齊藤 美香 Mika Saito
Leader of mountain and yoga retreats at Permaculture Farm in Hokuto City, Yamanashi
Bio
While a graduate student, Mika Saito wandered the world by herself and discovered yoga in Rishikesh, India. After returning to Japan, she obtained the Yoga Alliance RYT200 certification and began working as a yoga teacher. Mika has planned and managed yoga events; she established "ëighten," a community that connects people with nature, themselves, and their friends; and she has presided over mountain and yoga retreats, which combine mountain climbing and yoga. In July 2021, she moved her base from Tokyo to Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, where she is currently experimenting with a lifestyle in which nature and people can be enriched together through farming and the restoration of a 100-year-old private home, based on the concept of permaculture.
Message
My field is around Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture. I offer a variety of programs in nature, including yoga classes, mountain climbing, field work, and restoration of old houses. All yoga classes are held outdoors, in a garden with the mountains of the Southern Alps and Yatsugatake in the background, in a field full of the life force of plants, or on a mountain where you can feel the energy of Mother Nature. It is a time to connect with nature and prepare your own mind and body. All classes are set up for all levels, so anyone can participate, from beginners to those who are physically fit. We hope to give you the experience of understanding your own mind and body, and to bring this understanding into your daily life, both on and off the mat.
Guide Q&A
Q: What is your most memorable experience in nature?
Seeing that when I mixed vegetable scraps from my daily life with fallen leaves and let them sit, they returned to the soil. The realization that garbage does not exist in nature.
Q: What does nature represent to you?
It is not something that is a destination, but something that is always with us.
Q: What has nature taught you?
That we humans are tiny but unique.
Q: What do you hope that people will get out of experiences with you as a guide?
I hope that people will realize that they are part of nature and gain a mindset of valuing themselves as they are. In ancient Japan, the word "nature" was read as "jinen," which means "the state of things as they are.” The idea was that nature is always close to us and is just the way it is. Therefore, if we can learn to cherish nature in the same way that we cherish our family and friends, we can also cherish ourselves as we are. I would be happy if more people can live with this kind of mindset through their experiences with nature.
