missing out on understanding who you really are as a woman—which is how to feel into the depths of your heart and the hearts of all beings.

Don’t get me wrong, alignment is very important. But once you have that down, you need to move much deeper than that. You need to really drop down into feeling, trusting, and LOVING FROM your whole body.

Fact 4: You Need a Big Belly

Holding in your belly cuts you off from your feminine life force. If you want to really feel alive and in love, then, ladies, you NEED to learn how to take a REAL breath.

99.9% of the women who come to my yoga classes and retreats aren’t breathing. Seriously. I sort of jokingly/sort of seriously tell them that I’m surprised they’re even still alive! Their bellies do not move when they inhale and exhale. And this is really dangerous.

Stop right now and notice—how is your breath? Where is your body moving with the breath? If you answer anything other than—”my belly,” then you need to re-learn how to breathe. And to really breathe means to let your belly and pelvis be big and full as you inhale, and soft and relaxed as you exhale. There’s much more to it, but at least that’s a start.

Fact 5: The Time of the Lone Wolf is Over

Women NEED community. No more asceticism, isolation, or hiding out in your cave! Sure, that’s OK from time to time, but feminine beings truly thrive when they are in a relationship. That’s why we love romantic comedies, fairy tales, and talking about our love lives (or lack thereof) whenever we get together with our girlfriends. Our primary desire in life is to love and to be loved. Because of this, your yoga practice needs to teach you how to relate more skillfully and lovingly to everything and everyone around you.

_______________________________________________________________________________

About the Author

Sara Avant Stover has taught some 3,000 students in over a dozen different countries. She is a prolific writer whose articles have been featured in half a dozen magazines including Yoga Journal, Yogi Time Business, Pilates Style and Fit Yoga. Sara takes yoga very seriously, but teaches with kind, gentle understanding of the human spirit.

Listen to an interview with Sara Avant Stover.

To learn more about Women’s Yoga Teacher Training courses, please visit Sara Avant Stover’s training website, “The Way of the Happy Woman”: www.thewayofthehappywoman.com.

Article by Dylan Robertson.

I was told a horror story during my yoga teacher training course.

Apparently, a middle aged man came into a yoga class being taught by one of my teachers’ colleagues. The man completed the class without any obvious problems or issues. As is typical in a yoga class it ended with all students spending about 5 minutes relaxing in Savasana (Corpse Pose). It’s common for students to fall asleep in this pose, so when the man didn’t rise together with everyone, the instructor let him be and then went over to him after the class had finished, intending to gently wake him and send him on his way…

…And then she noticed he wasn’t breathing. She panicked and had one of the students call an ambulance. After they arrived, the ambulance workers confirmed that the man was dead.

The instructor blamed herself and went into deep psychological trauma with guilt that she could have saved the man if she had only known what to do.

You could have heard a pin drop in the room after this story was told. We had all come along thinking teaching yoga was going to be a fun and trendy thing to do. Now we realized that there were real issues to be confronted. After all, you never know – even a young and healthy person could walk in with some medical condition that causes them to pass out and stop breathing.

The story sure worked — I made sure to undergo CPR training before teaching my first class. What I learned is that CPR is highly complex — it’s more than just blowing into the person’s mouth and pumping their chest — and one should ideally re-take the course once a year to refresh one’s knowledge and skills.

I took my course in English in Yokohama. It was taught by a Japanese man who spoke fluent English and was certified by the American Heart Association.

For details, please see www.blsjapan.com/en/

You’ve invested years of practice and lots of money on your yoga teacher training to date. It’s only natural that you’d like to attract a good turn-out to your classes.

Even if you have a basic level of teaching experience (i.e. you’ve taught over 50 classes) and are fairly confident in your level of personal practice, you still have to win students over.

Just because you are put on the schedule of a busy and well-established studio, don’t expect students to suddenly flock to you. They have choices – lots of them here in Tokyo. So, it’s likely going to take you a while longer to advance beyond small classes. The ticket is turning first-timers into repeat visitors.

Here is advice that was given to me by my various mentors. They are all common sense, but some are easier said than done in reality. I certainly haven’t mastered them all, that’s for sure. They key is being consistent and doing your best. Put your heart into it.

1. Enjoy What You Teach

2. Connect with Your Students

3. Ask for Feedback

4. Market Yourself

• Create a blog: just keep it simple so that people can find the information they need. I started out with a very simple blog made on Google’s Blogger platform. It’s free and you can get it started easily.

• Maintain a mailing list: this is the best way to keep your students up-to-date on your schedule. Use proper email marketing software so people can opt-out with one click. And, never ever spam people.

• Social Media: make it easy for people to connect with you and stay informed about your offerings in an easy to understand way. Mixi is still generally the most actively used by Japanese people, but international services such as Facebook and Twitter are rapidly gaining a following here.

