I’m originally from Tokyo. When I was younger, I moved to the United States for high school because I wanted to learn how to speak English and experience a different culture. After graduating from university in California, I moved to Hawaiʻi because of my love for surfing. I’ve always been a very active person. Outside of yoga, I love surfing, running marathons, competing in triathlons, snowboarding, and exploring different ways to move my body. Movement has always been a big part of who I am, but over time, it became much more than something physical. It became a way for me to process life, reconnect with myself, and keep moving forward. Yoga became a much bigger part of my life after I moved to Hawaiʻi.

I initially came to it as another form of movement, but I quickly realized that it offered something very different.

It wasn’t only about flexibility or physical strength. Yoga helped me slow down, become more present, and connect with what was happening inside of me. That deeper connection drew me in and eventually led me to complete my first yoga teacher training in Hawaiʻi.

Finding Resilience Through Movement

Some of the biggest challenges in my life were deeply personal. I experienced the loss of someone close to me, went through a difficult relationship, and eventually a divorce.

During those times, movement became something that truly saved me. I learned that even when life felt overwhelming, moving my body could help me shift my energy and feel like myself again. Meditation also became an important part of my healing. It gave me space to sit with difficult emotions instead of trying to avoid them.

Those experiences changed my relationship with yoga. It was no longer simply something I practiced; it became a tool for resilience, healing, and self-discovery. They were also deeply humbling. I realized that pain, loss, and uncertainty are not unique to any one person—they are part of the human experience. Recognizing that made me want to serve others and share the practices that had helped me find my way through difficult times.

From Teaching to Community Leadership

After completing my teacher training, I began teaching yoga and later became a lululemon ambassador. I eventually joined lululemon Japan as a Community Connector, where I played a key role in helping the brand enter and establish itself in the Japanese market.

I traveled across Japan, building relationships with instructors, studios, athletes, and leaders in the fitness and wellness space. Through that work, I was able to experience the growing wellness community firsthand and understand both its potential and what was still missing.

I saw an opportunity to make yoga feel more modern, empowering, and relevant to people’s everyday lives. I wanted to help spread yoga in a way that went beyond the traditional studio experience and create a stronger sense of community around movement and well-being.

That vision led me to work toward opening my own studio and eventually creating IGNITE. Since then, my journey has expanded beyond teaching classes. It has included opening studios, developing teachers, building communities, leading retreats, creating events, and exploring how yoga can support people both on and off the mat.

For me, yoga continues to evolve. It is a practice, a profession, a community, and one of the ways I continue to understand myself.

Building IGNITE Before Opening a Studio

I didn’t begin by opening a studio. I started with workshops and teacher trainings, using those experiences to build a community and develop the team I knew I would eventually need.

Even before I had a physical space, I had a clear vision of opening a studio in Tokyo. I focused on building two things at the same time: my personal brand as a yoga teacher and IGNITE YOGA as a brand with its own identity, values, and community.

When I eventually left lululemon Japan, I had been working as a Community Connector and Tokyo Maven—a role centered around building relationships, connecting people, and creating experiences for the local market.

Around that same time, lululemon was preparing to open a new location in Harajuku. We saw an opportunity to collaborate, and IGNITE YOGA became the first independently operated third-party studio to partner with lululemon globally.

They helped create what felt like a dream studio for me. It was an incredible opportunity, but it also came with responsibility. I had to turn that opportunity into a real, sustainable business and create a community that could stand on its own.

Growing Through Community and Collaboration

Our growth was largely organic. Instagram was our main marketing channel, supported by word of mouth and the energy of the community itself.

We hosted a lot of events, workshops, and collaborative experiences, especially through our partnership with lululemon. These events allowed people to experience IGNITE before becoming regular students or members.

But more than any specific marketing strategy, community building was what helped us grow. Creating meaningful relationships has always been one of my strengths. I wanted people to feel that they were not simply attending a yoga class—they were becoming part of something.

Over time, we expanded through teacher trainings, workshops, retreats, events, and by developing teachers who could carry the IGNITE philosophy in their own authentic way.

