Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2010

Courtesy of Kumi Ishihara

While walking through Tokyo Midtown one day, it occurred to Kumi Ishihara that the lawn—“a lovely green space in the middle of Tokyo,” as she puts it—would be a nice place to practice yoga. Instead of keeping this idea to herself, she contacted the folks who run the complex. To her surprise, she got a positive reply in just three hours.

That’s the story behind Park Yoga, which for the second year running takes place daily during Golden Week. This time around, the event will include Tokyo’s first Yoga Aid Challenge. Founded in 2007 by Australian couple Clive Mayhew and Eriko Kinoshita, this fundraiser has since spread to locations as diverse as Bali and Rome—earning over $500,000 for select charity organizations along the way.

While previous Yoga Aid Challenges (including two in Yokohama) have involved participants completing 108 sun salutations in unison, the Tokyo event will be more beginner-friendly: it consists of a “relay” session, complete with warm up and cool down, led by 12 renowned instructors from both inside and outside Japan. As with all of the Park Yoga events, it’s free to join, and donations can be made online or at the venue. All money raised—and that means all, as the organizers are footing the bill—will go to three local charities: Yoga Classics Input Project, A Dream Day in Tokyo and Green Tokyo Fundraising Campaign. Note that space is limited, and preference will be given to those who pre-register online.

Park Yoga runs Apr 23-May 5, 9:30-11am. Yoga Aid Challenge takes place May 1, 9-11:30am. See www.yogaaid.jp for more information.