Yoga at Tamisa

I realized that I needed to stretch more and try to be active even on my "off" running days, so I signed up for a few yoga classes at Tamisa. A set of three courses cost me 4000 yen. An "all you can yoga" one month pass goes for 16000 yen, plus tax.

You can sign up for a class via the web (Japanese only) and you will get an email confirmation. There are so many classes to choose from with a wide range of time slots (you can find the schedule in both Japanese and English on the website). You can rent a mat there, or store your mat there, for a small fee.

I signed up for the "healing hatha" course with Yumiko because it's been more than a year since I've done yoga, and I've never done yoga in Japan, so I wanted something easy to follow. As I expected, despite a lot of English on the website and on the intake form, the instructor spoke no English and the class was conducted solely in Japanese. I was surprised that I was not the only Westerner in the class and that there was such a wide range of ability. (I'm usually always the absolute worst student in every yoga class in the States!)

The Japanese language instructions were easy enough to follow, and, of course, when in doubt, check out the person beside you!

UPDATE: After I try a new class I will post a short description of my experience below!

WARNING: I'm putting this update first because I just walked out of my first yoga class early, and want to make sure that others save themselves the experience. I signed up for "beginner hatha" with Ei and it was a total disaster. First, she began the class with an odd story about manners, consciousness, and her morning commute. Then, all the poses were incredibly simple - for people who have never done yoga. On top of that, she came around to each person and PUSHED us deeper into the pose. She actually hurt me and at least one other student. She continued to do this throughout the entire class. It is the first time I've ever spoken with another student in class - we were both amazed at how poorly this class was going. I reached my limit when she had us all move our mats to the back wall (for no real reason), put the yoga belt around our waists and feet, and then lie flat. SHE REPRIMANDED ME for how I fastened the yoga belt saying (in Japanese) "It's like using western clothes. You don't seem to understand." I gave her death ray eyes. I could not believe the rudeness. Then, she had us prepare in seiza with a more open stance. She asked if there was anyone that was uncomfortable. I, and my fellow student, both said this hurt us. Instead of giving me a different pose, she instead berated me in Japanese to move so my knees were hanging off the blanket, not on it. LADY, that is not the problem. My tight thigh muscles are the problem. She then wanted us all to lay on our backs with our legs in this pose. I directly told her I couldn't do the pose (my fellow student also piped up that neither could she). Ei then started ask why. I explained my thighs were too tight. She told me to sit and wait. Instead, I rolled up my mat and left. My Japanese may not be the best, I may not understand everything all the time, but I have gone through more than a month of classes with no problems. This was not due to me, my language skills, or my yoga skills. This was due to her teaching skills. DO NOT ATTEND THIS CLASS.

beginners Ashtanga

On my second try I took the "beginners Ashtanga" with Shino. At first, the class seemed very recognizable, with traditional sun salutations and the like. But we quickly moved on to more advanced poses that I could not do. Shino-san was a very good teacher, always demonstrating ways to attempt the pose for the "less-able" and moving around to physically teach in front of non-native speakers. While I would say the class was conducted in Japanese, there was more English ("inhale", "exhale", counting, etc.) than in the "healing hatha" class, and Shino san made more of an effort to demonstrate poses in view of non-native speakers who may be depending on sight more than description. Although I was intimidated by the number of poses I could not attempt, I was consoled by the number of people in the class who also struggled, Shino-san's teaching style, and the great feeling of the poses I could attempt. I would take this class again!

Vinyasa 1

Today I tried the "Vinyasa 1" with Kumi. Kumi-san went around to all the participants to check on their level and asked my about my Japanese comprehension. The class was nice and slow, focusing on breathing and deep stretching.  The class was conducted for beginners, and was almost entirely in Japanese. (In the beginning, after lengthy beautiful descriptions and instructions in Japanese, Kumi-san would give a brief one sentence summary in English. Although she stopped doing this after the first two poses - satisfied that I was following the Japanese - I think she could do this for the entire class.) The class Erica leads is basically the same.

Vinyasa 2

"Vinyasa 2" had Shino-san as a sub today (but I love her, so that was a treat!). It was exactly as described on the website: a power yoga class designed for beginners.  This class was more like I am used to in the States: various asanas (A and B, then some floor work) done with increasing speed. Also, like in the States, the Friday evening courses have more people in them, and they tend to be regulars (read also: better than you). However, as with Shino-san's amazing teaching ability, she always had a "beginner" version to share with those of us who couldn't do the full pose. English was the same (a little less: no "inhale" "exhale") as in beginners Ashtanga. I want to try this class with the regular teacher, Ryoko-san, but I'm now sold on anything Shino-san!

I also took "Vinyasa 2" with Sandra to see how the Japanese/English class is handled. I ended up being the only one there and got a private English language lesson! Sandra is great and I'm looking forward to taking her classes more often. When I finally got around to taking her Japanese/English class I really enjoyed it! For the first time, in any arena living here in Japan, the English explanations were longer and better than the Japanese! I also found the class challenging and fun. It's my favorite class there!

