One minute the Danish way of living is the best way! next minute ‘tis the Japanese way… whatever the current wrapping, trend or language being used and whatever it is centered around it always boils down to the same stuff; age old values, condensed wisdom hard won by someone long ago being touted by media as a new discovery/answer to all our woes. They are what some travel far and wide and/or spend fortunes to find and yet these Universal Truths are right in front of us and don’t cost anything. None are about adding more to life; they are largely about letting go of that which doesn’t matter or serve; making space for better. They change your mental landscape, how you see everything (success, happiness, life, purpose) and are there for the taking. They are the familiar stuff for Yogis of Raja Yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas, it is just different arrangement of words saying the same thing. Presently the Japanese way (although always pleasing) seems to be having its spin to the fore. Japanese proverbs rich with wisdom, often focusing on perseverance, humility, and perspective are a terrific cheat to sounding wise; but let us refresh today on how the 8 Japanese principles for living the good life are mirrored in our Bikram Yoga practice. Patience young Grasshopper 🙂
- Ikigai; finding purpose in the little things
What makes you want to get up in the morning? Different for everyone; family, job, cooking, books, art, gardening. What is that thing you wove into your morning that has meaning for you that gets you putting one foot in front of the other; it doesn’t have to fancy! I like to make my own coffee at work it is my ritual (just not same if someone else makes it); but I also love that my husband brings me a coffee every Sunday morning (JUST Sunday’s ‘tho) (someone else thinks enough of me that they want to do that for me!); In Spring I love to sit on a step (not even a chair) in the garden in bare feet and have a cup of coffee (phew! I see a coffee trend emerging here… mmmmmm!). I also like the husband asking me how I slept, the daughter ever exuberant even after she has just had a setback (she’s amazing)… these seemingly little things full of huge meaning; these sustain me.
On your mat? Tiny things that are seemingly nothing to do with the practice but they are everything; you change your behavior when you enter the Yoga studio, become more mindful of how you use your mat space and more mindful of the needs of those around you.
- Wabi-Sabi; embracing imperfection
Media promotion of flawlessness as the ultimate (perfect hair, homes, lives); we are bombarded! It is exhausting… if you let it in. Actually, all that leaves me cold. I love a good flaw (FULL of them meself of course). Thank God for the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection ~ it ups my case for honoring the flaws 🙂 . Something in me wants to mess things up when they are too perfect; can’t stand everything matchy matchy either (none of our mugs, chairs, cushions match! I know for some that sounds like a horror story). BUT the most wonderful thing about wabi sabi… it allows for the wrinkles of age … why is that regarded as flaw! Wabi-Sabi is the acceptance that absolutely nothing NOTHING lasts, nothing is finished, and NOTHING IS PERFECT.
On your mat? Simply ACCEPTANCE in the moment of the result after you have just done your best that this IS just what it is today! Don’t frustrate when practice doesn’t go according to a plan or idea on the day or you are not ‘performing’ as well as you did last class; that is not a ‘flaw’ at all; it is just part of the tapestry (a bit similar to the idea of ‘Kintsukuroi’ in the picture perhaps?). Stop trying to ‘fix it’; appreciate it for what it is; and you will see how beautiful the effort was.
- Shinrin-yoku; forest bathing for the soul
The theory on this one is good; but what if you haven’t got a forest or a wood near you. As a ‘tree person’ (into beech not beach J) I really get this one; slowing down in the atmosphere of a wood or a forest you start noticing everything; the sound of wind in the trees, the rhythm of your own breathing; I always ground quickly in this environment. People will find their own version of this if no forest around but for me next best thing is a Yoga mat space to pause and be present.
On your mat? time spent in nature AND on Yoga mat lowers cortisol and activates the parasympathetic nervous system (i.e. the ‘rest and digest’ mode that restores equilibrium).
- Kaizen; small continuous improvement
Change; you can’t avoid it; it is inevitable, it is the nature of things. When socials hijack the word they are often using it in the context of the big goals, the radical transformations (change job, hey! change the country you live in, give up sugar 🙂 ~ whoa!) but these big goals whilst very grand can auto trigger resistance too. Now Kaizen – THIS philosophy means improving by 1% each day. Just 1%? almost too simple! Don’t bite off more than you can chew; Instead of trying to meditate for 30 minutes start with 3 minutes. Signing up for a membership of a gym on 1/1/26 going once and then letting them take your money monthly for the next 12? yup. You’re a bona fide member of a gym alright! Fast forward December 2026 – how many times did you go again? Instead try little changes: change without the dramatics or expense is still change. In time all the little changes really add up. Where will you be in six months time with tiny consistent steps/changes? I’ll hazard a guess for you; a lot further along than the ‘gym payee’ (sorry. ‘member’) I just described.
