What is ISHTA Yoga?
A method that respects each individual and helps you find the yoga that suits you
Mint Mat Yoga Studio began when Be Yoga Japan — a studio loved in Hiroo, Tokyo for many years — closed its doors, and two of its members set out to carry ISHTA Yoga forward.
ISHTA Yoga is a method that respects who each person is, and looks for the practice that suits them.
Through our ISHTA classes we hope to help you come to know yourself, and find the practice that fits you. If you have questions about ISHTA Yoga, please ask any of our instructors.
What ISHTA Means
The word ISHTA carries two meanings.
The first is the Sanskrit word for "individual". The second is an acronym: An Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda.
Hatha
The style many schools of yoga trace back to, exploring harmony of mind and body through asana and breathing.
Tantra
A philosophy of yoga that honors all living things, and examines the self and the way we live.
Ayurveda
The life science of ancient India — a traditional medicine from India and Sri Lanka with five thousand years of history.
ISHTA brings all three together. It carries on traditional schools such as Hatha and Tantra, while aiming at a health and beauty that is your own — choosing asana, breathing and meditation to suit each person.
The History of ISHTA
ISHTA Yoga was founded by Alan Finger, and Kumiko Mack is its leading teacher in Japan.
Alan's father, Mani Finger, took up the teachings of yoga after Paramhansa Yogananda foretold that he and his son would one day teach it. Alan began teaching after years of study in classical methods — Kriya Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, Laya Yoga and Tantra philosophy.
Yoga held so many techniques and approaches, though, that Alan and Mani saw the need to bring what they had studied into a system. That system became ISHTA — a practice built on choosing the poses, meditation and breathing that suit each individual. Alan founded Yoga Works in Los Angeles, then moved to New York and started Be Yoga.
Carrying Alan's intention forward, Kumiko Mack founded Be Yoga Japan in 2001, and for many years it drew a growing following in Hiroo, Tokyo. The studio has since closed, and she now holds teacher training courses and workshops around the country.
Partly quoted from the Be Yoga Japan website
What Sets ISHTA Yoga Apart
All three pillars, carefully
Asana, breathing and meditation — the three pillars of yoga — each get their own attention, worked through carefully and grounded in theory. Every class ends with time for meditation, and the instructor chooses the technique that suits the day and the room.
Taught to the individual
True to the meaning of the word, asana is taught to suit each person. Alignment draws on anatomy, and there are plenty of modifications, so you can work safely and at your own pace. Blocks, straps, blankets and bolsters help each student find a shape that feels right at their level.
Vinyasa and flow
Most classes follow a vinyasa or flow style, linking breath and movement as you move through the poses.
An Ayurvedic view
Classes are built with Ayurveda in mind, taking the season, your constitution and how you are today into account. Alongside the movement, the related philosophy and Ayurveda are introduced in plain terms.