Ma and Hiljaisuus — Stillness in Japan and Finland

The Japanese word ma (間) names the space between things — between objects, between sounds. The arrangement of a tea room, the movement of Noh theatre, a pause in conversation: Japanese aesthetics have long found meaning in empty time and space.

Finnish has the word hiljaisuus: quiet, silence. Living among forests and lakes, Finns are often said to experience silence not as awkward but as comfortable. The few-worded hours of the sauna may be one example.

Space in yoga

Yoga practice has its own kind of space. A breath between postures. Lying down in śavāsana at the end. Time spent doing nothing lets the movement that came before settle into the body.

About TOHWA’s design

This is also why this site uses generous space and restrained colour. Rather than packing in information, we hope to be a place where the reader can pause for a breath. Between two kinds of stillness — Japanese and Nordic — TOHWA shares yoga.