Ayami Yamamichi of West Windsor has written her first book, “Mindfully Clear: 22 Days to a Clear Body and Mind.” She has three upcoming book signing events and the book is available on Amazon.com.
A 2003 graduate of High School South, she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business communications from Boston University. She worked in New York City in operations and team management for several years before seeking creative and entrepreneurial freedom. Yamamichi was the former co-owner of YogaSoul based in West Windsor. “I am teaching, writing, and traveling, but no longer involved in the day-to-day aspects,” she says.
Born in Japan, she moved to New Jersey when she was three months old. The family first lived in Plainsboro and later moved to West Windsor. Her father, Kenji, is the executive vice president and CFO with Denyo Manufacturing Corporation, based in Kentucky. Her mother, Masako, is a housewife. She has no siblings.
Yamamichi teaches yoga, leads workshops, trainings, and retreats, offers business consulting, and helps others create a life fueled by passion and purpose. “I do feel like I’m able to tap into psychology,” she says. “I take what I want and mold into what works best.”
An excerpt from “Mindfully Clear” follows:
“Mindfulness is a lifestyle. A radical shift in the way our brains work so that we can live feeling clearer mentally and physically. When our brains are fresh and clear, we make better decisions. We are better human beings.
We are born mindful beings. To make a shift to who we innately are can happen overnight for some people. But I like to approach anything fresh with an on-boarding period. A reset. This cleanse is meant to be and do just that.
This cleanse is perhaps a cleansing process from all those years of shoving mindfulness aside. As we bring it to the forefront, the vibrancy of life will unfold.
I, like so many people, have tried a variety of cleanses and detoxes. Often I would feel good for a few days, then crash. I never encountered a program that had long-term effects, physically or mentally.
After 10 plus years of trial and error with these different programs, I realized that they were all missing one critically key component: It’s not simply what we eat, but the awareness of how we interact with food.
The ‘what’ we put in our bodies becomes so clear when the `how’ is in play. The ‘how’ is mindfulness.
So I finally decided to sit down and write my own cleanse. This cleanse uses the tool of mindfulness to restore harmony in the physical body and clear away mental crash symptoms.
The words cleanse or detox is a push button that makes us curious about what it entails and what lies ahead. The magic. What makes us stay in the game is mindfulness.”
A vegan for 10 years, Yamamichi first dabbled in it for a few years. “I have a passion for cooking,” she says. “I seize opportunities to share my exploration of mindful eating through plant based cooking.”
A recipe from her book is for cool green gazpacho. Ingredients include 1/2 green melon, 2 avocados, 1 poblano pepper, 1 scallion, 1 cucumber, 2 stalks celery, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup chopped mint, 1/4 cup lime, 2 to 3 cups water, and salt and pepper. Place all ingredients in a stainless steel pot. Use an immersion blender to pulse just until combined. Experiment with the amount of water you add.
“It’s amazing that the community keeps expanding,” says Yamamichi. “It is so beautiful to watch people develop friendships.”
Community Evening, YogaSoul, 64 Princeton-Hightstown Road, West Windsor. Tuesday, September 15, 6 p.m. All level yoga class with music by Sharon Silverstein. Booksigning for Ayami Yamamichi, author of “Mindfully Clear: 22 Days to a Clear Body and Mind,” and teacher at the studio. Plant based potluck dinner follows. Register for yoga class. 609-799-4791. www.yogasoulnj.com.
Author Event, Infini-T Cafe, 4 Hulfish Street, Princeton. Friday, September 18, 6:30 p.m. Booksigning for Ayami Yamamichi, author of “Mindfully Clear: 22 Days to a Clear Body and Mind,” and teacher at YogaSoul studio. Refreshments. Register for a three course dinner. 609-454-3959. www.infini-tcafe.com.
Yoga Party, Warrior One, West Windsor Arts Center, Alexander Road, West Windsor. Saturday, September 26, 6 p.m. Yoga, music, art, refreshments. Booksigning for Ayami Yamamichi, author of “Mindfully Clear: 22 Days to a Clear Body and Mind,” and teacher at Yoga Soul. Benefit for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Register. $50. www2.jdrf.org.
