Atha Yoganushasanam

Now, begins the offering of the sacred art of yoga. ~ The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (I.1)

Friday

My first day was a 12:30am class at Uehonmachi, then an 8:15pm class at Shinsaibashi. From Tim’s house to either Osaka studio, it requires me to take the subway or bus into downtown Kyoto, then the Hankyuu train all the way to Umeda, then another underground trip as the final leg of the journey. This takes a total of about an hour and thirty to forty-five minutes.  

I met Chieko, the studio manager for both Osaka locations, at 10:30am, so she could guide me in navigating the trains to the studios. I had first met Chieko in July here. She is a lovely woman, who possesses a sweet vulnerability of the heart, yet a fiery core of strength and steadfastness. Because neither of us are fluent in the others language, our conversations last time would eventually hit a wall. However, I now have an electronic dictionary, and this enabled us to traverse those walls as we conversed on the train ride to Osaka.

 
My first class was an intimate group of five, including Emi, one of the Uehonmachi staff, and a student named Mayuki, both who had taken my classes in July. After the class they both told me my Japanese had improved since July. This was a wonderful kindness to receive in the very first class, and the perfect segueway into offering abundant praise for my Japanese tutor in SF, Atsuko Irisa. Without her teachings and encouragement, I wouldn’t be as coherent or confident as I am in my own teaching here. Thank you, Atsuko!

Chieko then promptly ushered me over to Shinsaibashi via taxi, to assist Yasushi in auditioning potential translators. There were seven candidates, to be tested one at a time. They had to first translate me teaching live to Tomoko, Chieko, and Eri, one of the Shinsaibashi staff, for about three minutes. Then, I read aloud a couple of paragraphs presenting the Anusara philosophy, as they followed with a translation line by line. It was fun, and interesting to experience the variety of personalities and abilities.

Yoggy Shisaibashi

The ladies of Yoggy Shinsaibashi; Tomoko, Mayumi, Eri, & Chieko

Afterwards, Chieko and I had a simple lunch at a place called Ichigo Ichie. I then went to the Namba-jinja, only a five minute walk from the studio. I wanted to meditate, and Eri had indicated this was the closest park or shrine. It was approaching dusk, a perfect time to sit in quiet. I entered the gates, and wandered around the walled-in sanctuary for a few minutes, then settled on a spot under a tree behind the main shrine, obscured from visitors. I had a wonderful meditation, feeling the wind gently blowing around me, vaguely registering the distant hum of activity outside, and sitting nestled in the base of an old, beautiful tree. I sat as the light retreated into the blossoming of night, until the elderly gatekeeper passed by me, calling out a firm omoishimarimasu yo, which translates as "We are closing!"

I returned to the studio in time for a chat with Tomoko before she left. She schooled me a little bit in the differing ben (“speech, tongue”) of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. For example, the all-purpose form of “to do, perform, carry out, practice, etc.” is very different for each area; suru in Tokyo, shiharu in Kyoto, and yaru in Osaka. So far, everyone here has been really supportive in my language usage, correcting me and giving me alternate or improved ways of saying things. I am so grateful for each of them.

Teaching at 8:15pm is a new experience for me, and it took all of my energy to keep the language and the asana coherent and fluid. I was tired and hungry afterwards, and thankful I had brought a nashi with me for the train ride home.

I went to bed exhausted, but content.

Saturday

I woke early to have plenty of time to get to my 10:30 class at Uehonmachi. I was excited, because a friend and fellow teacher from Vancouver, Leanne Kitteridge, had flown in the previous night, and would be attending the class. Leanne has a degree in Japanese studies, has lived in Japan extensively, now travels here frequently through her current job as a stewardess, and is fluent in Japanese.

I was on my own this morning, but confident I would be fine. I caught the bus to Kawaramachi station, and transitioned to the train with just enough time to get to class. However, I got off one station early. By the time I caught another train and reached Umeda it was 10:15. Once at Umeda, there is actually a 5-7 minute walk through the tunnels to the connecting subway, so by the time I was seated on the underground* train it was 10:25. I didn’t panic at all though. I closed my eyes, and an image of Leanne came to me with the thought, “She’ll start the class for me.” Then, after reaching the final exit in Uehonmachi, I stepped out of the station and didn’t recognize the area. Uh-oh. I was already 10 minutes late by then. By the time I found my way to the studio it was close to 11. Yikes.

* the underground railway in Japan is called the chikatestu - chi means "earth", ka is "under", and tetsu means "iron".

When I arrived, Leanne was leading them through sun salutations, just as I expected. With a brief but sincere apology to the class, I picked up where Leanne left off, and finished out the class. Afterwards, I stepped out of the yoga room right into the path of Chieko, who greeted me with, “What happened!?” With Leanne’s help, I explained and apologized profusely to Chieko and the rest of the staff, promising it would not happen again. Leanne graciously added in that what had occurred was an anomaly, as I hold my responsibilities as a teacher and the students in the highest regard. The studio gave passes for a free class to all of the students, but many remarked they felt extra-privileged to have had two teachers instead of one. To me, this whole experience was a perfect example of how the universe takes care of us. I really believe that Leanne was there to teach because I was going to be late, and Leanne echoed this thought when I mentioned it to her.