On your mat? The purpose of teensy tiny, micro-millimeter adjustments for fractions of seconds (and not taking path of least resistance) transform the look and feel of your posture over time. And Think! at YM no membership; buy what you want, payg; use.one.class.at.a.time. (Terms Apply :)). You are in charge.
- Omoiyari; empathy in action
Awareness of those around you; considering others’ feelings before they even had time to think or express them for themselves. This kind of anticipatory action/kindness doesn’t require an acknowledgement or reward; you do it because you are you and because you can. We try to draw people’s attention to it for a moment just at the end of each class to elevate this awareness of those around and their needs (i.e. a reminder of no talking/whispering (singing/whistling/humming 🙂 we’ve had it all!) after class; handle the doors gently etc. just until you leave the room at least); these little efforts that may go unnoticed when you do them but if you didn’t attend to them everyone you left laying on their mat behind you notices! they may say nothing about it but they noticed. To create that gift of peace and quiet in the Yoga space for just a couple more moments before everyone adjusts and gets ready to step back into the noise. That is our version of it.
On your mat? This level of awareness of your effect on others gets you out of your own head and doesn’t cost anything and you feel more connected to those around you. That little contribution to others wellbeing ironically makes us all feel better.
- Gaman; enduring with grace
“Life is difficult” (immortal words of M. Scott Peck) but we persevere and if we can do it with dignity all the better; I confess I often lack dignity and grace myself. But I am aware of that (work in progress! Weelllllll… aren’t we all 😉 )
However, I see plenty who face their challenges without complaint. Theirs is is not a pretense that everything is dandy; it is a simple facing of the difficulty with composure. The acceptance of the difficulty is not a giving in; it is the letting go of resistance to the difficulty and in that letting go it loses its power over you and then you can work through it.
On your mat? This too you can bring to your yoga mat: acceptance, letting go, moving on.
- Mottainai; gratitude for what you have
For some this may not be so easy; there may never be ‘enough’ for them (you read about them in the media). Personally, everyone I know expresses gratitude and doesn’t take anything for granted. We have so much (stuff that is); but will there ever be enough time? I am most grateful that I feel I have so much purpose every day. But… deep down, I know I am just a terrible time waster; in 2026 I am going to consider and refine how I consume that most precious resource: ‘my time’. With that I will have more life in my time! I know this to be true; I have been there before. I do waste some of my time and yet that one period I don’t waste is the time I commit to my mat and the time I have on my mat (I want more of that, I can’t always have what I want so I make it count when I get it)! Everyday too I am grateful; smell of the countryside after the rain has cleaned it; the ‘change of seasons’; when my daughter gets in from her night out safe home again; any meal my husband has cooked for me. Feeling and expressing gratitude allows us to participate in the flow of life.
On your mat? Just mentally thanking the universe for allowing us to be able to do what we are doing in the moment; moving our body in a mindful way as far as it will go in the moment.
For Darren and I ? well we Thank YOU for giving us purpose!
- Ma; the beauty of empty space
The space between mats: the only thing you should bring into the Yoga room: mat, towel, water (maybe a tissue/handtowel if you need one). Everything else: EVERYTHING else is superfluous in the Yoga room; shoes, bags, straps, devices (except exceptions, read policy), hoodies; none of these things should be in the yoga room; keep the space between mats as ’a space’; ~ensure the space, ~nurture the space, ~enjoy the space.
‘Ma’ the space of the pause (verbal and mental) is most profound! We treat it as ‘doing nothing’ and so we ignore it, brush over it, try to eliminate it and yet maybe it is most essential and what gives the shape to our words, actions and experiences!
The pause between postures that gives meaning to the posture; the breath between action and Stillness. The ‘Stillness’ between action that allows the beautiful to become more obvious and defined; westerners love action; love to move all the time; want to be ‘Doing’ something’ all the time; Stillness is the way.
On your mat? Our Quiet Still time on the mat might be the only time some will allow themselves; let us not interfere with that. Make space for something else to get a look in and thoughts will become clearer, emotions will stabalise, creativity will deepen. With Ma ~ less is more! More ‘Ma’ Please 🙂
ALL these Japanese principles are practiced in our Yoga room: purpose, resilience, mindfulness, presence, conduct, compassion, self discipline, self improvement, acceptance, contentment.
Yōkoso to Bikram Yoga
Other relevant YM blogs:
Trisha 4/1/26