About Yoga Garden

Hi, I'm Patrick, senior teacher and owner of Yoga Garden. Thanks for stopping by. Here's how our studio works!

Yoga Garden opened its doors July 1st, 2005, with a simple philosophy; the practice of yoga is best learned in small classes with generous feedback and adjustment from teachers who know their students well.

Over the years we've stayed true to our original vision. We know all of our customers by name, we know their strong points and weak points. The classes remain small and intimate, and we've seen the results. Fulfilled teachers, happier students, and bodies becoming stronger and more supple with each lesson.

After every class, we keep a record of who came and what manner of poses were done. Using these class logs, we can design each lesson to fit the students' needs. So, for example, if the teacher sees that the previous week consisted of a lot of poses that stretched the legs, when that student returns for the current week attention might be shifted to the upper body. Thus, for regularly attending students the whole body will be accessed over the course of a few lessons. This level of detail is only possible because of the small class sizes and personal attention we can give each student.

We like to think about asana (poses) from the inside out. All too often students get wrapped up in the particular shape of a pose. We start from the inner workings of the movement; what muscles are active, which are resting, where is the body's center, what is the quality of the breath? In this manner our students come to not only understand the particular pose but how their bodies work at the fundamental levels.

When our students attend classes at retreats or other yoga studios, the teachers often remark on the quality and attention to detail within their asana and breath. This is the highest compliment we could receive and is what keeps us going!

Feel free to drop in for a trial lesson (1500 yen) anytime, no reservation needed. Be prepared to work hard, feel muscles you've forgotten you had, and experience the peaceful joy of using your most treasured possession, your one and only body.

Have a wonderful day.

-Patrick

History

Yoga Garden was founded by Gwen Bell and Patrick Reynolds.  

Gwen and Patrick met in university in 1999. In 2003 they moved to Japan to teach English in Tokyo. After a few months they relocated to Gunma prefecture, where, sadly, there was nowhere to do yoga and no one to teach it. So they decided to open a studio themselves, and began giving the community a chance to discover and explore yoga.

That studio, Paper Tiger Yoga, was such a success that Gwen and Patrick decided to open a studio in a larger city, while keeping the small community feeling of their first effort. In the summer of 2005, just days before their shared birthday, they opened Yoga Garden in Motomachi and have been enriching the Yokohama area with yoga and meditation ever since.

In 2007 Gwen returned to America and Patrick started running the studio full time. Since then a very select group of teachers has been gathered to deliver the highest quality lessons to those interested in learning the deep art of yoga.

To get a taste of our teachers, our style and the studio space check out any of the number of videos we've made to enrich student's practice all over the world. (More than half a million views to date!)