The Heart of JapaYoga
Kelli Kanashiro (Japa, as friends affectionately call her) is the founder of JapaYoga Healing Therapies. Currently, she is a C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist, Shamanic Reiki Master, YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider), E-RYT500 experienced Yoga Alliance registered Yoga teacher. Over the past few years, Kelli has offered over 2.5k hours of sessions by consistently applying Yoga for therapeutic purposes and successfully helping people worldwide.
Born in South America, Kelli is a Brazilian descendant of multi-nationalities. Daughter of a Lebanese mother and a Japanese father, Kelli has always presented mixed and striking characteristics of each culture. The traces of her eyes do not deny its origin, thus arousing, among her close friends, the affectionate nickname "Japa" as a reference to the Japanese character.
Curiously, the Sanskrit word Japa (जप) is also a practice found in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and it is a meditative and repetitive contemplation on the meaning of a mantra or a divine name. One of the ways to practice it is by counting through a string of beads, commonly known as japamala. Japa is a reliable and effective practice that aims to attain an aware and meditative state of mind. Precisely, this is one of the findings of the sessions that Kelli offers. Thus, the name JapaYoga was created.
For two decades, Kelli had been immersed in the corporate world, playing leadership roles in projects and people management. After years of witnessing peers and colleagues, including herself, compromising physical, mental and emotional health due to work pressure and demands, she strove to find alternatives to managing stress and leading a more balanced life.
Since 2012, Kelli has been studying yoga and practicing meditation. In 2016, she received the Kriya Yoga initiation from Self Realization Fellowship (SRF), becoming a Kriyaban and officializing a guru-disciple relationship with Paramahansa Yogananda.
Through this experience, she ended up discovering her true life purpose. In 2018, after moving to Canada and during her master's studies in Leadership, Kelli had a clear vision of her role as a leader. She decided to follow her heart by pursuing a professional career on the Yoga path.
Currently, Kelli offers in-person (Great Vancouver Area, BC) and online sessions for clients/students in Canada, U.S., Brazil, Australia, Portugal, Argentina. She also develops and teaches meditation & therapeutic yoga workshops. One of the hallmarks you can meet in her offerings is guidance to a contemplative enquiry into who you really are, to what you are capable of, and to an experience of self-awareness in all senses.
Accreditation
Yoga and Other Training
800-h Advanced Yoga Therapy - VSOHA Vancouver School of Healing Arts (Vancouver, CA - Feb 2023)
Shamanic Reiki Training (L3 Master) - Souf of Yoga (California, USA - Feb 2023)
300-h Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (RYT-500) - VSOHA Vancouver School of Healing Arts (Vancouver, CA - May 2020)
300-h Foundations of Yoga Therapy - Certified Therapeutic Yoga Teacher - VSOHA Vancouver School of Healing Arts (Vancouver, CA - Jan 2020)
200-h YTT - Certified Yoga Teacher - Soul of Yoga (California, USA - Aug 2019)
First Aid + CPR–C/AED Red Cross Training (Vancouver, CA - Oct 2022)
Yoga & Holistic Specialties
Shamanic Reiki Healing Sessions
Yoga Therapy
Therapeutic & Trauma-Informed Approach
Hatha + Chair Yoga + Restorative + Yin + Nidra
Guided Meditation
1:1 Private & Personalized Sessions
Experience
Yoga Therapy, Shamanic Reiki, Meditation - In-Person & Oline Private Sessions in Canada and Brazil (current)
Corporate Workshops Facilitator (YMCA, LivingWell, Innergy - 2020 - current)
Hatha Yoga - Public Classes at YMCA Robert Lee (Vancouver, CA - 2019 - 2022)
Meditation Program - developed for YMCA Robert Lee staff (2020)
Education Background
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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