Anusara Yoga in Japan

Studio Yoggy, which has 15 studios in Japan and more than 25,000 students per month, is now aligning with Anusara Yoga® in a big way. There will be a Japanese version of our Anusara Yoga website very soon, and you will soon see Anusara products coming out in Japanese. (In an upcoming newsletter I will give more details of how we are setting up international websites for Anusara Yoga.)

Anusara Yoga was first brought to Japan by Sawako Tayu of Studio Yoggy in New York City. In 2003 Sawako went around Manhattan and tried many different yoga styles. Her favorite teacher was an Anusara-inspired yoga teacher, Nixa Debellis, so she invited Nixa to teach in Japan in 2004. Then, while at Elena Brower’s Vira Yoga studio in NYC, Sawako heard about a Japanese affiliated Anusara Yoga teacher, Yasushi Tanaka, who was living in NYC. Sawako then met Yasushi and they both felt had an immediate connection that has turned into a long-term relationship. Since November 2004, Yasushi has made 18 trips to Tokyo, traveling there almost every other month, often for up to 3 weeks at a time! Through Yasushi’s outstanding dedication to spreading the magic of Anusara Yoga in Japan, our community there has solidified and grown tremendously. Yasushi will return to Japan again in just a week. At the end of February our certified teacher, Lois Nesbitt from NY, will teach in Tokyo, followed by affiliated teacher, Mary Barnes at the end of March, and then certified teacher, Jackie Prete, in April.

The studentship in Japan is truly outstanding. They are very respectful, attentive, focused, and quick in their understanding. When I gathered the students to address them, all of their eyes would be focused on me and would not waver. I would demonstrate an action or a specific alignment point and they would immediately absorb the instruction and remember it, so I was able to teach at a very accelerated rate. My assistants would often look at me with astonishment since they didn’t have much to do! I am very excited for the future development of Anusara Yoga throughout Japan and Asia.

There are a lot of teaching opportunities in Asia for any teacher who would like to move there for awhile. If you are interested in teaching overseas in any capacity, please coordinate with the Anusara office since we are in regular contact with all the main teachers and studios around the world.