Seaside Yoga

To raise funds for flood relief after very heavy rains on Kyushu earlier this year, we did a charity yoga event in Nishi Oita on the area known as 'Kantan Circus', not far from the port.

The sky was blue, the ocean magnificent. Here's a cute video by Dr. Morita.

I love the song!

Healing Day

We're currently enjoying 'Art Month' here in Beppu, with lots of events and cultural attractions on offer to stimulate the creative energy of our lovely town.


I had the great fortune to be able to take part! Thanks to Tomoko Ko, we collaborated to create a 2-day event, "Healing Day" that attracted about 60 attendees, and incorporated Yoga (relaxtion and meditation), Pilates (invigoration), Crystal bowl performance (chakra contemplation) and belly dancing (pleasure!)

 

Thanks to my Tribalicious dancers, Jana and Saya, for joining me in the specially choreographed 'Tribal Temple' performance ;-)

Guests also got to savour my homemade chai, and fresh scones kindly baked and donated by Ms. Sugita. This all took place within the serenity of a beautiful Japanese temple.

For more images, and a post in Japanese, please see Tomoko's blog: http://balletone.exblog.jp/16583337/

As well as sending our thoughts, prayers and well-wishes to the those who suffered during the earthquake, we also wanted the money that we raised to go directly to the Tohoku region. After consulting with people in the area, we decided upon an organisation that we believed would put the money to best use - Higashi Matsushima City Board of education, that is supporting children orphaned by the tsunami of March 2011
http://balletone.exblog.jp/16887981/

One Coin Workshops

I'm happy to post that the recent Yoga and Dance One Coin Workshop day was a very enjoyable  event! Thank you to Jana who collaborated with me, and to everyone who participated! We hope to do another day like this before the summer hols (will keep you posted via events page and facebook).

The day began with a gentle yoga session to warm everyone up, stretch them out and get them ready for subsequent dance sessions:

This was followed by some snakey, shimmy hip work during the belly dance session.

Pulse rates and spirits rose during Jana's Zumba class

We then had chance to cool down and relax again, with a second Yoga session to gently release the hips and spine.

Another dance session followed. This time Latin Basics with Jana. It was a big hit - everyone having too much fun dancing to take any pics, sorry!

And finally, we rounded the day off with a short performance by Tribalicious

O-Tsukaresama deshita

Yoga in the Rose Garden!

On Sunday I joined an outdoor Yoga and Pilates event organized by Studio Lapis Lazuli at Oga farm in Hiji. The weather was beautiful and the roses were in full bloom! It was so refreshing to practice beneath the blue sky, soaking up the warmth of the sunshine, enjoying the fresh air and surrounding flowers. Many people came and took part in this event, and it was a wonderful experience. While the weather is good, I hope to take my practice outdoors more often.

Yoga and Dance One Coin Workshops

Exciting news!! - Jana and I will be doing a day of yoga and dance (belly, zumba, latin basics) You can find the details here on facebook

Our venue is quite small, so please sign up soon to reserve a place!

Full Bloom!

My friend is a talented rose gardener. Yesterday she invited us for afternoon tea in her spectacular rose garden, where everything is currently in full bloom! It smelled so sweet and refreshing, and now I am really looking forward to the Rose Garden Yoga and Pilates event this coming Sunday at Oga Farm!

A Web Mandala in Honour of my Grandmother

In August I travelled back to the UK as usual. However this year, something was different. My grandmother was no longer there.

My family and I took a walk along the coastal path, carrying my grandmother's ashes. We chose a spot that we knew she liked well, and scattered them over the cliff top. As I looked down to the water, watching her ashes fall, I noticed some of them had fallen onto a spider's web.

This web transformed into a beautiful mandala in honour of my grandmother.