• Post Classified Ads: Craigs List is always free, but is not so widely read in Japan as other countries. Other classified ads sites may require you to pay if they deem your ad and services offered to be commercial in nature.

• HelloYoga.com: We’ll give you free marketing via HelloYoga.com. Just contact us via info@helloyoga.com.

Marketing is a fine art and you’ll likely make mistakes as you go along. Either make the commitment to learn how to do it properly, or partner with someone who can take care of it for you.

5. Remind People

Article by Dylan Robertson.

Your Investment to Date

In addition to the money you’ve spent, your yoga education has taken many hundreds of hours training, studying and practicing. So, when you choose to be a yoga instructor, it’s natural for you to think about what you should charge that is fair to the student and to you.

In this post, I’ll try to explain some basics about the yoga industry in Tokyo from the instructors’ point of view.

Standard Fees for Students

People attending classes at a municipal community hall are generally prepared to pay 1,000~2,000 yen per class. In comparison, the same class held at a yoga studio or a fitness club would cost 2,500~3,500 yen.

Classes at yoga studios or a fitness clubs are more expensive because they often offer yoga mats and other accessories for practice such as blocks, straps, bolsters and blankets. They also tend to have a much trendier image and offer a nicer practice environment in general. Some may have nicely fitted-out change rooms equipped with showers – a rare luxury in crowded central Tokyo where real estate costs are high and landlords are inflexible about installing showers in case of legal liability cases arising from water leakage causing damage to the next tenant underneath.

It is appropriate to add a word here about payment via donation here. In the US and some other countries, it is popular and fashionable to offer classes on a donation basis whereby people are told a suggested amount and they pay what they can. I tried this here in Tokyo and it just didn’t work. I had people with high paying jobs who would just walk out without paying. Confused, I asked several Japanese friends and instructors, they told me that Japanese people are just not used to the system. They are used to being given a set price up-front and expect to pay it.

Working at a Yoga Studio or Fitness Club

1. A Set Fee

The standard going rate in Tokyo for a qualified yoga instructor is around 5,000 yen per 60-minute class. This may or may not include the cost of commuting to and from the instructor’s home. This suits a lot of yoga instructors because they know what they’ll get, regardless of how many students actually show up. The disadvantage is that if your class is a wild success, your earnings will still be limited to the agreed amount. Your employer may be open to re-negotiation, however, running a yoga studio in Tokyo is generally a very low profit margin business with high cost overheads, so don’t expect too much.

2. Percentage of Takings

Splitting the earnings of your class or workshop gives you an incentive to play a part in marketing your classes or workshops too. Generally, the market standard is the yoga instructor gets 40% of the takings. Senior instructors may get 50% or more, depending on how well-known they are. It all depends on the power balance, that is, which is bringing more value. For a small or newly-opened studio, a big name instructor may be good PR for them. If you’re a newbie instructor, then the studio may be doing you a favor by offering you a teaching spot at all, and so you can’t ask for as much.

3. Additional Benefits

Depending on the studio, they might offer you additional benefits such as being able to attend classes of other instructors for a discount, or even for free. This is definitely attractive if the studio is in a location that is convenient for you to visit several times per week. They may also offer discounts on workshops, events and courses.

Teaching Yoga at a Municipal Community Hall

You could choose from a wide range of spaces available throughout Tokyo for hourly rent, but most of the commercial ones are quite expensive. Many independent instructors use local community halls which are owned and run by the local municipal government. The cost of room hire here tends to be less than half that of a commercial space. Community halls are not only for inexperienced instructors seeking to get experience and build a student following, they are also used by experienced and established teachers who prefer to operate independently.

As a benchmark, the cost of a room that will fit 10 students in Ebisu Community Hall, where I used to teach, cost 2,800 yen to use between 17:30 and 21:45 in the evening. That’s only 700 yen per hour. In my case, I just used that time for 2 hours. But it would be possible to team up with another instructor and use that time to hold 2 or 3 classes.

Technically, the rate is supposed to double if you are using the room for commercial purposes. However, the staff usually turns a blind eye to this and regards the fee you collect as contributions from the students to cover your costs. Since the payments are in cash, the tax authorities cannot track them. So, issuing receipts to the students and doing the appropriate paperwork to submit to the authorities at tax return time is up to you (but many instructors don’t do this).

The obvious advantage of organizing your own classes is the independence. You can teach whatever style you want, offer classes in any format you wish and change things as often as you like. You also get to sidestep administration procedures and various rules that might be present in a yoga studio or fitness club. The downside, of course, is that everything, from organizing to marketing your classes, is up to you. Also, these rooms are much in demand and you will need to book as far ahead as two months.

