Practicing yoga in parks, stadiums and other outdoor facilities is a popular way to release stress in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. <\/p>\n
One Friday evening at Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, some 1,000 people took part in a session of \"night yoga,\" an event held a few times a month. <\/p>\n
\"Control your breathing, release the tension in your mind and body,\" instructor Arisa Takada, 24, said through a microphone to participants gathering in the home field of the Yakult Swallows professional baseball team. <\/p>\n
Guided by her voice, and while listening to therapeutic music, people filling the outfield area moved like waves in the stadium lights. <\/p>\n
The program, sponsored by companies, is free of charge and requires no reservation or yoga experience. Some participants were in yoga gear and some others were in T-shirts and short pants. <\/p>\n
The most relaxing moment seemed to come when they lay flat on their back on the lawn in a pose called Shavasana, looking up at the night sky while the lights and the music went out. <\/p>\n
\"It was great. I felt like I connected to the universe,\" said a woman in her 30s after joining the event with her colleague. <\/p>\n
The atmosphere of the stadium creates a \"hideaway from the city because the stands seal you from the outside,\" instructor Takada said. \"You have a feeling of unity with others.\" <\/p>\n
\"Jingu Stadium Night Yoga\" has been organized by a sporting event management company since last year to help promote the local area. <\/p>\n
Some local businesspeople have worried about a stagnant feeling in the area since the National Stadium, the main venue for the 1964 Olympics, was demolished in 2015 to build a new facility for the 2020 Olympics. <\/p>\n
The organizers plan to hold 10 yoga sessions between May and September, inviting instructors including Ken Harakuma, a well-known yoga practitioner. <\/p>\n
The event has been popular from the beginning with the number of participants at a single session peaking at some 1,300. <\/p>\n
The participants are mostly women in their 30s to 50s who join after work, but there are also men and older people. <\/p>\n
A photo session to help them upload their photos of the event on social media is also popular, organizers say. <\/p>\n
There are a number of other outdoor yoga events. <\/p>\n
The PARK YOGA website posts such events held in places such as Shinjuku Gyoen park in Tokyo, Yamashita Park in Yokohama, Nakanoshima Park in Osaka and Ohori Park in Fukuoka. <\/p>\n
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Urbanites flock to outdoor yoga to release stress - Japan Today<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Practicing yoga in parks, stadiums and other outdoor facilities is a popular way to release stress in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. One Friday evening at Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, some 1,000 people took part in a session of \"night yoga,\" an event held a few times a month. Continue reading