Waterloo woman brings authentic yoga to Iowa

At just 35 years old, Deidra Noborikawa reached the end of her rope.

For 14 years, she'd taught art full-time at East High School in Waterloo and then, in addition for four years, part-time at Hawkeye Community College. She finished her master's degree in art education at the University of Northern Iowa in 2009, all the while raising four children at home.

She was 'completely exhausted' at the end of each day, she said, and 'didn't feel like (she) had enough energy to give at home.'

But when she started practicing yoga, she felt 'like a different person' — yoga and meditation gave her the energy she needed, she said.

'It made me feel mentally better and made me a better parent,' she said. 'I felt like a better human.'

Not only that, but it also changed her physical appearance as well. She was 250 pounds at the peak of her stress and has since lost more than 60 pounds.

Her transformation truly took off when she traveled to Rishikesh, India — a city known as the 'yoga capital of the world' — last July to earn 200 hours of authentic yoga training at the Association for Yoga and Meditation school, one of the city's many ashrams.

For a month, Noborikawa spent six days a week practicing yoga and meditation. She limited her diet to only fresh, vegetarian meals, free of processed junk food.

'It was a complete detox of the body,' she said. 'I figured out what my body should feel like. My skin changed — it was glowing — and my energy was through the roof, but the biggest thing was mind clarity.'

It wasn't until she was so immersed in the practice that she realized how exhausted she'd been.

'It was like peeling the layers of an onion,' she said. 'After peeling a few layers while deeply immersed on the mat is when I realized I was exhausted. ... I reached a point of burnout and realized I needed to clear my mind.'

Yoga and meditation have helped her learn to deal with negativity and stress in a more positive way, she added.

'When you look inside yourself you can shine brighter than any fire burning around you,' she said.

She said she also developed an intensely powerful and emotional connection to yoga.

'The moment I touch the mat is intense and emotional and I love that feeling. It's transformative, empowering ... There's just something about that moment,' she said.

For her, yoga is not as much about physical fitness as it is about that connection. She hopes to instill the same attitude in her students.

'Yoga meant so much for me,' she said. 'I was able to take a new approach at myself and I want to share that excitement with everyone because if you have a society of mindful, positive, aware people, the healthier the community is.'

Noborikawa, now 36, returned to Iowa in August and has been teaching yoga in her home in Waterloo as well as retreats at Michele Maring Miller Gallery — her mother's gallery — in West Amana. Noborikawa's classes are meant for everyone — which is why she calls her business 'Yogini Deidrra — Yoga is for everyone.'

'I don't have a traditional yoga body,' Noborikawa said, using herself as an example. 'You don't have to be a size 2 to do yoga. It is for anyone at any physical level.'

Even she is not '100 percent where (she'd) like to be' in her practice, she said.

'But that's OK,' she added. 'Because it always gives me something to practice on the mat.'

IF YOU GO

What: Yogini Deidra's yoga and meditation workshops

When: Jan. 28, Feb. 11 and 18, March 4 and 25, April 1 and 8

Cost: $40, $20 deposit for reservations

Details: Held at Michele Maring Miller Studio and Gallery in West Amana from 9 a.m. to noon. Register via email at Deidra.noborikawa@gmail.com or call (319) 230-0344

l Comments: (319) 398-8364; elizabeth.zabel@thegazette.com