Kayoko Mitsumatsu

from Born to Talk Radio Show · host Born to Talk Radio Show

Kayoko Mitsumatsu, is the Founder and Executive Director of Yoga Gives Back. Thank you for joining me again, Kayoko on the Born to Talk Radio Show Podcast. Meet Kayoko Mitsumatsu. Prior to moving to the US in 1992, Kayoko was a producer/director for NHK Japan’s National Public Broadcaster. She worked on primetime current affairs and documentary television programs. Kayoko also served as cultural attaché at the Embassy of Japan in London. Her passion for documentary filmmaking is rooted in the perspective gained from years of living abroad including Australia, Brazil, United Kingdom and USA. Kayoko now uses her skills to film and produce YGB FILMS to share YGB’s fund recipients’ real stories with the global yoga community. “In 2006, as I began to learn yoga asana and philosophy, it hit me very hard that I needed to use all my capacity to help others. Especially the underserved women and children in India, motherland of YOGA. I was benefitting so much from the daily practice of Yoga, I had to give back. I shared this idea with my yoga teacher and the studio manager who all supported the idea. That’s how Yoga Gives Back was born with our mantra — For the cost of one yoga class, you can change a life.” Yoga Gives Back. Yoga Gives Back, founded in 2007, is a global nonprofit spanning over 30 countries empowering more than 3,000 women and children with micro-loan and education programs annually. They unite thousands of practitioners, spiritual leaders, donors, and corporate partners. In doing so they are transforming their collective gratitude to support vital programs for women and children in India. Thanks to Kayoko, in the last eighteen years, Yoga Gives Back has spread globally with 150 Ambassadors who are yoga teachers sharing YGB’s mission with their communities as well as raising funds with their events. They have also created a community of dedicated volunteers and partnering sponsors whose annual contribution also tremendously helps their mission. Kayoko’s Takeaways. “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory. This is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi which I hold it to my heart and try to live by every day: “When things do not go the way you wanted, you can still see it as your full victory if you have put full effort in it. By focusing on your effort of your action or decision of the present moment, you do not get anxious or stressed out about the result in the future. You have no control over it anyway. There is a real power in recognizing the present effort. This is the most important, top priority, than spending time calculating or worrying about the outcome. This is the most empowering guidance in my life.” In Closing.   Please join me in supporting Yoga Gives Back. Your support can transform lives. At Yoga Gives Back, they are dedicated to empowering women and children in India by channeling the global yoga community’s gratitude into meaningful action. Explore the various ways you can contribute to their mission. You can make a donation to become a part of their community of changemakers. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps them create lasting impact.  

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Kayoko Mitsumatsu