Originating from Japan, Maria has spent more than a decade traveling and offering her yoga practice and ceremonial work to communities around the world. Her path has taken her through Canada, Spain, Hawai‘i and now Bali — where she arrived only briefly, and where she discovered Yama by chance.
Although she continues to move from place to place, her time here has opened a space of stillness and ritual that, even if temporary, feels like home. She also offers her classes online, allowing her practice to reach people in different corners of the world.
Today we share a conversation about what it means to live with simplicity, to find presence in the everyday, and the kind of care that arises when we first learn to hold ourselves from within.
Describe yourself
I’m Maria, originally from Japan, and for more than ten years I’ve been traveling and sharing my practice in different corners of the world. I hold space through yoga, but also through ritual, from cacao to sound healing, always with the intention of guiding people back to their bodies and to a sense of inner safety.
I often say I don’t see myself only as a yoga teacher, because what I offer is more about presence than posture: creating a soft space where people can reconnect with themselves.
What took you from one country to another, and what did each place teach you?
I think I was looking for simplicity, and for connection. I wanted to meet people from different cultures and see the world with my own eyes. My first trip was to Canada when I was 22, and I remember feeling more like myself there than I ever had in Japan.
Do you remember the moment when you first became interested in the body, in wellbeing?
I grew up doing ballet, I started when I was five and continued for fifteen years, so connecting with my body always felt natural to me. Movement was how I understood myself. Later, in Canada, I discovered yoga, and I went deeper into it when I moved to Hawai‘i for my teacher training. It didn’t feel like a big change, more like a gentle continuation of something that was already there.
What has Balian taught you?
In Balian I’ve seen how spirituality is part of daily life, people pray, clean, and care for their surroundings with a lot of intention. It reminds me of Japan in that sense: the belief that everything has a spirit. Not only humans or animals, but places and objects too. There is a quiet respect here that feels very familiar to me.
Do you have any daily rituals or habits that help you stay grounded?
My daily ritual when I wake up is to make myself a tea and take a walk. I always try to clean the beach a little bit, it’s my small way of saying thank you to this place. After that, I do some breathwork by myself and I also pick a ritual card.
If you had to put it into words — what does luxury mean to you today?
For me, luxury is time and peace. Waking up close to nature, hearing the birds, being able to surf and teach in a beautiful place, that already feels complete. I don’t need much more than that. Simplicity is what makes me feel rich.
How would you describe Yama to someone who has never been here?
Yama is a place where people feel very calm. It’s a space where you can be in stillness and, at the same time, feel completely safe with yourself. You feel nourished, cared for, and connected, like the place itself is holding you.
If you could send a message to your younger self, what would you say?
I would say, “Babe, keep trusting yourself. You’re going to be okay, you’re going to have a beautiful life. Just keep trusting yourself.”
Is there a movement, sound, or smell that helps you to be present?
For example, every day people light incense to pray, and when I smell it, I say to myself, “I’m in Balian, I’m safe.”Also, the sound of the waves, it always brings me back to the present moment. And of course, my meditation practice helps me a lot too.
If you could leave a note for guests arriving at Yama for the first time — a message, a reminder — what would it say?
Try the dhal! (laughs) No, but really — I would say, just come to Yama, close your eyes, and feel it. You will definitely feel something.
