Every morning, Linda Gould opens the doors and windows of Riverside Yoga studio in Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture, and feels her body relax, spirit quicken and mind lighten.

She teaches daily until midday, mostly to local women, but also to an American women and a man from New Zealand who accompanies his Japanese wife. The rest of the day is taken up with family needs, a passion for writing (one of her short stories will be published for the first time in a science-fiction magazine next spring) and her role as secretary to Democrats Abroad Japan.

Gould's studio is attached to her home, where she lives with her husband, son and daughter. "When we first saw the house, it was standing empty. It remained empty for two years despite our monthly entreaties about its status. Then one day our agent told us it had been sold and was up for rent. It must have been karma because that was also the time I was looking for studio space."