Sho Higuchi was born and raised in New York and is most known for his eccentric colorful style, love of sweets and the simple things, and his playful spirit. His obsession with pastries and ice cream led him to culinary school where he graduated and embarked on his eight-year journey in the hustle and bustle industry of New York City restaurants. He held various positions in many established restaurants including pastry cook at Nobu New York, where his imagination and creativity drove his success. His passion for sweets was an extension of his love for the sweet little things, living life through laughter and joy. Sho believes that the purpose of our lives is to be happy and spread this joy to others. As a child, Sho dreamed of becoming an angel and heal the world.

Sho was first introduced to the practice of meditation and movement at the young age of 6 when he started a Kendo practice with Sensei Hisao “Genki” Horiguchi. He practiced Kendo for 11 years. As a child, Sho had a vast imagination and loved mediation because it was his personal retreat to “imagination land.” At age 16, Sho stumbled into his first official yoga class at Bally Total Fitness Gym. Never having practiced yoga before, he was confused and did not even have a mat. The class was packed and a kind woman named Flow greeted class with a soft voice. Sho had no idea what he was doing but Flow kept repeating, “wherever you are is perfect.” This mantra kept ringing in his head and his love for yoga blossomed from this moment. He then found a DVD of Patricia Walden teaching a 20minute yoga sequence that seemed oddly familiar and comforting. He was hooked and started practicing the sequence twice a day, finding peace in Patricia’s tranquil voice.

A few years later, he happily stumbled upon a summer internship at Yoga Vida, where he got his first taste of the business and lifestyle of yoga. As a young 20 year old, the strong Ashtanga inspired practice appealed to him. He regularly practiced Ashtanga, Bikram, and Jivamukti for about a year and a half before he was struck with a knee injury from overdoing the asana practice. He thought he would never practice yoga again until he found his dusty DVD of Patricia Walden’s 20minute sequence. It reminded him of the sweetness and simple pleasures of a gentle yoga practice. Sho started to explore many other styles of yoga and accepted a job at Pure Yoga as a membership advisor, leaving behind his career in food and hospitality. Sho’s true passion for yoga and healing was born when we took his first Iyengar yoga class with Adam Vitolo, restorative yoga class with Mary Aranas, and classical Kriya Yoga and Tantra Meditation classes with Yogi Charu. He started practicing regularly with Adam Vitolo, Yogi Charu, and Mary Aranas at Pure Yoga. The restorative and meditation practices reminded him of his younger days when he loved meditation and his freedom in “imagination land.” He realized his true passion and love for yoga laid in gentle practices and meditation.

It was not until his father’s passing that Sho decided it was time to share his lifelong practice of healing, meditation, and yoga. He devoted his life to helping and serving others and knew right away that this was the path he was meant to be walking. He is blessed to have renowned yoga master, Yogi Charu as a dear friend and mentor and has trained in the arts of classical Kriya Yoga, Tantra Meditation, and yogic lifestyle from the Saraswati lineage of the Bihar School of Yoga. His studies in yogic philosophy led him to become a dedicated student of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Through his experience in pranic healing, he found a love for Qigong practice as well. His Qigong guru and Ninja Master, Jonathan Angelilli inspires him to always smile, enjoy life, and chase his dreams. Sho found that the beautifully energetic practices of kriya yoga and Qigong balanced well with Iyengar Yoga. With a similar gentleness and sweetness to Patricia Walden, Sho instantly found a connection to Iyengar teachers Genny Kapuler and Jeanne-Marie Derrick. He continues to study yoga and anatomy with Genny and gentle yoga with Jeanne-Marie. He is now enrolled in the 2015-2017 Iyengar Yoga Teacher training at the Iyengar Institute in New York City. As well as yoga and happiness, Sho teaches stretching, flexibility, and myofascial release. He currently studies with good friend and mentor, Isaac Pena, a world renowned instructor. He also draws from experience in Yamuna and Yoga Tune Up body rolling methods.

Sho’s years of practice in meditation, free-spirited laughter, and yoga have led him to find his voice as a teacher. He chases after a more realistic version of his childhood dream to heal the world – though secretly he still dreams of becoming an angel because what’s a life without dreams? His teaching style fuses the powerful practice of classical Kriya Yoga and Tantra Meditation, the structure of Iyengar Yoga, the wisdom of the Yoga Sutras, and the freedom and fluidity of Qigong topped off with laughter, happiness, and the sweetness of pastries. In Sho’s classes you can expect to reconnect with your body, mind, heart, and soul in a very gentle and nonjudgemental environment. He guides his students from a place of pure love, joy, and kindness. Sho leads happiness workshops throughout NYC, and brings a similar light into all his classes. He finds true happiness from being a vessel of joy for others.