Lohas Way article by Satoko Horie — Summer 2012
Publication: Lohas Way (Japanese wellness/lifestyle magazine; LOHAS = Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Issue: Summer 2012 Article type: First-person biographical essay — written BY Satoko Horie By: Satoko Horie People named: Satoko Horie (author/subject); Patrick Oancia (founder, described in relation to Satoko’s journey); Anna Halprin (Tamalpa Institute, expressive arts teacher) Photos: (1) Group of students seated in circle on mats, YogaJaya studio (© YogaJaya watermark); (2) Headstand/handstand with assistance in studio (© YogaJaya watermark)
Summary
Section titled “Summary”Three-section biographical essay: Satoko traces her life from a peripatetic childhood through an advertising career to her discovery of yoga and eventual entry into YogaJaya in 2007. The essay is the most personal account of Satoko’s background in the entire press archive.
Full text — three sections
Section titled “Full text — three sections”THE BEGINNING
Section titled “THE BEGINNING”“My life has been filled with so much stimulation some may consider to be insurmountable. Born in France to Japanese parents; raised across a diverse mix of continents and cultural settings in Asia, North America, Europe and Africa; I have been both challenged and blessed with exposure to a wide range of life experiences. Despite being constantly on the move, having to change lifestyles and environments every two to four years, I somehow came to the point of realizing that the external factors in my life were becoming increasingly insignificant in relation to what lay within me and what I was learning through my journey.”
“Random exposure to radically different cultures, social structures, and media, forced me to search inside myself and to question my preconceptions in order to accept and eventually appreciate seemingly contradictory ideas and views of life.”
“Although deeply immersing myself into each society and culture to which I was exposed, I long struggled with the inability to feel genuinely at home in a sociocultural sense. This led me to see through and beyond superficial differences and limitations, instead of trying to fit into existing structures. Eventually I came to the realization that it is most important to focus upon the similarities among people, instead of obsessing on the apparent differences.”
“Another strong realization that came upon me, was that what we do with our lives (i.e. our perusal of true passion), and how we approach them, with what kind of intention, was more valuable then where I was or who I was with…”
“Hence I would say that my yogic journey of persistent self-inquiry and shifting awareness was always transparently inherent in my life.”
THE JOURNEY
Section titled “THE JOURNEY”“My discovery of ‘yoga’ as a tangible concept began when I visited India in early 2000. Although I never became obsessively attached to any one style of hatha yoga, as it gradually started to become a part of my life, my curiosity for the underlying philosophy grew. This led me to join a month-long raw-food retreat as part of a program called Vibrant Living Yoga Teacher Training, in Bali. That training in turn triggered my decision to completely change the course and aims of my life.”
”…I parted from my 6-year career as a strategic planner in the advertising industry, turning instead toward a whole new world of self-inquiry and self-rediscovery through YogaJaya, an amazingly dynamic Tokyo-based yoga studio founded by Patrick Oancia, my teacher/mentor, boss/colleague, and dear friend.”
“Whenever I encounter people, I often ask the question, ‘What are the three most important aspects of life that are needed to achieve fulfillment?’ For me, these three elements have always been: challenge, learning and stimulation. And despite seeking out situations and experiences that offer these elements, I had never so completely succeeded in finding what I had been looking for before I my encounter with YogaJaya in 2007. To this day, I am most grateful for this discovery.”
“Running a grassroots yoga studio that stays true to its vision within the constraints of a modern business framework is not an easy task. Yet the rewards have so outweighed the challenges, and this has always been the source of my energy to strive forward.”
THE PASSION
Section titled “THE PASSION”“The idea of teaching yoga had never really occurred to me as something I would be doing as a key part of my life. I had always resisted the idea of the ‘yoga industry’ pumping out teachers into a market in a seemingly mass-production-like manner. No matter how comprehensive any teacher-training program might seem, graduating from a couple of hundred hours of training just didn’t seem to do justice to a documented philosophy ranging back as many as 8,000 years.”
“However when the situation appeared in front of me to teach, I realized that whatever the environment, be it a public drop-in class or a specialized program, the act of teaching is itself an opportunity for the teacher to learn more… far more than what the teacher might be conveying to the students.”
“Furthermore, the opportunity to learn, practice and teach YogaJaya Baseworks, a hatha yoga system created by Patrick Oancia, has also been extremely rewarding. YogaJaya Baseworks focuses on structural alignment, raising awareness in practice, and establishing both strength and flexibility. The fact that it is so accessible to any individual from any walk of life, while at the same time offering a sound base for any further form of practice – without in any way dogmatically limiting one’s options – is something I find unique among hatha yoga traditions. Not only is YogaJaya Baseworks a sound foundation for all that we offer at YogaJaya studio, it is also a platform for the YogaJaya International Intensive Teacher Trainings, thus making it an unexpectedly dynamic and integrated experience for students of all levels.”
“In addition to teaching physical yoga, my journey has also led me to integrate my passion for art and expression into my yoga. Raised by a mother who was and remains an artist, being constantly exposed to artistic expressions of all modalities since my childhood, art has become an inseparable part of my life. My discovery, encounter, and opportunity to study under Anna Halprin at the Tamalpa Institute further led me into the ‘expressive arts’. I see expressive art as an output generated by deep self-inquiry, based on whatever modality one chooses to use as a creative expression of what lies within us.”
“The overlap of yoga and the expressive arts as a modality for even deeper self-inquiry is perhaps what interests me most and drives me to find a way to bind them together as modalities with a capacity and even a tendency to supplement each other.”
