question about yoga from aspiring jet

[upcycledbliss]

So I Googled locations of yoga studios in Japan. There seem to be a lot all over the places. What are the chances of being near a studio close enough to do a class on weekend? Does it vary a lot regionally? There seem to be quite a few, even in more rural areas. I know esid. Just in general. I have dvds and an ok practice. If I get in for regular departure instead of early, I am hoping to do yoga teacher training in spring to improve my personal practice. Any suggestions? Do they have yoga classes in gym. How about other Asian but not necessarily Japanese exercises (Japanese equivalents?) that are similar. I do chi kung now also. I have done tai chi in the past too. I have also taken mixed martial arts for a couple years but stopped because of knee surgery.

Also, I have been mostly exploring meditation not exercise with yoga. Handstands and chaturanga are fun, but I do it for meditation. I would like to explore more meditation techniques. Are the Buddhist and Zen Buddhist temples open to foreigners if I bring a person to translate or can grasp some basic Japanese? I know in bigger cities some have foreign disciples who teach in English, but since I am most likely not placed there maybe that's only helpful for correspondence and trips.

Thanks.

[Musashi]

You won't know until you get accepted and get a placement.

Luckily women in Japan enjoy yoga and palates like the west. So you'll probably find something unless you're in a really small town.

Thankfully you'll probably be able drive to a bigger town that has classes.


As for a Japanese equivalent -- aside from radio taiso I don't think Japan has anything like yoga.

Good luck with your application!!

[upcycledbliss]

Thanks for the reply. I think maybe before I go (I am traveling if I don't go to Japan) I should record what I can and take as many classes as I can just to have it when I am gone. My friend from China said she thought a lot of people in Asia were taking up more exercise and yoga because of higher stress rates (I guess Japan is in the top 10 of suicide rates and there is a word for death from overworking). But I wasn't sure. At least it should be easy to pick up without knowing too much of another language. Especially if they use any Sanskrit.

[Namisuke]

Someone said on this forum that kyodo is a meditative sport, and many high schools have kyudo club. Ikebana and shodo/shoji are relaxing as well, although they aren't a form of exercise. Usually towns have gyms, but the programs they will have vary depending on who works there and what their passions are. For example, a guy who works at a gym in the town I work in is obsessed with scuba diving and does scuba lessons. If you live in a smaller town, there is more opportunity for hiking. I would suggest taiko if it wasn't for your knee. The taiko stances might put strain on it. Same goes for learning other instruments where they make you bend at the knee for a long time or sit on your knees for hours. I believe you have to do that for tea ceremony classes also, but I am not 100% sure on that.

[upcycledbliss]

My knee is ok most of the time. I have been training for a half marathon on it. I just can't take the chance the top part and bottom part move directions too fast for tore ligaments too keep up. Every once and a while in yoga I have to let out of poses early. Like heroes pose and sometimes long warrior poses sets. Any ways thanks for the response. If I don't get into jet my travel plan include yoga training so I don't have to worry about it as much.

[Sendai_Momiji]

Thanks for asking about this. I was kind of curious myself as I'm just dipping my toe into the wide wide world of yoga.

[upcycledbliss]

I do love yoga. Seem to get everything except cardio from it. Core, arms, legs, back, shoulders, stretching, fun inversion, and meditation. Also, unlike all other activities I have tried it makes me sweat and clears my sinuses.

Thanks for all the responses

[GunmaBrentPA]

It seems that every membership based gym that I have heard of has a variety of yoga classes. The yoga classes that go on at the gym I use seem to be more exercise yoga rather than a meditative yoga. (You've probably already figured out I don't know much about it.) Friends have told me that how much it veers to the spiritual side varies greatly with the teacher. A former JET would travel to Tokyo a few times a month because there wasn't any "real yoga" in Gunma (her words, not mine).

Still, if you are looking for yoga primarily as an exercise routine I'd think you could find something fairly easily.

You also might want to check out traditional Japanese dance as well.

[upcycledbliss]

In In the states it is often the same. Many gyms just teach the physical part of yoga. However, sometimes the teacher is actually deeper into yoga and you can pay for private classes. Most people going to gyms to take a class don't worry about meditation or spirituality in the gym. Plus, you can really make yoga about whatever you need to on your own. It's just easier to learn more at a holistic yoga studio.

[hanamiko]

I live in a tiny town (I'm the only JET) in one of the least populated prefecture. There is a tiny gym here (one room of equipment and one room for classes) and they even have a yoga class once a week (Fridays, 7-8pm). So there is hope even if you are placed somewhere tiny! The instructor is awesome, but each time I've been, my friends and I have been the only ones attending!

[upcycledbliss]

I like hope! At least its like a private lesson. If I do get in regular departure I want to go to India before Japan to do teacher training. Then maybe I could train yoga for some sort of Japanese practice or beer...

[chelctee]

So, I just answered this question in the aspiring JETs forum, but in case you never check back there:

I have been a part of a yoga class here since roughly September, it's just one town over run in the town's community center by a resident obachan. Although I enjoy going to the class and getting to socialize a bit, it is quite different from yoga at home and I feel like it mostly focuses on stretching with only a few true "yoga moves" worked in. The general format and structure of the class is pretty different, too, and I get kind of irritated sometimes when I do a certain move with a little bit of a variation, especially when I know what I'm doing, and I immediately get corrected to do it the way everyone else is.

So what I'm trying to say is although this class isn't exactly what I'm looking for out of a yoga class, and I do prefer yoga classes back in the States, to me it's still worth going to. Like I said, it's a good way to socialize with other Japanese people that live here/other ALTs, I still feel good after each class, and it's teaching me a lot of patience (and I still do yoga the way I want to at home). And as one added bonus, at the end of each class we give each other little massages, which is very nice! We also sometimes have small parties, so it really makes me a feel like a part of the community. So even if you can't find a yoga class that's exactly what you are looking for, I highly recommend still going to one.

Also, yeah the class is run totally in Japanese, but I can usually follow along by watching what the sensei is doing (and honestly she doesn't give too much instruction anyway, at least compared to back home). It also only costs me 3,000yen per six months to be a part of this class, so it's super cheap.

OOOH, related to this, I actually do go to a Zazen meditation class once a month. It's in a temple run by a Buddhist priest, and the class consists of sitting in a tatami room in a seated position on a little cushion for 45 minutes. He gives almost ZERO guidance, except the way in which to sit down on the cushion, and afterwords we always have a potluck, drink, and go out for more drinking/karaoke. So there you go.

...And yes, I live in the inaka.

[upcycledbliss]

Thanks again