ABOUT YOGART
Yoga as a way of living
YOGART is a small yoga, therapeutic movement, and learning space rooted in Nishiawakura, Okayama.
Through group classes, private support, bodywork, workshops, retreats, and teacher training, we create opportunities to move, breathe, learn, and reconnect.
Rooted in place
YOGART began as a small community yoga studio in Tsuyama. Over the years, it became a place where people came not only to practise, but also to learn, connect, and receive personal support.
Our next chapter is rooted in Nishiawakura—a small mountain village surrounded by forest, changing seasons, and close community.
Here, yoga becomes part of a wider rhythm of living. A class may sit alongside a walk through the village, fresh bread from our bakery, time in nature, or a quiet visit to the local onsen.
We have not simply moved the former studio. We are allowing YOGART to grow into something more integrated: a place for weekly practice, restoration, meaningful learning, and small, human-scaled experiences.
That last paragraph is important. It clearly states that this is evolution, not relocation.
We meet you where you are
At YOGART, yoga is not about achieving a perfect pose or pushing the body harder.
Our approach is grounded in breath, body awareness, functional movement, and careful observation. We adapt the practice to the person rather than asking the person to fit the practice.
Small groups allow us to offer thoughtful guidance while respecting each student’s experience, capacity, and pace.
Whether you join a weekly class, a private yoga session, Yoga Therapy, or Thai massage, the intention remains the same: to help you feel more connected to your body, more supported in yourself, and better able to meet everyday life.
This brings your therapeutic approach into the About page without turning it into another Restore page.
Art in every breath
The name YOGART brings together yoga and art.
For us, art is not about performance or decoration. It is the care, attention, and creativity we bring to what we do.
A practice becomes an art when we learn to listen rather than force, adapt rather than imitate, and respond to the person and the moment in front of us.
YOGART is therefore not one fixed method or style. It is an ongoing exploration of how movement, breath, knowledge, and relationship can support a fuller way of living.
PRACTICE | RESTORE | LEARN
PRACTICE
Small-group yoga and movement classes that support strength, mobility, awareness, and calm.
RESTORE
Private Yoga, Yoga Therapy, and Thai Massage for those who need individual guidance, therapeutic support, or time to rest and receive.
LEARN
Workshops, retreats, continuing education, and Yoga Alliance teacher training for students and teachers who wish to explore more deeply.
This section connects the About page directly with the new homepage structure.
From practice to relationship
YOGART grew from a belief that yoga education works best when it remains personal.
For many years, our Tsuyama studio offered a steady place for local classes, teacher collaboration, meditation, therapeutic practice, and community connection.
That experience taught us that meaningful practice does not depend on the size of a studio or the complexity of a pose. It grows through trust, consistency, curiosity, and the willingness to meet each person as they are.
Today, YOGART brings that experience to Nishiawakura while remaining connected to a wider international community through teacher trainings and retreats in Japan, India, and Europe.
The word Collective reflects this wider vision. YOGART is shaped by teachers, practitioners, students, collaborators, local community, and the places in which we practise together.
Olivier Charles
Founder · Yoga Therapist · Educator
Olivier is a full-time yoga teacher, Certified Yoga Therapist, Ayurvedic Health Counsellor, and teacher trainer.
His approach combines functional anatomy, therapeutic movement, breathwork, yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, and more than two decades of personal practice.
Rather than teaching one fixed way of practising, Olivier encourages students to understand their own bodies, make informed choices, and develop a relationship with yoga that can continue throughout life.
His teaching is practical, attentive, and grounded in the belief that yoga should help us live—not simply perform better on the mat.
Hiromi Charles
Co-founder · Host · Community Builder
Hiromi helps shape the welcoming rhythm around YOGART and Nokishita Toshokan. Through food, hospitality, and local connection, she supports the wider experience of gathering, resting, and spending meaningful time in Nishiawakura.
Find your way
Some people begin with a weekly class.
Others come for individual support, a workshop, a retreat, or a longer period of study.
There is no single way into YOGART.
Begin where you are.