Relational Exploration
with Kumi Umuyashiki
with curiosity and embodiment
Inquiry into Mind, Body & Culture
Relational Exploration is a process of staying true to our authentic self while finding greater ease in living within our interdependent relationships and engaging deeply with our body, emotions, environment, culture, and language.
Relational Exploration
Authenticity in Relationship
Culture, family, language, and the people around you.
Amidst all these people and things, what kind of self has been shaped through the life you have lived?
What have you felt?
What did you want to hold close and value?
There may be times when these things become difficult to know.
For those who have lost touch with their authentic self.
Returning to yourself can sometimes take courage.
It means revisiting the history you carry and the memories held within your body.
And from there, creating a new story for your life—this time, one that you shape for yourself.
To live authentically while remaining interdependent with the many people and things that surround us.
I am here to support you in cultivating the kindness toward yourself and resilience needed for that way of living.
For the Courage to be Yourself
Come Home to Your Forest
To the rich, abundant forest
that is you
Through your five senses,
feel the world
in all its fullness.
Take in your own experience,
deeply and fully,
as if you could savour every drop.
Kumi Umuyashiki
Profile
About me
I love painting and expressing myself through music. I deeply cherish the practice of feeling my body, using the breath to sense and savour the tangible presence of my true Being here.
For nearly 30 years, I have moved between Japan and English-speaking countries like the UK and Canada, navigating life across different cultures and languages. Throughout my time both in Japan and abroad, I have explored the personal challenges I faced since childhood, examining my own experiences of mind and body within these shifting cultural contexts.
Well into my adulthood, I returned to university in the UK to study mindfulness from a social science perspective. In my research, I drew on cross-cultural psychology, phenomenology, and interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) as my theoretical frameworks.
I remain passionate about exploring a way of being that allows me to return to my own rich inner forest, and from there, engage authentically with the world.
Learning & Practice
-
University of Aberdeen, UK
Researching mindfulness from a social science perspective, drawing on cross-cultural psychology, phenomenology, and interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) as theoretical frameworks. -
Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga（TCTSY）
Completed the 300-hour training in trauma-sensitive yoga. -
Compassionate Inquiry（CI）
Completed the 240-hour training developed by Dr Gabor Maté. -
Interpersonal Neurobiology（IPNB）
Currently undertaking a certification programme based on the work of Dr Daniel Siegel. -
Yoga and Meditation
27 years of personal practice and 17 years of teaching experience. Qualified in a range of approaches, including Yoga Therapeutics, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Prenatal Yoga. Have organised and taught Yoga Alliance RYT 200 teacher training programmes in Japan and internationally for more than 10 years. -
Japanese–English Interpreting
Over 20 years of experience interpreting for yoga teacher training programmes and mindfulness and compassion-based professional trainings, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness (TSM), and Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT). Also provide interpreting for corporate meetings and training.