“And so, no matter the length of the road I have already traveled, I see my journey as having only just begun, constantly evolving, moment by moment. In a couple of years from now, if I am asked to write about this topic once again, I predict that I will express myself in a completely different manner, perhaps even contradicting some of what I have written here. And indeed, I hope that this would be the case, because without ever-deepening inner change, without an awareness and acknowledgement that we are fundamentally evolving, none of our lives can ever attain their true depth or ultimate significance.”
Key details
Section titled “Key details”CRITICAL — First published naming of “YogaJaya Baseworks”
Section titled “CRITICAL — First published naming of “YogaJaya Baseworks””This is the first and only article in the entire press archive to name “YogaJaya Baseworks” as a distinct hatha yoga system. It describes the system’s focus in three terms:
- Structural alignment
- Raising awareness in practice
- Establishing both strength and flexibility
These three foci are the direct public precursors to the Baseworks method description. The accessibility claim (“accessible to any individual from any walk of life”) and the non-limiting quality (“without in any way dogmatically limiting one’s options”) match Baseworks positioning exactly.
Satoko’s full biography — most complete statement in the archive
Section titled “Satoko’s full biography — most complete statement in the archive”| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | France |
| Parentage | Japanese |
| Raised | Asia, North America, Europe, Africa |
| Pattern | Changed environment every 2-4 years |
| Career (prior) | 6-year strategic planner in advertising industry |
| Yoga start | India, early 2000 |
| Teacher training | Vibrant Living Yoga Teacher Training, Bali (raw food, month-long) |
| YogaJaya entry | 2007 |
| Expressive arts | Tamalpa Institute under Anna Halprin |
| Art background | Mother is an artist; art central since childhood |
Patrick named and characterized (third-party — Satoko’s words)
Section titled “Patrick named and characterized (third-party — Satoko’s words)”“Patrick Oancia, my teacher/mentor, boss/colleague, and dear friend”
Four distinct roles named: teacher, mentor, boss (employer), colleague (peer/collaborator). “Dear friend” — personal relationship acknowledged. This is the only place in the press archive where someone other than Patrick himself (or a journalist at arm’s length) characterizes the relationship with him.
YogaJaya Baseworks description — most precise public statement
Section titled “YogaJaya Baseworks description — most precise public statement”“a hatha yoga system created by Patrick Oancia”
The phrase “YogaJaya Baseworks” confirms the system existed as a named entity with its own identity by 2012 — distinct from the broader studio offering but also the “platform” for teacher training.
Anna Halprin / Tamalpa Institute connection
Section titled “Anna Halprin / Tamalpa Institute connection”Anna Halprin (1920–2021) is a foundational figure in somatic movement, contact improvisation, and expressive arts therapy in the United States. The Tamalpa Institute (Marin County, CA) is her school. Satoko’s training with Halprin adds an expressive arts dimension to YogaJaya’s teaching lineage that does not appear elsewhere in the archive. This is the direct lineage connection for the “art and expression” thread that runs through YogaJaya’s programming.
”Grassroots yoga studio that stays true to its vision”
Section titled “”Grassroots yoga studio that stays true to its vision””The characterization “grassroots” is notable — in 2012, after 8 years, Satoko still describes YogaJaya this way. This is deliberate positioning: the studio’s integrity is tied to remaining independent and vision-led rather than commercially scaled.
Relevance notes
Section titled “Relevance notes”- Summer 2012 places this in the same moment as E18 (Asia Spa, 2012 teacher training guide) — together they show YogaJaya at its most visible and institutionally mature; E18 describes the program from the outside; E25 describes it from inside, by a principal
- Satoko’s peripatetic biography directly mirrors the Baseworks premise: stability through practice, not through external circumstances; “what we do and how we approach matters more than where or who we are with”
- The advertising background (strategic planner, 6 years) is significant: Satoko has a sophisticated understanding of positioning and communication, which informs her role in YogaJaya’s public-facing work
- Anna Halprin connection places Satoko in the somatic movement lineage (Halprin studied with Margaret H’Doubler, influenced Trisha Brown, Steve Paxton, Anna Wyman); this is a serious performing arts and body-based inquiry lineage
- The article ends without a sign-off — only the URL http://www.yogajaya.com/ — consistent with YogaJaya’s style of letting the work speak without personal promotion
- Satoko not citing Patrick in any promotional way — the relationship is characterized in terms of learning and mutual engagement, not hierarchy
Press page relevance
Section titled “Press page relevance”satoko·yogajaya-history·method-philosophy·baseworks-overlap·press-page-lineage·press-page-featured- Tier 1 (featured): First and only published naming of “YogaJaya Baseworks” as a method; most complete public statement of the system’s focus; Satoko’s full biography for the first time in print; Patrick named in relation to Satoko (not a third-party journalist); Lohas Way publication reaches Japanese wellness audience
- The “YogaJaya Baseworks” description block is directly quotable for the press page lineage narrative: the method existed, was named, and was described publicly by 2012
- For a press page, this is the strongest evidence that “Baseworks” as a concept predates the Baseworks rebrand — it was a named hatha yoga system within YogaJaya before it became the studio’s name
Connections
Section titled “Connections”- E18-asiaspa-2012-07 — same year; E18 describes YogaJaya’s teacher training from outside; E25 describes it from inside (Satoko as practitioner); together they are the most complete 2012 documentation
- E24-lohasway-2008-en — same publication, 4 years earlier; E24 is Patrick’s essay; E25 is Satoko’s; Lohas Way published both
- E17-asiaspa-2008-05 — “personal responsibility to practice” (E17, 2008); E25 “raising awareness in practice” (2012) — consistent framing, different register
- E10-metropolis-2010-07 — “self-inquiry and personal empowerment” (2010); E25 “persistent self-inquiry” (2012) — “self-inquiry” is a consistent thread across the 2010-2012 press
- Index: press-archive-index (E25)
- Chronology: yogajaya-press-chronology — 2012 section