Yoggy Uehonmachi - Chieko, Leanne, Chigusa, Emi, & Akiho

Leanne and I then traveled over to the Shinsaibashi area for lunch at a kaiten sushi (self-serve sushi from a conveyer belt) restaurant. It was a wonderful lunch, my favorite dishes being katsuo (bonito) with a dollop of yuzu (Japanese lime) atop it, and large slices of unagi (eel) - oishikatta desu! Leanne and I parted ways after lunch, as she had a plane to catch, and needed to get back to her hotel in Umeda. We hugged, and she said, “This is going to make an interesting blog.” To see Leanne’s view, go to Wa Yo Yogi, at http://shibuiyogablog.wordpress.com/ Much Love to you, Leanne!

I went for another visit to the Namba-jinja, to take photos. 

Entrance torii.

The chouzuya ("wash basin") for the ritual cleansing. 

The freshly landscaped garden.

Shishi ("lion") guardians; they traditionally come in pairs as guardians of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

The open mouth shishi symbolizes the first letter of the Japanese and sanskrit alphabet, "ah".

The closed mouth shishi symbolizes the last letter of the two alphabets, "un".

The kitsune ("fox") shrine. The fox is a staple of Japanese folklore, appearing as both kami ("a god, divine being") and demon.

The guardians.

The offerings box; toss coins in, pull the rope to sound the bell, then clap twice (though I have seen other variations as well).

The meditation tree.

Central haiden ("hall of worship")

Resplendent courtyard tree.

This 4:00pm class was the strongest yet. We did a few eyes-closed group balances that induced plenty of smiles, then a four-part vasishthasana sequence that put everyone up against their edge, ending with pranam. As everyone settled into gravity and their breath, it was beautiful to feel the thick and deep vibration they had created.

After class, I touched base with Tim, so I could meet up with him and his fiancee, Maya, at his friend Graham’s place for a little dinner party. I needed to take a different set of trains, then a 10 minute walk to meet him at an intersection. Tim has an uncanny talent for hand drawing extremely accurate maps, and for estimating travel time. He told me I would arrive at our designated meeting place at 7:30, and I was there about five minutes prior. His friend Graham lives with Jae, his girlfriend, originally from Taiwan, and Mei, his 11-year old daughter from a previous marriage to a Japanese woman. Mei is an extraordinary little girl. She competes in swimming, practices ballet, and is a budding artist. Her manner is outgoing and she is quick to laugh and smile. Jae had prepared a lovely meal, and I happily dug in. Also in attendance was Rebecca, a friend of Graham and Tim’s from Los Angeles. She made an absolutely scrumptious dessert of pecan-oatmeal bars with a layer of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bar melted into the center. Heavenly!

Tim had biked, so Maya and I took the bus home. It was so nice to chat with her. We have just discovered both of us share a passion for the music of Jeff Buckley and Chris Cornell, so our conversation centered around their creations, and how they had affected us. Maya is an accomplished shamisen performer and vocalist, and I am looking forward to her next performance.

Sunday

Another 10:30am class, but thankfully in Kyoto. Again, like on Saturday, another one of those universal blessings popped up. A woman from Canada attended the class, and Tim just happened to take class too. So I had her set up next to Tim, so he could translate for her when needed. As I write this, it actually strikes me as fantastically giddy; a native English speaker, teaching in Japanese, and another native English speaker having to translate it into English in a Japanese yoga class. I love this life.

Yoggy Kyoto - note the shouji as the far wall

Who is this guy?

Tim and I went for onigiri after class, then I went to Starbucks (I know, but it’s the only place that serves a chai latte) since I had a little bit of time to kill before my 4:30pm class at Shinsaibashi. I read a little more Osho, and came across these lovely bits:

“That energy that is speaking in me is listening in you; it is not separate, it can’t be separate. It is one spectrum, it is one wavelength. It is the same wave that is speaking in me and that is hearing in you.”

“We live in a sea of life - we live into each other.”

In my evening class, there were two fellow Yoggy teachers, Miyuko and Rica, who attended. They were both very appreciative for the class, and it was nice to have them there. One of the things I intend to do soon is to take classes from my fellow teachers here, so I get to know them all better. It is something I was unable to accomplish in SF, but I think it will be easier here, as the community is much smaller. Rica lives in Kyoto, so we rode home together and had wonderful conversation about the yogic path (thank you, electronic jisho!).

I showed up at Tim’s just in time for a fantastic meal he and Maya had prepared. Tim made an English dish composed of rice, smoked fish, and hard boiled eggs. They had also made a miso soup with carrots and porcini, and an avocado and tomato salad, and Maya had pickled some nasu (eggplant) that evening. Being with the two of them, and sharing such a delicious meal made with such love, was the perfect way to end the weekend.