Hawaii Yoga Institute
Elevated teacher training rooted in ancestral science.
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
"May all beings everywhere be happy and free. May our thoughts words and actions contribute to that happiness and freedom for all. May our world be just. May we all find peace."
Hawai'i Yoga Institute, based in Hawai'i, was formed in 2013 and became a is a 501(c)(3) in 2016. HYI has a mission to provide nationally recognized yoga teacher training programs and continuing education courses that empower students and faculty to develop their unique yoga teaching style through service based yoga. HYI specifically reaches out to include students and faculty members who represent a strong diversity of race, class, gender, size, physical ability and spiritual traditions to inspire and empower them to model and teach skills for improving physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health for all people within their community.
Our Inspiration
Transformational Learning: requires students who are prepared to learn, have their own established and embodied practices, asks students to meet themselves in a vulnerable and honest way
Education: enrollment, curriculum, study, and teaching that has a strong foundation. Rooted in ancestral sciences. Amplified by student’s already-lived experiences.
Kuleana: to Hawai’i, ‘āina, hui, kumus, and kūpuna. Co-creating a space where kuleana to self, each other, and ‘āina are interchangeable.
Embodiment: establishing a space where all have embodied practices is from an experiential space, and teaching is from a lived place. Embodiment versus theoretical.
Our Story
because history matters.
Hawai'i Yoga Institute, HYI, began in 2013 as a destination for exceptional 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certifications based in Hawai'i. Our Founder, Adria Pickett, believed that people were eager to learn from exceptional teachers who studied, practiced, and honored the practice of Yoga. In 2016, HYI became a 501(c)3 to continue this work while centering a mission of service-based Yoga for the collective. Today, we carry Adria's mission on and expand on her dreams.
In 2025, Laura Toyofuku-Aki became Executive Director taking over from Kilty Inafuku (ED from 2022-2024). This was an organic transition between friends and yogis with shared values.
Laura joins HYI while also being the co-founder and CEO of Project Koa Yoga. Laura is 500 E-RYT and YACEP, she sits on the Board of International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination.
Combining the expertise of HYI's curriculum designed and developed since 2013 with the specialized curriculum of PKY (social justice, decolonialism, place-based history and learning).
Bringing together a team of facilitators who are experts, embodied practitioners, and values-centered.
Creating a space for the student who is brave, focused, and practiced.
Board of Directors
Victoria Roland
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Place of Birth: Cocoa Beach, FL
‘Āina you live on now: Ewa Beach- Oahu
Victoria Roland has her 200 HR Yoga Alliance Project Koa Yoga certification, her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, and her Master of Science degree in Administration of Human Services (aka non-profit management). She is currently the Statewide Program Administrator for a non-profit fighting against exploitation with over 15 years of professional experiences in advocacy, crisis case management, research, residential care, and other social services for victims and survivors. Victoria has worked with multi-level nonprofit, state, and government agencies with people experiencing homelessness, substance dependence, gender-based violence, and those seeking immigrant justice. You can find her thriving through community care along with her Co-Founder for Project Koa Yoga, as a Community After Exploitation -Hawaii member, as a loving wife, proud Auntie to many, and brave dog mom of 3 dogdren.
One practice you love practicing and/or teaching: Metta Meditation
Favorite color: green and purple
Favorite shape: circle
Favorite animal: dog
Favorite yoga pose: tadasana
Favorite inspirational quote + who said it:
“ Your silence will not protect you”
Audre Lorde
Laura Toyofuku-Aki
Pronouns: she/her
Place of Birth: Orange, CA
‘Āina you live on now: Pūowaina
After living in NYC for 10 years, Boston for 4 years prior, and CA for 18 years (from birth to college). I came to Hawai’i, the place of my parents out of curiosity, learning, and remembering. I am curious about the choices we make that affect each generation to come, learning about myself and my familial practices, and remembering the resilience that was always there.
Along that journey, I found trauma-informed Yoga. In NYC, I trained and taught with Liberation Prison Yoga to teach to the transgender ward at Manhattan Detention Complex and Riker’s. I apprenticed with Lineage Project and taught movement and mindfulness to incarcerated and at-risk youth and I used these skills to create PKY.
I currently sit on the Board of ICAAD (International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination) and I am a graduate of Boston University with a Bachelors in International Relations.
One practice you love practicing: Pranayama & Meditation
Favorite color: blue, glitter
Favorite shape: star
Favorite animal: honu
Favorite yoga pose: downward facing dog
Favorite inspirational quote + who said it:
“‘Why?’ is an evolutionary question.”
-Adrienne Maree Brown
Sherise Stephens
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, PA
Aina I live on now: O'ahu
Sherise hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but has lived and traveled throughout the world since joining the United States Army in August 2000. She currently resides in Ewa Beach Hawaii with her partner of ten years, Victoria, and their three amazing dogs.
Sherise has attended a myriad of leadership courses throughout her time in the service to include the prestigious Sergeants Major Academy where she graduated in the top 20% of her class on the commandant’s list.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports and Health Medicine with a concentration in Exercise Science, a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Workforce Development, and a Master of Science in Management with a focus on Organizational Leadership.
She enjoys outdoor and water activities and is an avid runner.
Favorite Inspirational quote: To define is to limit
U'ilani Tevaga is a dedicated yogi and holistic wellness advocate based in Lahaina, Maui. With over 10 years of mentoring in movement and embodiment and business, she completed her 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training through Sattva Yoga Global Academy, where she studied Vedic and Tantric Transcendental Wisdom over 5.5 months.
A Generational Hula practice and certified Trauma informed Somatic Facilitator, she bringing equal parts play and profundity to her unique journeys, fostering a deeper connection to self and community through meditation, breath, and movement.
Our acknowledgement
We humbly recognize that the land where we live, work, play and practice yoga is on the ancestral and present-day land of the native people of Hawai'i (Kānaka 'Ōiwi). We earnestly ask that both our team members and students support the work of the original and current caretakers of this 'āina (land).
Similarly, yoga is a practice that originates from India and Southeast Asia. We are grateful for the privilege to share these teachings and hold great respect for our lineage of teachers. Understanding yoga's historical context, which includes the impact of British colonialism on India, highlights the need for making yoga more inclusive. We are committed to promoting diversity, teaching without judgment, and creating an inclusive future for yoga. Addressing ongoing issues of racism and cultural appropriation, we commit to using our privilege to celebrate all communities, including people of color, the QTIA2Smāhū+ community, and those with diverse abilities. We aim to ensure that yoga is accessible to all by offering YTT scholarship cohorts.
As we work together to build a sustainable, inclusive, and just future, we appreciate your insights and experiences and encourage our community to learn and grow with us. Our goal is to engage in the ongoing process of decolonizing ourselves and reindigenizing our offerings. We recognize that this is a lifelong journey of unlearning—just one small part of the broader and intricate work of dismantling oppressive systems.
2024© Hawaii Yoga Institute is a 501(c)(3) corporation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill | Yoga Alliance®
info@hawaiiyogaintitute.com
(808) 262 - YOGA