“Unforgettable Valentine’s Day”

There is a strong tradition among women giving chocolates to men on Valentine’s Day in Japan. When my husband was alive, he was often given expensive chocolates by his female co-workers. Of course, I would give him expensive ones, too. We enjoyed eating expensive chocolates together on Valentine’s Day, which we never did on ordinary days.

After my husband passed away, I felt extremely lonely, especially on this day. I would always hope that it would pass quickly. I suffered all the time during those days.

One day I started yoga, and then it restored my peace of mind gradually. This activity also introduced a trustworthy yoga teacher and many yoga friends. They helped me to reduce what I felt.　

One time, when Valentine's Day was coming soon, my yoga teacher planned to hold a tea party after the lesson. It would be held on Valentine’s Day. I came up with crocheting bookmarks as Valentine presents for them. I felt very happy that I could enjoy preparing for this special day.

I finished crocheting them by Valentine's Eve. I attached message cards to each of them.

When I gave them my crocheted presents, they liked them very much. Their smiles were so memorable, and made me happy. I was able to overcome my loneliness knowing that I had some people to celebrate that Valentine’s Day with me. It was a very unforgettable day.

I think from the bottom of my heart, it is very nice that we can celebrate Valentine’s Day with people whom we love. On this day, we give love and share the love we have to those who are in need of it.

“My lifework - Iyengar Yoga And English – “

For 26 years, I had been an English teacher of a junior high school. Because of overwork and stress, I developed depression 12 years ago. Moreover, my husband suddenly died 5 years ago. Since my husband’s death made my sickness worse, I couldn’t teach anymore. I wasn’t able to teach English after that because I completely lost my self confidence. I shut off my mind from everything.

I thought my life had already ended. I lived without hope, purpose and pleasure from then on. I had lived a hopeless life for three years. However, I hated that I couldn’t stop living hopelessly. Finally, one day, I decided to stop it by making major changes and doing something new.

That something new was just Iyengar Yoga.

Before, I only knew vaguely that yoga is very good for the body and mind, I wasn’t even aware of Iyengar Yoga at all. By coincidence, the nearest yoga class from my place was Iyengar Yoga.

I had a trial lesson. It was hard for me at first but I felt comfortable as the class ended. My yoga teacher listened to my problems kindly and advised me sincerely after the trial lesson. After that, I decided to join his yoga class.

Before I started yoga, I had suffered from depression, weight gain and stiff body due to lack of exercise but the lessons gradually improved me. I began to look forward to yoga lessons every time. In only 3 months, it changed me dramatically. I began to lose weight and became more flexible; moreover my mind felt more calm.

One day, a Russian friend of my teacher’s joined our yoga class. She is also a very good Iyengar Yoga teacher and we had to speak English to communicate with her. We hesitated to speak to her at first but I tried to talk to her. Luckily, she advised me during the class and I was very glad we could communicate in English.

Since Iyengar Yoga is international, many foreign visitors would also visit our yoga class. I had good opportunities to communicate with them in English.

These experiences inspired me. I decided to continue learning English again and I started international communication volunteer work, too. Likewise, I resumed to teaching as a volunteer English teacher once a week.  Gradually I regained my self-confidence.

I believe Iyengar Yoga revived my life.

Unfortunately, Mr. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar Yoga, passed away on August 20^th, 2014. Mr. Iyengar is a worldwide yoga leader, and he’s especially well-known in India, Europe and America. However, his achievement isn’t well-known in Japan.

Famous foreign media reported his death widely. His close students and friends wrote about their memories of him. I translated four of their articles into Japanese and posted them online. I wanted to share these with my fellow Japanese who are also learning Iyengar Yoga. Even though my translation wasn’t really good, I am honored that I can contribute in informing people of Mr. Iyengar’s achievement.

Iyengar Yoga inspired and encouraged me to learn English again and in return, English helps me to inform people of Mr. Iyengar’s achievement. I’m happy that Iyengar Yoga and English both complement and work well with each other. Now I consider both Iyengar Yoga and English as my lifework.