I also finally got Ryoko for "Vinyasa 2." This is not a class for beginners or those uncomfortable with their Japanese. Ryoko demonstrates some poses, but mostly walks around the room adjusting poses while calling out what to do - in Japanese. Also, she uses indie-pop music! I liked the more energetic atmosphere of the class, and will be back. My only complaint is that one of the songs in her mix brought back painful memories and I started to cry, so, if you see me bawling silently while attempting to hold a pose - just don't ask...

Kripalu – クリパル

"Kripalu – クリパル" with Chie-san is a nice, slow, relaxing yoga. It's the type of yoga my mom loves, and the yoga I will recommend to her when she comes to visit. I'm trying to improve my running times, and am using yoga to build strength and endurance. I think this class will also help me with my breathing as I run and is a nice slow workout to add to the week in an attempt to stave off injury. Since the class is heavily centered around breathing, it has been the class where it is most essential to understand Japanese. This class is by far the least strenuous of those I've taken, but because you can't rely on watching the instructor or other students, it might not be a good fit for people (very) uncomfortable with their Japanese (because I think we are ALL uncomfortable with our Japanese!). I was quite impressed with the number of "pops" and "cracks" coming from my body and others - without any strain we were all reaching deep stretches and levels of comfort. Chie-san is quite the talker, and her Japanese language descriptions of what you should be thinking or feeling are quite beautiful, but I found it hard to focus on both her (fast) language and on the yoga itself. For me, this was a kikitori + yoga lesson. I'll be in her class again, but probably still making mistakes, so don't look to me!

Hatha Flow

I met my match today with "Hatha Flow," led by Yuka san.  I was expecting a nice slow stretch with a little strength training. What I got was nearly 80 minutes of work on my thighs and hips. Mind you, this was after running a 5K the night before (which is a good long run for me). We held poses for quite a long time, and my thighs were burning. There were also a number of seated, back-bend poses that were either 1) uncomfortable, or 2) impossible. Only one other student (with an admitted back problem) couldn't do these poses. Yuka san kindly helped me by supporting the pose with blocks and bolsters, but when you get right down to it, I just wasn't flexible enough, and probably shouldn't have even done the pose (instead, done something else to prep my body to aspire to that pose). All this made even Shavasana uncomfortable, as I could feel my hips and thighs aching. I'll see how I feel tomorrow. I think this class would be great and really help with my runs, if I was already a bit stronger and more flexible.

***I took this class a second time and have decided that, although it is probably good for me, it just isn't for me. While there wasn't nearly as much focus on the thighs and hips as last time (this time it was more upper arm strength and full leg stretches) I still left sore (and I did a 5K the night before, so my body was in the same position as last time). I think my problem is that the stretches and the work are too deep for my body, which is not able to "warm up" quick enough in this class (no asanas) and, is also not "Japanese" (read: simple sitting poses, like seiza, kill me because I haven't been doing them all my life). I nearly pulled a thigh muscle today doing a pose that everyone else could easily do.***

Hatha

Today I took "Hatha" with Toshi K. I have to admit, I was really wary of signing up for this class: 1) Hatha Flow and I don't get along, 2) I've never had a male yoga instructor, and 3) on average, I find Japanese men harder to understand than women (most of my teachers and friends are female, so I'm not exposed to male voices very often). Oh, I'm so glad I went! I loved this class! It was rather slow, but the stretches were both accomplish-able and deep. Toshi K. was REALLY concerned about my Japanese, asking me repeatedly and directly if I understood. He calmed down when he realized I understood (except mixing up my right and left sides once, but I do that in English too, so...), the direct questioning stopped. Of all the instructors, his Japanese was EASIEST to understand. He also ensured that he was always at the front of the class - even when we turned doing warrior and triangle to down-dog - which I always appreciate. I left the class feeling like my body was tall and strong. I will be going back!

Oops! Tonight I booked "Hatha" thinking it was my favorite Toshi K., but to my surprise, it was Toshi. (I didn't pay close enough attention!) The room was PACKED. 14 students. It shouldn't get like that, it's very hard to practice. But, this is either a popular time slot (7-8:30 pm)  or a popular teacher. The class was definitely more difficult than Toshi K.'s class. Toshi likes weird bendy-wrap-around poses. His descriptions were fine (not as clear as Toshi) and he always demonstrated.

Morning Yoga

"Morning Yoga" with Kozu was like a long relaxing stretch in bed. Nearly all the poses were done while laying on our mats (which made it difficult to see demonstrations). The focus of the class was on rolling-up from poses accurately. This class was a bit too slow for my taste, but is a gentle morning yoga if you are just looking for something to start your day off with.

はじめてMysore 

On a whim I signed up for はじめてMysore, mostly because I wanted to see what it was and I like Shino. This is definitely not a beginner class. Many advanced students take this class. You go through the asanas on your own, at your own pace, and Shino corrects your poses. If you don't know the asanas (I only knew the first 2, and even then Shino still told me I was making mistakes), Shino will teach you what to do, but it is obviously not what the class is for. If I can start remembering the asanas, I will go back!