Emiko Oye is a woman of many talents! Known by many as a colorful jewelry designer (utilizing repurposed LEGO® pieces), she is also a certified yoga instructor helping others find and maintain their sanity.
Recess caught up with Emiko to learn more about her and her businesses, continue reading to discover the many ways she is serving others!
Recess: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? When did you launch your business? What makes you smile, what’s your passion project?
Emiko Oye (EO): I’m a jewelry artist that fell in love with yoga early in my career and later became fascinated with fascia (when chronic pain showed up) as a way to balance my workaholic tendencies and make it physically sustainable to continue to be an artist. Once I began teaching in 2012, I was hooked on the community aspect and how nourishing this shared introspective practice could be for both teacher and students. I launched my fitness business in 2017, but it was during the pandemic that really pushed me to grow and evolve it to be more of an online wellness experience focused on helping people manage their stress, balance their nervous system, and be proactive about pain through Restorative Yoga, MELT Method, and Facial Gua Sha.
I love it when clients randomly message me how great they felt after doing a session on their own, using the practices from class, especially if they’ve found a way to no longer suffer from chronic pain! Also, I smile anytime I see a corgi out and about or pop up in my IG feed.
My ongoing passion project is finding ways to collaborate with other women small business owners to help us elevate each other to the next level! Last year I organized and hosted my first Well-Being Gathering, a 2-hour live stream woman in wellness symposium that was a fundraiser for Stand with Asian Americans. Hoping to do another one in the near future.
Recess: Community is clearly very important to you, how do you welcome students to your community in order for them to feel they are in a safe place?
EO: At the beginning of class I always do a check-in with every student to see where they’re at physically and energetically, how they’re showing up so I can meet them there, and offer them modifications if I think it will help. The modalities I teach are very inclusive and welcoming to all bodies, genders, and races – myself being a mixed-race Asian American, makes me empathetic to others. In my longer, Restorative Yoga classes, we spend the first part of the class in a Community Share based on a theme I offer up, giving people a safe, non-judgmental space to be seen and heard, and over time get to know each other a bit better. In my Saturday MELT classes, we spend time after class to check in with how they’re feeling post-MELT, what improvements or wins they experienced. These personal connections are my favorite moments and are part of why I do this work.
Recess: How do you hope to empower your female clientele?
EO: My goal is for my female clientele to experientially feel and understand to their core the healing and revitalizing benefits of a consistent self-care routine, so much so that it becomes second nature, an instinctual habit to be proactive about their health and that they have the tools to take action in feeling not only better but VIBRANT, no matter what age you are.
Recess: What’s your biggest tip for living a healthy and happy life?
EO: Two big tips that I live by these days:
1. Being mindful of how you move through the world – do your intentions align with your actions and are you being present with yourself and others?
2. Prioritize Sleep – be gentle with yourself and give yourself permission to do less and rest more!