- yoko: an intro
I've been teaching yoga since 1996.  Currently I teach weekly public classes at Nest Yoga in Oakland and The Yoga Room in Berkeley (Please check the Teaching Schedule page for further info). 

Hello. My name is Yoko Yoshikawa.  I'm an omnivorous reader, a mother to a college-bound daughter, stepmother and a second-generation Japanese American who speaks and reads Japanese. We have a well-loved tuxedo cat named Fez.  

I've taught yoga philosophy to aspiring yoga teachers, worked with women prisoners in Pleasanton and taught asana to the staff of The Yoga Journal.  I've also worked with mothers with toddlers, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities.  

Nowadays I seem to be devoting as much time to one-on-one private sessions as public classes.  It has been a fascinating 20-plus years of study. I really enjoy working with students so closely and particularly appreciate the longer-term relationships.  There are some who have been working with me for 15 years or more.  

I am so grateful.  

 New Workshop -- Sunday, May 5 @ Nest Yoga Oakland -- 
       Yoga for 50+:
        Balance, Posture, Core    

As it so happens, right now every student with whom I am working regularly, one-on-one, is over the age of 55. I'm part of the same demographic -- closer now to 60 than 50.  

I am inspired to teach this workshop, Yoga for 50+, because of my students. I have been impressed by the level of dedication and seriousness I find in this group of mature practitioners.  

Their capacity for focus more than makes up for the fact that they're not as agile or strong as they once were. The one great thing about getting older is that (with some exceptions) we are smarter. Steadier. We're ripe for yoga asana at this time of life.  After all, at its root yoga is a process and practice of training a steady mind, laser-clear, on the moment, honed on how it is unfolding in the body.    

This workshop on May 5 is the first of a series which I hope to teach over 9 months' time. On May 5, we will locate and work from the deep core musculature of the torso, explore balancing in standing poses and strengthen the upper back with supported backbends.  
 
The next two workshops in the series will be this fall and next spring, respectively.  We will work on twists, inversions, forward bends, sun salutations, breath work and some philosophy. Stay tuned!  

Please go to the Workshops page in this website for more information about the May 5 workshop and how to sign up for it.  Thank you.