 

"My father"

My father is very kind and diligent. Moreover, he never loses his passion for knowledge.

When he was young, he attended the evening course in Ritsumeikan University because he couldn’t afford to go to the day course. But even though he was already taking the night classes, his money was not enough to support his tuition fee. He had to earn not only for his own education but also for the everyday expense of his family. His father (my grandfather) asked him to quit school. He had no choice to give up his studies. If he had continued for six months more, he could have graduated from Ritsumeikan University. He had regretted having left the university without a degree for a long time.

When he was 69, he fortunately found a course for a mature age students at Ritsumeikan University. About half of a century has passed since he left his university, he decided to try again and take  the entrance examination in the same university but failed. Yet, he never gave up. Without losing his hope, he prepared and studied hard planning to give it another try and in the following year, he took the exam again and passed. There was not enough word to describe his great joy for his success. One of the newspapers published an article about my father’s success.

He was a 70- year old university student. I thought he was one of the most hard-working and enthusiastic student in his university. Whenever I visited his house, he was always studying. He was never absent from school except his older sister’s funeral. Though it took four and a half years, at last he graduated from Ritsumeikan University.

His experience teaches us that it is never too late to start something. Our family members are proud of him and we hope he lives longer and happily.

 

 

“ Full Heart “

As my grandmother was respectable, talented, powerful and very stubborn, she controlled my family.

All family members had to obey her opinion even though we didn't want to.

Even though she loved me, she never allowed me to express my will. She gave me a stable and well paved road that she believed it was the best. I had endured her domination for a long time, as a result, I lost my will and hope. I missed my free mind. I grew accustomed to obey my grandmother, thus I couldn't decide anything by myself.

It was very hard for me to grasp my free mind again, I had suffered from my empty heart. Even if I was well provided for, I thirsted for my hope.

I lived over half of my life, one day, I encountered Iyengar yoga. I felt very comfortable when I practiced it. That comfortable feeling was very impressive for me. My muscles were stretched deeply and my chest was opened in every lesson.

As time passed by, my body became flexible and my mind got calmer. Gradually, I came to try to experience what I felt interesting and got self confidence from it. I became more cheerful and enjoyed doing a lot of things.

To tell the truth, I concealed my real hope because of fearing to fail even then. I have hoped to become a novelist since I was a little girl. The reason is because I want to express my feeling and opinion. Moreover, I like people to read my work, and get the peace of mind by writing novels, along with the hope of giving it to my readers.

One day, I posted my written works to the website for writers bravely. I believed I don't have to be afraid of the possible failure that I could get.

I noticed that Iyengar yoga gave me the peace of mind. I believe peace of mind liberated my mind from mental domination. I want to enjoy writing novels from the bottom of my heart. Now my heart is filled with hope.

 

“ Sky Blue Kimono “

One day, the woman received a wedding invitation from her cousin’s daughter. She and her cousin grew up like sisters.

As the woman doesn’t have family and work, and lives alone and quietly in the suburb, she hesitated to go to such festive occasion.

Since the woman knew her cousin was divorced, and she raised her daughter by herself, she wants to congratulate her cousin’s daughter from the bottom of her heart.

Although feeling a little hesitant, she still decided to attend.

As the day gets closer, she regretted responding that she would attend. It is customary in Japan for the guests to give monetary gifts to the married couple when they are attending wedding ceremonies. Having no work and just living a simple life, this custom has been the main cause of hesitancy, and it would certainly force her to borrow money she needs from friend or family. Another reason is that she doesn’t have any decent clothes to wear. The time passed by without her having any preparation for the wedding ceremony.

The day of wedding ceremony was coming very soon, the woman remembered her mother's sky blue kimono which she used to wear in the entrance and graduation ceremony. The woman took out her mother’s sky blue kimono out of the closet and checked it. Even though it was old, it was still beautiful enough to put it on for festive occasions. When she tried it on, she thought she looked like her beautiful mother. Suddenly she got excited and forgot to congratulate her cousin’s daughter.