Many of the best yoga instructors are very “right-brained” and simply not capable of organizing these things all by themselves. For these people, just turning up on time to teach a class might be a major achievement. But, if they fiercely desire to operate independently rather than work for a yoga studio or fitness club, then they will need to partner with someone who can do all the organizing for them.

Community halls vary widely in appearance, newness, facilities offered, charges, and policies. You’ll need to go inspect the ones nearest to you (or in the area you wish to offer lessons) to decide if they are right for you.

In terms of payment, you can collect cash from the students when they come each time. However, some teachers prefer to offer a course whereby the students pay up-front for a specified number of lessons. Upfront payments could be collected in person, via PayPal, or via bank transfer. PayPal is unlikely to be popular with students here, many of whom don’t use PCs much and are still wary of using credit cards over the Internet.

Giving Private Yoga Lessons

The advantage of this is you can give higher quality instruction catering to the student’s specific needs. Many wealthy people, including celebrities, simply don’t have the time or inclination to go to a studio or fitness club and hence prefer private lessons.

If you are teaching at either your or the student’s home, you need to set clear rules. For example, one very attractive young female instructor, who teaches private lessons in her home, avoids awkward situations by insisting that all male students be accompanied by a female.

Please Share Your Perspective

Article by Dylan Robertson.

One advantage of working for a fitness club or yoga studio is that they handle all the paperwork and administration for you. Yoga teachers who organize their own classes must find an efficient way to manage student records. This is not only for their convenience, but in case of an emergency, you should have the students’ contact details on hand.

Since July 2008, I’ve been running several weekend classes at my local community center per month. Here’s how I’ve been doing it so far.

Student Registration Forms

Document Management

1. Wait for at least 50 forms to accumulate so I can process them efficiently in a single batch.
2. Go to a FedEx Kinko‘s shop. There the staff scan all the forms for me into a single PDF and give it to me saved on a CD-ROM (no need to bring your own CD-ROM).
3. I then split the PDF into one file per page. Each file is then saved as Last_Name, First_Name. This way, you can easily find them by searching for their name on your computer.

Mailing Lists

Privacy

Comments?

Article by Dylan Robertson.

Every time I prepare for a class, I always forget something. So do many of my yoga instructor friends. I’ve even seen a couple of them teach classes in jeans because they forgot their yoga wear. So, although I felt silly doing it, I decided to make a little checklist that I read before I leave home for teaching a class.

Here’s what I pack in my bag on my way to teach a yoga class. What do you pack in yours?

1. Student Registration Forms (English/Japanese)

   
   To be filled out by first-time students with their contact details, an emergency contact, and agreement to a liability waiver.

2. Spotlights, Spare Bulb

   
   As is typical in Japan, the lights in the community hall where I teach are bare fluorescent tubes that are quite harsh and not at all relaxing. So, I turn them off and use these spotlights to illuminate parts of the walls to achieve some relaxing and indirect illumination.

3. Incense, Matches, Saucer

   
   I like to burn various types of incense in class. Sometimes I use incense bought at a Buddhist temple, other times I use fancier/trendier aromatherapy fragrances. The cone type ones tend to be easier to carry without being damaged and require a smaller saucer to catch the ash.

4. Small Towel, T-shirt, Pants, Socks, Plastic Bags

   
   Tokyo is home to many yoga venues that are not equipped with showers. After class, all you can do is change your clothes, spray some deodorant, and hope for the best!

5. Yoga Mat

   
   Unless you’re teaching at a proper yoga studio or fitness club, you’ll just have to bring your own.

6. YogiToes Skidless

   
   I use a YogiToes Skidless to make sure my mat doesn’t slip and bring two more for students who show up without mats. I usually teach in Japanese-style rooms with tatami mat floors. These have some softness, so you can just roll out the YogiToes Skidless and practice that way.

7. Room Booking Receipt

   
   The community hall staff are unlikely to forget me (very unusual to have a tall white guy coming in to book rooms for yoga classes), but you never know. Better have proof on paper as backup.

8. Pens x3

   
   Murphy’s Law says at least two will stop working and you’ll lose the other just when you need students to fill out the registration forms. So, stock up.

9. iPod, Speakers, Power chord

   
   If you want music. If using an iPhone, remember to put it on Airplane Mode so that you don’t get calls while teaching.

10. Water Bottle

    
    That is self explanatory. About half your students will forget to bring theirs. Most people in this country are dehydrated and don’t drink enough water, so set an example. Note: you need to tell students that drinking water during and immediately after asana practice is generally counter productive.

11. Money box

    
    I use this for collecting class fees when I organize my own classes in community halls. There are usually one or two students who don’t pay, though, so be patient. Assume the best: perhaps they forgot. Remind them at the end of each class.

12. Chimes

    
    To gently wake people from the final relaxation pose at the end of class. Much nicer than having to raise your voice and possibly startling them.

Did I forget anything? What do you take along with you to yoga?