Naoko Kanno goes by her nickname of “Mamo”, is a certified yoga instructor registered with the Yoga Alliance with a RYT200 certification. Mamo is continuing with her studies under Jennifer Prugh at Breathe Together Yoga in Los Gatos and is completing her RYT500 certification training. Mamo teaches Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa slow flow, Yoga for trauma healing, Yin and Restorative Yoga, and Yin/Yang yoga.

Mamo first discovered Yoga in a College education program, through Yoga she was able to add a calming aspect to her life, similar to that she grew up with as a child in Japan, where Nature gave her peace and strength. She traveled to Japan in 2016 where she attended classes in Hatha Yoga, and was granted a Yoga Teaching certification by the Japan Yoga Instructor Association. Upon returning to the U.S., Mamo who is bilingual, Japanese and English, began teaching Yoga out of her home while pursuing her U.S. Teaching Certification. Mamo completed her 200 hour Teacher Training certification from Breathe Together Yoga, studying under Jennifer Prugh, and registered with Yoga Alliance as a RYT-200 Yoga Instructor in May 2017.

 

Upon receiving of her Yoga Alliance RYT200 teacher certification, Mamo started Kokoro Yoga: Kokoro is a Japanese word meaning Heart and Kindness. Mamo teaches from the heart, creating a comfortable, welcoming, and kind environment in her classes, she welcomes students of all skill levels to join her to practice Yoga. Mamo has continued with her studies and will complete her Yoga AllianceRYT500 certification efforts in the fall of 2018. In addition to her 500 hour certification course work, Mamo has completed several advanced Yoga Immersion training Courses, such as Restorative Immersion, Yin Yoga Immersion-the strength of stillness, Ayurveda Foundations Intensive, Yoga for Trauma recovery, Anatomy Intensive. Her Yoga teaching style has been greatly influenced by her instructors and the training she has received at Breathe Together Yoga, also by Anuja Chaudhri at Almaden Yoga in Blossom Hill, where she attended yoga class at very beginning of her yoga practice in CA. Mamo is now developing the skills of teaching Yin yoga through her practice. Mamo feels that her Yoga teaching has also been greatly influenced by her personal life experiences and her experience in Japan in a Non-Profit Organization GOBAMCAN which helped individuals, Adults and Children, recover from and deal with emotional and personal Trauma. Her long term goal is that she wants to help people who are surviving from their trauma from the past.

 

Mamo’s teaching style is to focus on breathing and sound basic yoga principles while having a relaxing yet fun experience. She believes that her breath tells everything about her. She also enjoys working privately with individual students and small groups, where she can establish a bond with individuals. She is also skilled in leading large groups of individuals and always endeavors to insure that every participant is involved, regardless of their skill level. In her classes, she routinely will present breathing techniques and variations on postures so that depending on their skill level, students can be more ease and enjoy their class.

 

Mamo was trained and worked in Japan for over 15 years as a Nurse, she routinely utilizes her knowledge and experience as a nurse in her teaching of yoga, and when she works with individuals, especially those dealing with or recovering from injuries. Her teaching style, with a strong emphasis on the breathing techniques, is to make Yoga challenging while keeping it enjoyable and light hearted with varied sequencing and postures. Mamo hopes to share with her students how through yoga they can discover the healing and energy within themselves and how to open their hearts and minds to give themselves strength and calmness as humans living in harmony with nature and their environment.