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Natural Growth — ACCJ Journal, Jun 2005

Tags press-archiveyogajayaaccj-journalenglish

Publication: ACCJ Journal (American Chamber of Commerce in Japan) — “Business Focus” section, p.55 Issue: June 2005 Article type: Business profile / feature By: Gabrielle Kennedy Photo: Patrick doing a handstand. Caption: “Patrick Oancia draws on yogic patience as he contemplates future expansion and diversification.” People named: Patrick Oancia

Summary

Section titled “Summary”

Full business profile of Patrick Oancia and YogaJaya, written approximately one year after the studio’s founding. Framed as a Business Focus piece for the American Chamber of Commerce audience.

Opening context: yoga has “hit Japan” after a delayed start; new companies are emerging to service the boom. YogaJaya is one of them.

Founding details: YogaJaya opened “a year ago in Aoyama” — placing the opening at approximately mid-2004. By June 2005: student list has topped 1,000; four instructors give 26 classes a week; three other staff work in administration.

Patrick described as “a Spanish Canadian.”

Key quotes

Section titled “Key quotes”

“My business is successful because I try to model it in a way that stays true to yoga’s essence.”

“At YogaJaya we are trying to build a platform on which anybody can come in and start practicing. It isn’t about vegetarianism, no smoking or no drinking. Yoga is really about letting the individual grow at his or her own pace.”

“It’s a matter of not alienating students or coming on too strong.”

On his approach to instructors: he is careful to appoint only instructors “who have spent the many hours required to become properly qualified.”

On growth: ten-percent growth per month is ideal; “realism and a sense of integrity are important to Oancia, and he is wary of too much success too soon.”

On future direction: ideas for further growth in the industry are about “better mind and body awareness.” His 10 years of yoga training has given him “the patience to wait for the right circumstances.”

Key details

Section titled “Key details”
  • YogaJaya founding: approximately mid-2004 (Aoyama); ~1 year old at time of writing
  • 1,000+ students by June 2005; 26 classes/week; 4 instructors; 3 admin staff
  • Patrick’s description: “a Spanish Canadian” — nationality stated explicitly for the first time in press
  • “10 years of yoga training” — places his start around 1995
  • Yoga Arts Pty. Ltd. collaboration: Yoga Arts of Byron Bay, Australia, sends “experienced teachers to Japan to oversee and assist in levels 1 and 2 teacher-training courses, which lead to accreditation by the International Yoga Alliance.” — Active teacher training program documented by June 2005
  • Philosophy: classes maintain “an even balance between westerners and Japanese, with a philosophy of respecting all faiths and creeds”
  • Marketing: word-of-mouth, not active outreach — “We don’t have to go looking for them”
  • Financial: opted to pay up front the ¥3 million capital requirement (limited company), declined the government incentive that waives it for 5 years
  • Japan yoga context: noted that yoga’s slow start in Japan was partly due to association with Aum Shinrikyo cult; changing public opinion is difficult
  • Satoko not named

Relevance notes

Section titled “Relevance notes”
  • The most substantive single-subject Patrick profile in the English archive (as of E12)
  • “Better mind and body awareness” as future direction is the earliest explicit articulation in the press of what became Baseworks — the article is written in 2005, and Patrick is already naming the direction
  • The “platform on which anybody can come in and start practicing” language — non-dogmatic, non-lifestyle, individual pace — is directly continuous with Baseworks framing
  • The Aum Shinrikyo comment explains a recurring restraint in Patrick’s public positioning: he is careful not to trigger association with cult-adjacent spirituality
  • Yoga Arts (Byron Bay) collaboration is the first mention of a teacher training partnership; this organization and its role in YogaJaya’s development is worth clarifying with Patrick
  • 10 years of training as of 2005 = started ~1995; “almost twenty years” in 2014-2015 would be consistent

Press page relevance

Section titled “Press page relevance”
  • patrick · yogajaya-history · method-philosophy · baseworks-overlap · press-page-lineage · press-page-featured
  • Tier 2 (strong supporting): Patrick as sole subject; business profile; philosophy extensively quoted; future direction named; major business publication for Tokyo international community
  • Strong candidate for press page — clear portrait of the founder and the philosophy at founding

Connections

Section titled “Connections”

Full Text & Translation

Section titled “Full Text & Translation”

Transcribed from PDF scan at 150 DPI. English article (ACCJ Journal); body text mostly legible. Uncertain words marked [?].

Full Text (English)

Section titled “Full Text (English)”

ACC journal

Natural Growth By Gabrielle Kennedy / Business Focus

After a delayed start, yoga has its place in Japan. As with the boom that made New York, Sydney and Los Angeles into yoga capitals, a wave of new companies is emerging to service the frenzy. Patrick Oancia’s studio, YogaJaya (from the Sanskrit, “union vanquishes”), opened a year ago in Harajuku. The studio’s client list has already topped 1,000. Four instructors give 26 classes a week, and three other staff work in administration. Oancia, a Spanish [Canadian?] location[?], is uneasy about the faddish interest associated with yoga.

“My business is successful because I try to mold it in a way that stays true to yoga’s essence,” he says. “We’re not going to start bringing in celebrities just so people want to show up. I’ve got enough of them already. We’re only looking for instructors who have spent the many hours required to become properly qualified.”

It is important to him. Yoga’s [entry point] in Japan was one of an unwary association with the notion of [being] “too thin, too [strong]” — coming from celebrity culture and shifting public opinion.

“It’s a matter of not allowing students to come in [only for the wrong reasons], explaining that [yoga is about] a true balance between [personal development and tradition]. With a philosophy of openness to all faiths and creeds.”

“At YogaJaya we try not to build a platform on which anybody can come in and start practicing,” he says. “It isn’t about representation, marketing or [trends]. Yoga is really about letting the individual grow.” Even the new students in Patrick’s class were mostly foreign, but classes attract people from a mix of backgrounds, age, gender and levels.

Oancia has established a collaboration with Yoga Arts Pty. Ltd. of Byron Bay, Australia. Yoga Arts will use Oancia’s experienced teachers to focus on overseas [programs] and assist in Levels 1 and 2 teacher training courses, which lead to accreditation by the International Yoga Alliance.

For the future, Oancia has ideas for further growth in the industry that are about “better mind and body awareness.” Meanwhile he says his 10 years of yoga training have given him the patience to wait for the right ambience.

[Photo caption: Patrick Oancia [poses before a yoga performance at a venue — text partially illegible]]

[Footer: Tokyo-based Gabrielle Kennedy writes for various publications on culture, society, and women’s issues.]