Category Archives: Things I’d like to have

When I was young, my mother used to watch this crazy yoga show on our local PBS station. The woman hosting wore a brown leotard, brown tights, and did her decidedly low-impact yoga moves in front of a giant sun that hung on the wall behind her.

My mother wore a leotard too, and that time in our living room was her “me” time, I think. Sometimes, I’d join her, resplendent in my ballet leotard and pink tights. No, this isn’t a story about how a yoga girl was initiated and I don’t think I’ve done yoga more than once or twice since then. Instead, it’s a story of how awesome these women are in this Japanese “Joy of Marriage” Medical Phonocards set.

Are they doing yoga? No, not exactly. but they remind me so much of my lovely mother, doing her moves in our tiny living room, in front of our barely color television.

What are these? According to A Japanese Book, it’s “A fantastic set of large ‘medical’ cards that depict gymnastic exercise for modern 1960s Japanese wives! Superb flashy color printing. The verso of the cards and the booklet entail general sexual education for marriage (…) & various additional information (including the detail of sterilisation surgery for men and women…). A great psychedelic treat.“

Wow. So I guess sometimes “Yoga” isn’t just yoga? Okay Ladies-I guess that means if you want to have a happy marriage, it’s time to get your exercise on!