受講者の声 #1 Chiharuさん
Stories in Japan - #1 Chiharu Text in English to Follow
Q: 自己紹介をお願いします
Chiharuさん：
東京でキッズから大人の方までを対象に、さまざまなヨガ教室を開催しています。
娘がろう児、息子がダウン症のある子です。二人が生まれてから私の人生が大きく変化して、ミラクルな生活に心躍る楽しい日々を過ごしています。
息子は現在小学6年生、手足が長くスマートで、これはヨガのおかげかな？とうれしく思っています。
心の面でも切り替えがよく、集中力もあって、たまにめちゃくちゃな時もありますが、自分で呼吸で調整したり、OMと言って目を閉じてみたり、彼の中でヨガが生きているのをいつも実感しています。
Q: 受講のきっかけやSonia先生との出会いについて教えてください
Chiharuさん：
2017年にYoga for the Special Childのプログラムが日本で開催されることを知り、息子に必要なことで、プラス誰かの役に立つならと、受講を決めました。
そのときは、最終日にSonia先生が来てくれて初対面しました。Sonia先生のなんとも言えない包容力に圧倒されたのを覚えています。
Q: Sonia先生から学んだことは何ですか？
Chiharuさん：
実際にSonia先生の講座を受けたのは2019年頃。初めての子どもたちとのセッションでも瞬時に心を通わせリードするその圧倒的なエネルギーを目の当たりにして、これまでの経験の深さとテクニックに感銘を受けました。
セッション時の子どもたちのキラキラ輝く姿も目に焼き付いています。
一番印象深かったのは、どんなことをするかの前に私たちがどう在るか。子どもたちを信頼しているか。まっさらな目で見ているか。
そこが一番大切なこと。そして、「いつもクリエイティブに！」と。今、さまざまなクラスでも忘れずに心にとどめています。
Yoga for the Special Child: Stories in Japan
#1 Chiharu
Q: Please introduce yourself.
Chiharu:
My name is Chiharu. I teach various yoga classes in Tokyo to both kids and adults.
I have a daughter who is deaf, and my son has Down syndrome. Ever since they were born, my life has completely changed. Now I enjoy a life with full of miracles and happiness.
My son is now in his 6th grade. He has a rangy and slim body, and I believe it is thanks to yoga.
He is emotionally stable, and able to switch negative emotions into good ones. He is also very focused. Sometimes he gets distracted, but he controls his emotions by using his breath, or by closing his eyes and chanting OM to himself. I feel that yoga is rooted in him.
Q: Tell us how you got to take a Yoga for the Special Child program and what your impression of Sivakami Sonia Sumar was when you first met her.
Chiharu:
I happened to know that a Yoga for the Special Child program would be held in Japan in 2017. I decided to take the course thinking it was something necessary for my son and that it could also help other children.
I met Sivakami for the first time on the last day of the course. I remember myself being astonished by her warm and encompassing energy.
Q: What are some of the things you learned from Sivakami?
Chiharu:
It was in 2019 when I actually took a course taught by Sivakami. I was impressed to witness how she builds connection with the kids she just met in her yoga class. It was a breathtaking experience to see her overwhelming energy as well as the depth of her expertise and techniques in working with children with additional needs.
I was also impressed by the happy faces of the children during the yoga sessions.
What inspired me the most was what she taught me about the things a teacher should always keep in his/her mind: how we are as a person is much more important than what we do. Do you trust the child in front of you? Do you look at the child with fresh eyes?
Those are the most important things. She also said, "Always be creative." I always keep these in my mind when I teach.