I was born in Tokio and moved to Osaka, Japan at the age of 7. I came to Los Angeles to study Communication at the University of Southern California and took my first Bikram Yoga class in October of 2002 at Bikram’s Headquarters in L.A. My friend from college had been talking about this “hot yoga” she loved, and she insisted that I come to class with her. Just as she warned me, the room was hot, I was sweating like crazy, and I looked so awkward next to all the flexible yogis in the room. I don’t remember too much about that first class, but what I do remember is the amazing feeling I had afterwards. It was nothing like I had ever experienced before, I was sweetly fatigued, but at the same time I felt very refreshed and energized. I was instantly hooked. I kept going back to take classes. Everyday I wanted to do more yoga!

At first, I was going because my body was craving the yoga, but eventually I realized that my mind was getting an equal amount of benefits. I was calmer, more peaceful, more patient, happier, less stressed-out and less judgmental. Physically, I was in the best shape of my life. I’ve always been pretty strong, but I had no flexibility. When I first started practicing Bikram yoga, I could not touch my toes when bending forward. But with consistent practice, I quickly became flexible enough to grab my toes and I was doing all the poses that looked “impossible” in the first class.

Because I was practicing at the Headquarters where they used to hold Bikram’s teacher trainings, I had a chance to meet several of them and see what they were going through as they were in training sessions. It looked very intense, but the more I saw, the more I wanted to part of that process. After practicing for about 3 and half years, I finally felt I was ready to take the training and become a teacher. After graduating from the training in the spring of 2006, I moved to Boston, where I taught at several different studios. In the spring of 2008, I returned to southern California and have been teaching in Redondo Beach since.

In my class, I encourage everybody to focus on their breath, listen to their own body and do the poses to the degree it feels right. I believe yoga is not about being hyper flexible or how perfect one can do the poses. You will become flexible as you practice yoga, but in my opinion, that is a byproduct. The real treat is how good you feel about yourself everyday, inside and out. The goal is not the perfect pose, but the goal is wellness. My goal as a teacher is to have everybody walk out of the room feeling so amazing, just like I did after that very first class I took.