Bringing Yoga Into Athletic Spaces

Last year, I also co-founded VSSL UNION in Hawaiʻi, a movement and community space that brings together Brazilian jiu-jitsu, yoga, strength, recovery, and wellness. I started VSSL because I wanted to share the power of yoga with athletes—especially people who might never walk into a traditional yoga studio. I had personally experienced how yoga could improve not only mobility and recovery, but also focus, breath control, body awareness, and resilience.

Through VSSL, I wanted to bring yoga into an athletic environment and show that it is not separate from performance. It can help athletes train more intelligently, recover more effectively, and build a stronger connection between the body and mind.

VSSL expanded my mission beyond the traditional yoga community. It reminded me that the heart of my work is not about convincing everyone to become a “yogi.” It is about helping more people experience the benefits of movement, breath, and self-awareness in a way that feels relevant to their lives.

Starting VSSL pushed me beyond the yoga industry and required me to learn a new market, a new culture, and a different kind of business model. It also showed me that the heart of what I do is not limited to yoga. It is about creating spaces where people can move, connect, challenge themselves, and feel supported.

The Channels That Built the Community

Instagram and organic word of mouth have consistently been our strongest channels.

Instagram allows us to communicate the feeling, energy, and personality of the brand. But word of mouth is what builds real trust. When someone has a meaningful experience and brings a friend, that is more powerful than any paid advertisement.

Events and collaborations have also been important because they give people an opportunity to experience the community in person. For both IGNITE and VSSL, people often become part of the community after first attending an event, workshop, seminar, or class with a friend.

Learning to Decide, Adapt, and Move Forward

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to try things without becoming too attached to one outcome. When something doesn’t work, I shift.

Make a decision, learn from it, and move forward. Staying stuck in indecision can be more damaging than making the wrong choice.

At the same time, I have learned the importance of not losing sight of your core purpose. The strategy can change. The business model can change. The space, team, or offering can change. But the reason behind the work should remain steady.

For me, that means staying grounded in what I believe while remaining flexible in how I bring it to life.

I have also learned to follow what gives me energy. When something genuinely excites me, there is usually something worth exploring there. That energy has often guided me toward the next chapter of the business.

A Message to Other Yoga Founders

Start before everything feels perfect.

You do not need to have every answer, the perfect studio, or a complete business plan before taking your first step. Begin with what you have. Teach a class, host a workshop, bring people together, and pay attention to what resonates.

Be willing to experiment, but do not compromise the heart of what you are trying to create. Know why you are doing it, because there will be difficult moments when passion alone is not enough.

Community cannot be manufactured. It is built through consistency, trust, genuine relationships, and showing up for people over time.

Also, do not be afraid to change direction. Shifting does not mean you failed. Sometimes it means you listened.

A Mission to Inspire Movement

My mission is to inspire more people to move their bodies.

Movement saved me during some of the most difficult periods of my life. It helped me process grief, navigate major transitions, rebuild confidence, and reconnect with myself. That is why this work is so personal to me.

I want people to understand that movement does not have to look one particular way. It can be yoga, running, surfing, strength training, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, dancing, or simply taking a walk. What matters is finding something that helps you feel alive and connected to yourself.

Through IGNITE, VSSL, retreats, events, and the communities I continue to build, I want to create spaces where people feel inspired to move, grow, connect, and discover what they are capable of.

At the heart of my work is the desire to give people energy.

My message is simple: keep moving, follow what excites you, and pursue the things that make you feel more alive.

Business Takeaways

  • Build the community before the studio Juri did not begin by opening a physical location. She first hosted workshops and teacher trainings, allowing her to develop a community, strengthen her personal brand, and build the team she would eventually need.
  • Let people experience the brand Events, workshops, collaborations, and classes introduced people to the energy of IGNITE and VSSL before they became regular members. Creating meaningful in-person experiences helped turn awareness into trust and long-term participation.
  • Keep the purpose steady while changing the strategy Juri learned that the studio, team, offering, and business model may need to change. However, the purpose behind the work should remain clear. This allowed her to adapt without losing the identity of her brands.
  • Make decisions and learn through action Rather than remaining stuck in indecision, Juri believes in making a choice, observing the result, and moving forward. When something does not work, she shifts without treating the change as a failure.
  • Expand beyond the traditional yoga audience Through VSSL UNION, Juri introduced yoga to athletes interested in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, strength, recovery, and performance. By presenting yoga in a context relevant to their lives, she expanded her mission beyond people who already identified as yogis.