How Mint Mat Began

We’re starting a Studio Blog at Mint Mat!

01Introducing Our Studio Blog

Through this blog, we hope to share the knowledge, experiences, and personal reflections of our teachers — things that don’t always come up during our regular classes.

For our first post, I’d like to share a little about how Mint Mat came to be.

02Discovering New York’s Fitness Culture

My journey with yoga began in 2018, when I was working in New York.

One of the things that struck me most about the city was its fitness culture. People would wake up early to hit the gym or take yoga, Pilates, or barre classes before heading to work. Even with busy schedules, exercise seemed to be a natural part of everyday life. Having worked in Tokyo for years, I found this lifestyle new and inspiring.

In industries like consulting and finance, both physical stamina and mental resilience are essential.

I started trying different classes, from barre to yoga, wanting to build the stamina and physical confidence to keep up with the pace of life in Manhattan and the people around me. As exercise became part of my routine, even on busy days, I began to notice how much it improved my everyday life. I found myself wishing there were more options like these in Japan, and wondering if I could one day bring a little of this fitness culture back home.

03Finding a Sense of Comfort Through Yoga

While I was living in New York, I once returned to Tokyo for just two nights. Stiff after a long flight, I looked for a yoga studio in Tokyo.

I still remember how refreshed I felt afterward. There was something reassuring about being able to practice yoga even when I was in a different country.

But practicing yoga offers more than just physical benefits.

I practiced at Sonic Yoga, just a few minutes’ walk from Columbus Circle. I was a very quiet student who would go just for the class, but I still found the atmosphere warm and welcoming. Yoga gave me a peaceful moment to focus on myself.

At work, I was constantly being evaluated based on how my performance compared with that of my peers. In yoga class, I didn’t feel that pressure to compare myself with anyone. I could simply be myself, and I found that incredibly comforting.

After returning to Japan, I began practicing at Be Yoga Japan, an ISHTA studio in Hiroo.

04From a Small Project to a Studio in Hiroo

When Be Yoga Japan closed in 2019, I suddenly found myself without my usual place to practice. Not long after, the COVID-19 pandemic began, changing so much about our daily lives.

Around that time, I had an opportunity to take a sabbatical from work. I decided to explore an idea I’d had for a while — doing something in the fitness space — as a small personal project.

We held classes in borrowed spaces in Roppongi and Daikanyama, and I originally imagined it would be a temporary project.

Then a friend found an available space in Hiroo and encouraged me to take the next step: “Why not have a space of your own?”

That friend is now my Founding Partner, and we run Mint Mat together.

05Making Time for Our Physical and Mental Well-Being

Through my own experience, I’ve come to realize that the benefits of regular exercise go far beyond physical fitness.

Staying active gives me a sense of confidence, and when I feel good physically, I often find I have a little more room to find my balance when work and everyday life get hectic.

At Mint Mat, yoga isn’t only about how beautiful or advanced a pose looks (although that is always fun!).

Our teachers and community value seeing and respecting each person as an individual — their body, their circumstances, and what they might be going through.

Every body is different, and so is how we feel from one day to the next. We want to offer thoughtful, high-quality classes that meet people where they are.

06Our Community, and What’s Ahead

One of the most rewarding parts of running the studio has been seeing how many students have continued to come back week after week, some for years. If practicing yoga at Mint Mat has become part of their routine and makes their daily lives even a little better, that makes me really happy.

We want to preserve what makes Mint Mat special while continuing to learn and improve. Our understanding of the body and the way yoga is taught continue to change. Society changes too, and the pandemic has shown us just how much our lifestyles and values can shift.

Through this Studio Blog, we want to share our evolving perspectives on yoga and what it means to us in the context of our everyday lives in the city, beyond what we learn from textbooks or traditional teachings.

Each of our teachers brings their own experiences and knowledge, and we hope this blog can make your time on the mat even more meaningful.