Mika Childs is a Yamuna® Body Rolling (YBR) practitioner based in Tokyo, boasting over 10 years of experience in teaching the YBR Method. As she prepares to head to Singapore to host the country’s first-ever YBR teacher training, she shares her wellness journey and how combining Pilates and YBR has transformed both her body and mind.
Mika explains that she discovered a love for long-distance running relatively late in life, falling in love with marathon running in her early 40s. Naturally competitive, she successfully qualified for the Women’s Marathon in 2008. In contrast, Mika is not inherently competitive or athletic; instead, she is extremely hardworking and dedicated. Over the course of a year, she committed to an intense training regimen, running 300 km per month to qualify for the Tokyo Women’s Marathon, which is historically significant as the first women’s marathon in the world and a professional event. Although she qualified, her lack of knowledge regarding proper training led her to neglect essential practices like stretching and conditioning, ultimately resulting in an injury.
After struggling with serious injuries, Mika began searching for methods to heal and focus on body sustainability and strength. Her relationship with Pilates blossomed later in life to help her body prepare for and recover from the rigors of long-distance running. She became a Pilates instructor in her late 40s but faced frustrations due to her lack of flexibility, regardless of how often she practiced.
“Frustratingly for me, I found that the more I practiced, the more discomfort I experienced. I loved Pilates and wanted to improve but needed help overcoming my body’s limitations,” she explained.
Determined to enhance her practice, Mika explored various stretching methods but found them ineffective due to her tightness. One day, she discovered a DVD titled the Yamuna Method at a bookstore in Japan. Intrigued, she bought it and began her love affair with Yamuna Body Rolling.
“It was pain-free and promoted such a soothing feeling throughout my body that I immediately fell in love with it,” Mika recalled. At that time, living in Hong Kong, she searched for a Yamuna practitioner but found none available. Taking initiative, she flew to New York to learn from its founder, Yamuna Zake, becoming Hong Kong’s first qualified YBR instructor and leading one-on-one and group lessons at Flex Studios.
Mika explains that the Yamuna method focuses on wellness, wellbeing, and body sustainability—concepts gaining popularity among athletes and those who value a holistic approach to health and fitness. “Ten years ago, when I first started, very few people were interested; they just wanted to push their bodies hard without considering the impact on their health,” she said. “Now there’s greater awareness about maintaining fitness and health sustainably.”
Being a practitioner of both Pilates and Yamuna has allowed Mika to understand her body deeply and share that knowledge with those attending her workshops and classes. She looks forward to imparting this knowledge in Singapore.
Mika uses an analogy of building a house to illustrate the relationship between Pilates and Yamuna: “Before building a house, you level the land by ploughing. I feel that leveling the land is Yamuna while building a house is Pilates. When you do both together, you create a strong foundation.”
So how do Pilates and Yamuna work together to build this stronger foundation?
- Flexibility and Range of Motion – YBR increases flexibility and range of motion, enhancing the effectiveness of Pilates exercises for deeper stretches.
- Posture and Alignment – YBR refines body alignment, making it easier to achieve correct posture during Pilates exercises.
- Core Strength and Stability – YBR releases tightness in the body, improving core engagement during Pilates workouts.
- Mind-Body Connection – The Yamuna ball enhances awareness of our bodies, deepening the mind-body connection fostered in Pilates.
- Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation – YBR serves as both a preparatory practice addressing tightness before injury occurs while Pilates builds strength for maintaining balance.
Through this integrated approach combining marathon running, Pilates, and Yamuna Body Rolling, Mika Childs exemplifies how dedication to fitness can lead not only to physical transformation but also profound personal growth.
Click here to find out more and learn from Mika and fellow Yamuna Teacher Trainer Satoshi Suzuki at Flex Studio Singapore’s upcoming Yamuna teacher training workshops.
#marathon runners #yamuna body rolling #pilates #sports injuries #athletes
