Chie is originally from Yokohama in Tokyo, Japan and travelled to Canada after she graduated International Business in Japan in 1994. After 18 years she finally calls Canada home.
In Japanese culture it is customary for the eldest child to stay at home and look after the family. Because of this Chie originally thought her time in Canada was temporary and that eventually she would return to her home country. But as time went by she invested in a mountain bike which helped teach her to enjoy herself and make the most of her time here in Canada. Following that she studied yoga and her perspective changed even more and she came to feel that she could stay in Canada if that was what felt right; home is wherever the heart is.
Chie’s introduction into yoga was a gradual one; she started initially with pilates because she had heard it was very popular in Japan. She attended morning classes at the Rimrock where she was working and over time she tried yoga and found she much preferred it. Chie found that she loved how yoga made her live in the present as well as the philosophy behind the class. Yoga blended together everything that Chie wanted to learn more about; physical exercise, breath technic and philosophy.
“Yoga is like dental floss. Mental floss. Don’t go too deep but do it often.”
After her first experience of yoga Chie was hooked. She wanted to attend more classes but found it difficult to attend them around her work schedule, so she took a class that would enable her to teach herself safe practice. The class she attended in Calgary allowed her to meet new people and make friends in the city which helped her feel more at home and relaxed in a country so foreign from her own. In July 2009, after 10 months of training she was qualified to teach and a registered yoga instructor in North America. Chie took one more step to calling Canada home, she studied and graduated in this country and had learnt lots about herself and met friends along the way.
From there her career flourished. She came from teaching staff at the local hospital to the Caribou Lodge and Rimrock classes and onto a steady two classes a week at the Rocky Mountain Yoga Studio here in Banff.
In the future Chie looks to travel to Australia and act as a translator for a Japanese-Australian teachers course based in Lombay, near Sydney. In her free time she loves to travel and heads to Europe every year to practice yoga and meet friends. She also enjoys downhill mountain biking, swimming, skiing and snowboarding; anything that total consumes her and allows her to truly live in the moment. Chie also hopes to teach a Japanese class here in Canada as well as bring more yoga to community members and tourists alike.
We’re excited to have Chie onboard and wish all the success to her!
