Personal Story: Mai Shimizu

I grew up as child of an immigrant, who came here as a young teenager from Japan to a little corner of Australia, Perth.

I feel truly blessed to have had an opportunity to grow up in such a beautiful city, but entering to a completely foreign culture combined with no language skills, no friends, parent’s divorce, it was a huge adjustment I needed to manoeuvre, let alone go through a puberty all at the same time.

Growing up, I always felt inadequate and not fitting in, and this sense of "not belonging" plagued me for a long time. To find my space and my purpose in this life, I went through trying out different lifestyles, including independence as a teenager, a housewife, a hippie, a corporate worker, a yoga enthusiast and eventually a yoga teacher and a studio owner.

But none of them made me feel “at home”, till I discovered that my very own home has always been within me, through a meditation practice and working on through inner self. I realised that this is the missing connection I’ve had for a long time, uniting myself back to myself.

Only after 3 decades of feeling inadequate, through connecting myself back to myself, I began to trust and value myself, and when you do, this is the most empowering thing you can do to yourself. Even with “negative” dialogue you may have about yourself, you begin to embrace and be OK with it, so you can lay out a foundation to work on.

I feel truly honoured to have learned that through my yoga and meditation teachings, which I am passionate to share with the others, to help people find a peace and calmness to help them navigate the life’s challenges and trust in themselves that they are capable of taking on challenges.

Three key lessons:

You are worthy of your own love and make home within yourself

It is OK to not “fit in” and celebrate your unique-ness

Practice having a self-connective time, be it yoga, meditation, cooking or gardening