Category Archives: 2012

My experiences in Tokyo while leading a yoga teacher training.

The Translators: Yuri Nakamura

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Yuri Nakamura

People have asked me how can I conduct the classes and teacher  training if I don’t speak Japanese?  The answer to that is an excellent team of translators!  I’m so indebted to them and appreciate their help so much, I thought it would be nice to highlight  each of them individually.  We share the space in the classroom teaching in tandem,  and through this process I’ve gotten to know them on a personal level.  Yuri is translating for the bulk of classes during the week–Wednesday “Yoga Therapeutics” in Gotanda; Thursday  “Level 1/2, Sangenjaya;  & Friday Level, 2/3 in Gotanda. She also translated for the two workshops “Living a Better Life Through Yoga.”  Yuri’s first experience translating was for Eka Ekong (Yogaworks, Los Angeles) who led a  200  Hour training in Tokyo in  2011. She’s also translates for Catlin Casella (YW, New York) when she comes to town.

Yuri is a petite sized “dynamo” whose expressive voice is delightfully uplifting.  She has been teaching yoga for approximately a year and completed her Yogaworks 200hr Teacher Training with Jennie Cohen (YW, New York) and now teaches for YogaPlus in Kichijoji. Yuri graduated from the University of Utah where she majored in Dance & Psychology. These experiences and more are embodied in her elegant presence in the classroom and on the mat.

Me & Yuri, Gotanda, 2012

The Welcome Party

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The YogaPlus staff  wanted to host a welcome party for me. It took us a few weeks to coordinate our schedules, but were able to gather last weekend, May 12, at Tofuro—a traditional style resturaunt with “the wabi-sabi ambience of the tea-house world.”  The party was lively with great food—platters of sashimi, soup that was made at the table, varieties of tempura and fresh tofu— and lots of laughs!  Here are a few pictures that captured the moment….

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The Second Workshop: “Living a Better Life Through Yoga”

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Part I: “The Physical Body”

In the meeting with the translators and programmers during my first week here,  I was also asked to create a couple of workshops for the public.  The staff had ideas of their own: they said they wanted me to come up with something to address common aches and pains, fatigue and stress–symptoms of urban life,  long work hours and surprisingly, the upcoming rainy season which can be the cause of depression for many. The workshops also had to be held in two parts over a weekend ( the one weekend I had off from teacher training) and each be 2.5 hours in length.  They said that ” Part I” should  somehow address the physical body and “Part II”, the mental.   We spent a few moments going back and forth over a few titles and then I blurted out “Living a Better Life Through Yoga”  they liked it–and so did I.  When I sat down a few days later it became the name for this blog.  I realized that this effort to “live a better life,”  is my primary reason for practicing yoga,  teaching and what I hope my students ultimately gain from the experience. The workshops held on May 12 & 13, were a success.  At first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to hold the space or their attention for that amount of time, but the moments flew by and both sessions were followed by lots of discussion and questions.  Encouraged and inspired by the group’s response, I’m now planning to continue developing this workshop concept to cover a series of topics.

Part II: “The Mental Body”

Sightseeing: Ginza

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We decided to stop in Ginza on our way back from Asakusa.  Ginza is the most expensive neighborhood in Tokyo and with numerous boutiques and department stores featuring the finest designers in the world.  This shopping district is often compared to the Champs Elysee in Paris, yet to me,  seemed very similar to Fifth Avenue in New York.  After walking around a for a while, we stopped in a traditional Japanese fish house for dinner. 

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Sightseeing: Senso-Ji Temple

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Two of my students, Kasumi (“Lotty’) Tanaka and Hisako Imaizumi and her son Yu, took me on an excursion to Asakusa to tour the Senso-Ji Temple Grounds.   The sun had finally come out  after a few days of rain so we were able to spend considerable time touring the grounds.  The Senso-Ji Temple is the oldest temple in Japan and dates back to 628 A.D. It was built to honor the Bodhisattva Kannon—a figure highly regarded in Buddhism which is believed to have been sent to relieve human misery on earth.  Many Japanese believe that their hopes and pleas will reach this deity, which is evidenced in the various methods available on the grounds for prayer— to bless, request good fortune or to eliminate illness and vessels for ritualistic cleansing.  I took so many pictures that I created a slide show to share this rare experience.

