Yoga Gives Back TOKYO Autumn Charity Retreat
Teachers & Artists
Nine inspiring teachers and artists come together in support of a brighter future for women and children in India.
Leading teachers and artists from Japan and around the world will gather for a special day in support of women and children in India—sharing yoga, meditation, music, Ayurveda, and embodied wisdom.
Names are presented alphabetically. Honorifics are omitted.
chama チャマ（相澤護）
Founder of TOKYOYOGA / E-RYT 500
chama is a yoga teacher and curator of embodied practice. He has led TOKYOYOGA since 2002, with more than 20 years of experience managing studios and teaching in Japan and internationally. His work spans beginner classes, teacher training, corporate wellness programs, and retreats.
Centering breath, sensory awareness, and postural re-education, he developed SOMA, a practical philosophy integrating yoga and somatics. Through the themes of embodiment, relationship, and space, his approach refines both how we move and how we experience movement. He is known for teaching that cultivates resilience, suppleness, and strength, and he also offers online programs supporting daily practice.
Daphne Tse ダフネ・ツエ
Singer-Songwriter / Kirtan Artist
Born in Texas, Daphne began singing as a child and explored a wide range of musical genres during college. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles, where the music of Shawn Colvin inspired her to begin playing guitar and writing songs.
For nearly two decades, Daphne has developed a distinctive style blending singer-songwriter expression with spiritual practice. She travels throughout Europe, North and Central America, and Asia, sharing spaces of music and prayer.
Inspired by yoga, her music brings together folk, pop, and spiritual traditions. She participates in events and communities around the world through creative work connecting music, yoga, dance, and peace.
Daphne contributed to Shiva Rea’s yoga music compilations Jala and Nataraja. She recorded her first solo album, Mata, in Bali and later released Finding Water, recorded in Hawaii. In 2017, she released arigato, her first kirtan album incorporating Japanese lyrics. In 2018, she collaborated with Keigo Tanaka on Soulsongs — Music for Living Yoga.
Go Sato 佐藤ゴウ
Yoga and Meditation Teacher / Founder, radhika yoga Hayama
In the sacred city of Vrindavan, India, Go studied the Bhagavad Gita directly with Sadhu Maharaja, a revered spiritual teacher said to have attained enlightenment. He is a formally initiated practitioner in the Raganuga Bhakti Yoga tradition.
He teaches yoga philosophy and meditation courses for instructors through organizations and schools including Yoga Generation, side-A, the International Holistic Therapy Association, YMC Medical Trainers School, and IGNITE YOGA.
Kiyomi Takahashi 髙橋きよみ
E-RYT 500 / YACEP
Kiyomi began teaching yoga in both English and Japanese in Los Angeles in 2009. Since 2015, she has trained yoga instructors, first serving as a teacher trainer for a major school and later establishing a comprehensive Yoga Alliance–certified teacher training program.
With 20 years of yoga practice, she has completed more than 1,600 hours of training in Hatha and Kundalini Yoga with teachers in the United States and India. She has worked as both a yoga teacher and teacher trainer at leading Los Angeles studios, including YogaWorks.
For 13 years, Kiyomi has led yoga programs for major companies, including Google, and has also taught at Equinox. In 2021, she founded Inner Glow Yoga, a Yoga Alliance–registered RYT 200 teacher training school, where she serves as lead trainer.
She has been featured in both the English and Japanese editions of Yoga Journal and has taught at yoga festivals in the United States and Bali.
Lauren Peterson ローレン・ピーターソン
Yoga Teacher
Based in California, Lauren has taught yoga around the world for many years and has also worked as an actor. Her practice includes advanced Iyengar and Ashtanga work through the fourth series, with elements of the fifth series.
She appeared regularly on the television program Healing Journey and in Yoga Journal. At the Monte Nido Eating Disorder Treatment Center, she developed a yoga program for women experiencing anorexia, bulimia, and related challenges.
In addition to teaching private and group classes in Malibu, Lauren leads Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga workshops throughout the United States. She has also taught across Asia and is recognized internationally for her work as a yoga instructor.
Machiko Nishikawa 西川眞知子
Ayurveda Researcher / Life Design Instructor
Machiko is the founder of the Machiko Nishikawa Life Design Research Institute, director of the Japan Natural Healing Center, and president and representative director of Zero Sight Co., Ltd.
She has developed Ayurvedic health and beauty methods tailored to individual constitutions, along with an accessible lifestyle improvement program. Her work includes lectures, seminars, health and beauty consulting, and product development.
She is the author of more than 30 books on Ayurveda and yoga, including Ayurveda: The Life Science of India.
Mayumi Fujita 藤田真弓
Yoga Teacher / Organic Aroma Instructor / Aromatherapist
Mayumi offers deeply restorative classes centered on Aging Yoga, Organic Aroma Yoga, and Restorative Yoga.
She leads restorative yoga teacher training at a major yoga instructor training school. Her work also includes special aromatherapy courses presented by a preventive medicine association, curriculum development and instruction for Good Aging Yoga Advisor courses at leading cultural schools, pose supervision for yoga publications, and corporate event teaching in the beauty industry.
Mayumi received formal initiation into traditional yoga from the Indian saint Sadhu Maharaja and was given the Bhakti Yoga name “Gaura Vraja Madhuri.” She has also studied with Azusa Annells, a leading figure in organic aromatherapy in Japan, and practices organic aroma facial massage.
She serves as a veggy Ambassador, a Fun Fiber model, and a Yoga Gives Back Ambassador.
Michiko Minegishi 峯岸道子
Director, MSY Association / Director, BMY Studio / Yoga Gives Back Ambassador
Michiko leads the MSY Association, BMY Studio, Yoga Bō Association, HCP Yoga, and Handicap Yoga Japan, and serves as a Yoga Gives Back Ambassador.
Since 2000, she has continually developed original content and teaching methods grounded in functional anatomy, earning strong support from yoga teachers in Japan and internationally.
In recent years, her work has focused on maintaining healthspan for active older adults and seniors. She brings together a broad range of elements—including the brain and nervous system—into practical programs, some of which have been featured in her series for Yoga Journal Japan.
Michiko has appeared on TV Tokyo, Fuji Television, Nippon Television, and other media. She has been invited to international conferences in Bali, Hong Kong, China, and Korea, and has authored and supervised numerous books, DVDs, and magazine features.
Naomi Akanuma 赤沼直美
Executive Director, Studio Beaura
Naomi is Executive Director of Studio Beaura, Yoga Program Advisor for Fitness Club TIPNESS, a lululemon.jp Legacy Ambassador, a Manduka Japan Ambassador, and a Julier Ambassador.
After discovering Power Yoga in Los Angeles, she made yoga a central part of her life. To deepen her study, she visited ashrams and schools throughout India, exploring yoga’s essential role in bringing balance to body and mind.
Today, she teaches primarily at yoga studios and fitness clubs, serves as an instructor for Yoga Alliance 200-hour teacher training programs, and supervises books and magazine content. Her teaching philosophy is to communicate yoga clearly and thoughtfully, making it relevant and accessible in daily life.