Yet in an instant, she felt another emotion sweeping in with a man's figure which began to occupy her heart.

From then on, she booked a professional stylist to manage her hair and help her with the kimono. She has raised money from monetary gifts.

In the morning before the wedding ceremony, the woman had her hair set beautifully to be fit into her mother's sky blue kimono. After wearing the kimono on, she put a bright rose lipstick which she rarely did.

The very common woman in usual became very attractive as if she were a different person.

The woman was very sorry to her cousin's daughter because she hadn't paid any attention to the wedding since the woman tried to wear the sky blue kimono. The wedding ceremony was very nice and heartful but her heart was full of a man's figure.

After the wedding, she called a taxi and told the address which was not her but the man's.

She realized, "The time has come."

After getting off the taxi, she walked fast to the man's house while paying attention not to ruin the perfect appearance kimono. The woman wanted the man to look at her while wearing her mother's sky blue kimono and decided to confess.

“ I love you. “


                                                                The End

“A connection through yoga.”

One of my close yoga friends left our town because her husband was transferred overseas. We learned Iyengar yoga which respects the alignment, precision and sequence together.　We had her last lesson, although I drowned in sadness. We made sure we would make the most out of her last day of her yoga class in Japan.

I　can still remember clearly the day when she came to our yoga class. I wrote in my diary back then, "A beautiful foreign lady came to our yoga class today!! I hope she could join us." Gladly, she joined our class, however, she couldn’t understand our teacher’s instruction well at the beginning, so I sometimes explained to her in English what to do next.

As we became friends soon, I found out that she is not only beautiful but also very kind and diligent, furthermore she has passion for Iyengar yoga as much as I have. During our classes she always puts her yoga mat right next to me so I can be her partner. I clearly remember whenever we encouraged each other towards self improvement.

 When she's about to leave Japan, I made an effort to personally handcrafted a card that I gave her.　On a card I painted pansys and included a short poem which says ” The flowers never forget warm sunshine even if cold wind blows”. As pansy keeps blooming lovely from the late autumn to the late spring while enduring cold wind and snow, I thought this flower fits her. I believe that she would continue practicing Iyengar yoga even in the foreign country like how this flower stands different situations in life.

I've experienced the parting from close yoga friends sometimes. Since parting is always sad, I used to suffer from the pain caused by separation. However, I came to understand the connection through yoga gradually. I believe that we could practice yoga together someday as long as we continue it.

Now I feel bonded with her through yoga. We are separated for a while, but we are always  connected as long as we practice yoga. I look forward to practicing yoga with her again and I hope her new life is happy.

Yoga gave me nice encounters and connections. Now I can feel my yoga friends close even though we are far apart because I believe yoga can be a bridge for our connection.

“Crocheting Sometimes Symbolizes a Human Life.”

I've just finished crocheting the doily with pineapple pattern.

I had to use thin yarn and a hook to crochet it, moreover the pineapple pattern was a little complicated.

Usually, I make mistakes when I crochet with simple patterns because since I feel I already memorized the patterns, so it makes me careless as I crochet it quickly. As a result, I have to untie the crocheted cloth and then endure a long time to do the same over again.

When I crocheted the doily with a pineapple pattern, I tried to be careful, so I checked the pattern many times because I know it is very complicated. Therefore, I rarely made a mistake in spite of the complicated pineapple pattern.

I didn't crochet a pineapple pattern as quickly as I did a simple pattern but I finished crocheting the doily with a pineapple one sooner than latter. There is an old saying, "More haste, less speed."

Our crochet teacher often told us that we shouldn't hasten in crocheting and reexamine our work as well as our life. I remember her words whenever I make careless mistakes, especially when I have to untie a lot. I think crocheting sometimes symbolizes a human life.