The Heart of JapaYoga
Kelli Kanashiro (affectionately known as “Japa” by friends and clients) is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), experienced Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher and Educator (YACEP, E-RYT500), Ayurveda-oriented, and Reiki Master. She is the founder of JapaYoga Healing Therapies, where she integrates somatic awareness, yoga-based practices, mindfulness, and spiritual traditions in her work supporting personal growth, self-inquiry, and embodied awareness.
Born in South America and raised within a multicultural Japanese and Lebanese heritage, Kelli’s personal and professional journey has been shaped by cultural diversity, adaptability, and a long-standing interest in human experience, resilience, and meaning-making.
For two decades, she worked in corporate and leadership environments, including managing major international projects such as the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. During this time, she became increasingly aware of the impact of chronic stress on well-being, which led her to explore practices that support balance, presence, and sustainable ways of living.
Since 2012, Kelli has studied the philosophy of yoga extensively and, in 2016, became a Kriyaban through the Self-Realization Fellowship lineage of Paramahansa Yogananda. This practice continues to inform her personal development and compassionate way of relating to others.
Her work is informed by a trauma-sensitive, body-centred perspective that emphasizes self-awareness, regulation, and present-moment experience. She supports clients in developing tools for grounding, reflection, and reconnection with their own inner resources, especially during periods of stress, transition, or personal exploration.
Kelli’s background includes a range of studies in spiritual and energy-based practices, and other exploratory approaches to inner awareness and personal development. These practices reflect her ongoing interest in consciousness and subjective well-being.
She is also a Certified Life Coach (December 2024) and have completed professional training in counselling from Rhodes Wellness College (May 2026), which continues to deepen her understanding of emotional processes, human development, and compassionate client support. She is currently candidate and provisional member of professional counselling associations in Canada as part of her ongoing professional development.
Her approach is intuitive, trauma-informed, and client-centred. She supports individuals who may be navigating stress, life transitions, emotional challenges, or periods of spiritual exploration. Her intention is to offer a grounded and supportive space where clients can reflect, gain clarity, and reconnect with their own inner resources.
Kelli offers individual and personalized online and in-person Yoga Therapy sessions in the Greater Vancouver Area and she also facilitates therapeutic group yoga classes, meditation practices, retreats and workshops focused on self-inquiry, mindfulness, and personal growth.
Through JapaYoga Healing Therapies and community initiatives such as SEN Brasil (Spiritual Emergence Network in Brazil) and the I National Symposium on Spiritual Emergency & Mental Health, Kelli contributes to conversations around holistic well-being, spiritual emergence, and integrative approaches to personal development and self-inquiry.




Accreditation
Certifications & Trainings
Professional Counsellor Diploma
Rhodes Wellness College (Vancouver, Canada – Completion: May 2026)
Life Coach Certificate
Rhodes Wellness College (Vancouver, Canada – December 2024)
C-IAYT Trauma-Informed Accredited Yoga Therapist
800-hour Advanced Yoga Therapy Program – VSOHA, Vancouver School of Healing Arts (Vancouver, Canada – Feb 2023)
Shamanic Reiki Master (Level 3)
Soul of Yoga (California, USA – Feb 2023)
Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (RYT-500)
300-hour Program – VSOHA, Vancouver School of Healing Arts (Vancouver, Canada – May 2020)
Foundations of Yoga Therapy – Certified Therapeutic Yoga Teacher
300-hour Program – VSOHA, Vancouver School of Healing Arts (Vancouver, Canada – Jan 2020)
Yoga Teacher Training (RYT-200)
200-hour Program – Soul of Yoga (California, USA – Aug 2019)
First Aid + CPR–C/AED Certification
Red Cross Training (Vancouver, Canada – Oct 2022)
Integrative & Holistic Therapies
Therapeutic, Body-Centred & Trauma-Informed Approach
Yoga Therapy (1:1)
Hatha + Chair + Restorative + Yin + Yoga Nidra
Guided Meditation
Reiki + Energy Balancing Sessions
Experience
Coaching Sessions (since 2025)
Yoga Retreats & Workshops (since 2023)
Yoga Therapy - 1:1 sessions (since 2023)
Reiki & Energy Balancing (since 2023)
Corporate Workshops Facilitator (YMCA, LivingWell, Innergy Yoga, others (since 2020)
Hatha + Vinyasa +Yin + Chair Yoga - Public classes at Yoga Generation, RMSS, YMCA (since 2019)
Education Background
Professional Counselling Diploma - Rhodes Wellness College (2026, Vancouver, CA)
Master's degree in Adm. Science & Leadership - FDU Fairleigh Dickinson University (2018, Vancouver, CA)
Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing - FGV Fundação Getúlio Vargas (2003, Rio de Janeiro, BR)
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