Hawaii Yoga Institute's Team

Hawaii Yoga Institute (HYI) provides 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.

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. We earnestly ask that both our team members and students support the work of the original and current caretakers of this 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 2SLGBTQ+ community, and those with diverse abilities. We aim to ensure that yoga is accessible to all by offering YTT scholarships to those who would otherwise not have access.

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 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.