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Eating in Tokyo: Ootoya

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Mixed Vegetables with Chicken, Rice, Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing, Miso Soup

Chicken and Rice Baked in a Clay Pot, Tofu and Seaweed Salad, Miso Soup, Pickled Vegetables

Food is a cultural highlight in Japan and much pride is taken in the preparation and presentation of meals. For me, the exposure to different and somewhat exotic dishes has become one of the most intriguing aspects of this trip. If you’re adventurous, you’ll experience real Japanese cuisine which may be some of this most delicious and interesting food you’ll ever have. I know have favorite places that I visit routinely and photograph the meals with unique visual appeal.  Some of  the meals have been disappointing, but some have been real standouts. Ootoya is a place I found during my first few days here.  It was raining and I had no idea where to go for lunch, I then saw a nice sign directing me upstairs. I’ve found this restaurant to offer the best value (large portions) for the price and the interior is comforting. You can also get as much green or barley tea with your meals. Each set photographed cost less than $10.00.

Grilled Mackerel with Horseradish & Seaweed, Mochi-Mochi, Pickled Vegetables, & Miso Soup

Grilled Mackerel with Horseradish & Seaweed, Mochi-Mochi, Pickled Vegetables, Miso Soup

Interior Scene, Ootoya

Counter by the Window, Ootoya

The First Workshop

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In addition to leading the training, I’m scheduled to teach four workshops during my stay here.  Still battling jet lag, I literally “hit the ground running” starting with the first weekend of teacher training on April 21 and the first workshop, “Surya Namaskar A & B” on the 27th.  I chose this topic because its rich with resources–variations, modifications,  and the repetition of asanas that reference anatomy & kinesiology relevant to the practice of yoga. This was a workshop for teachers with over 35 young instructors attending.  I was overwhelmed by the response and trembled as I took a seat before the group.  As the workshop got underway, my nervousness subsided and I began to connect to their movements, their breath and the words flowed. A workshop that was supposed to be three hours quickly turned into four.  I love this photo of beaming participants taken at the end of the workshop.

The Students

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Yogaworks 200hr Teacher Training 2012, Tokyo


As I’ve mentioned, there are 28 students enrolled in the program. This would be challenging under any circumstances, but more so, if you consider the language obstacle and the tedious process of translating every word exchanged between me and the students. However, in spite of this fact, they are amazing!  All of them are kind, gracious and very enthusiastic about learning yoga and seem really happy to be in the program. There is one man and one American woman participating (she commutes two hours to get there). The students have great respect for Yogaworks and what the program has to offer.  It’s been touching to realize this and I feel extremely honored to be leading this training. We’ve completed two weekends so far and only one person had to drop out—-work commitments.  Regardless, 28 is more than enough to work with. We are going to spend lots of time together and I want to get know them, learn their names and hopefully inspire them to teach.  They said I will definitely learn how to speak Japanese!

The Teacher Training

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The First Weekend

First Weekend of Teacher Training

This 200hr training that began on April 21 and runs until July 1, has a total of 28 students enrolled!  This a huge responsibility since it’s the first training I’ve led and on my own and without an assistant.  In addition, it’s being taught in Japanese and translated as I speak and write. The translator (Tomoko ) works by my side throughout the entire day. We start out each day with a practice and I spend the rest of the day lecturing, writing out sequences and lessons on a board which she translates in tandem.  This is an arduous process but, amazingly it flows well and the students seem to stay “tuned” in and understand the material.  Their manuals and books are written in Japanese (The Yogaworks Teacher Training manuals; Pantanjali’s, Yoga Sutras;  B.K.S. Iyengar’s, Light on Yoga; and Leslie Kaminoff’s, Yoga Anatomy.  The training in the US has a few more books, but these aren’t yet available in Japanese. However, there is still a way to bring that content into the training with additional assignments.

Greetings From Tokyo!

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A Rainy Spring Day in Downtown Gotanda, TokyoTHE TOKYO DIARY:  April 18 – July 2, 2012

I arrived in Tokyo on April 18, my first visit to Japan, to lead a Teacher Training for Yogaworks.  I’m staying in Gotanda, a neighborhood in the southern corner of this sprawling metropolis, Tokyo.  Gotanda is the “business district” and many major corporations are headquartered here: Shisedo, Subaru, Microsoft and more.  I’m staying in an apartment up the street from massive the TOC building. The photo above was taken one rainy morning in downtown Gotanda during my first few days here.  I was told that I just missed the cherry blossoms, but these trees were flowering and the petals drifting down the stream created a tranquil scene.  It rains  a lot her, almost daily and I was told that the rainy season doesn’t start until June!