Our Amazing Teachers

Yuuki is the proud owner of Dou Yoga as well as the co-founder of Suryaside Yoga and  Hosh Yoga. He is the Co-Director and Co-Lead teacher of the 200 hour teacher training program at Dou Yoga. 

In addition to a decade of practice, Yuuki has been teaching since 2008. He completed his 500 hour training with ISHTA Yoga but his thirst for knowledge and passion for the subtle body and energetics has brought him the  Tri-State  College of Acupuncture where he is currently to studying Oriental Medicine to become a licensed acupuncturist.

Yuuki believes in the importance of functional movement and using the breath as a foundation and progression of one’s yoga practice. With his understanding of anatomy, body mechanics, meditation, the breath and the energy that weaves all it together, Yuuki wishes to educate and create an environment of inquiry, healing and growth for his students.

https://www.acupuncturenewrochelle.com/

Alix is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and an AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor. She completed her Yoga Teacher Training in June 2023 at Dou Yoga in Brooklyn, NY under the guidance of Yuuki Hirano, Kate Lieberman, and Shieri Yamafuji.

Alix creates space to unplug from busy life in New York City, fostering balance, mindfulness, and community connection. Drawing from her own experience as a lost beginner, Alix wholeheartedly embraces a beginner's mindset to cultivate a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds and experience levels.

As a teacher, Alix is nurturing, precise, and grounding. She seeks to empower students to achieve their full potential on their mats while feeling safe. Most importantly, her classes overflow with moments of lightness and fun, creating an environment where laughter and learning coexist.

Off the mat, Alix loves museums, the beach, and a warm beverage.

Anna is a Brooklyn based dancer, astrologer, and yoga teacher. She has been studying and practicing yoga for the past 15 years. Although she initially maintained a yoga practice to complement her dance training, she has come to experience a deep transformation in her life through the subtle and healing aspects of yoga. 

She received her 200 hour yoga certification through Prajna Yoga under the direction of Tias & Surya Little and Djuna Devereaux. Additionally, Anna is a certified pilates mat instructor through Equinox. 

In her classes, Anna prioritizes alignment and creating a practice that feels good for all bodies. She enjoys infusing creativity and movement into her classes to help spark the imagination of her students. Anna is thrilled to continue growing and learning as a part of the Dou community.

Learn more about Anna at groundnspace.com

Vibrant movement has always been an integral part of Carrie’s life; whether through yoga, sports, dance or connecting with the beauty of nature. She is most at peace when moving and living mindfully. 

After a few injuries Carrie began to devote more time to practicing yoga and developing an understanding of benefits a regular practice has, not just for the body, but for the mind as well. In 2017 she decided to deepen her practice by becoming a 200-hr certified yoga instructor. From her first class she absolutely loved it. Sharing her passion for yoga with her students inspires Carrie every day. Teaching has brought her more joy and excitement then she ever could have imagined. 

In her classes she focuses on alignment and functional movement with accessibility of poses for all levels of ability. Along with regular classes at Dou, Carrie also teaches private online and in person classes by request. 

David is an actor, director and teaching artist who shares his love of acting and theatre in addition to yoga with children and adults alike. David lives in Brooklyn and originally hails from Kentucky, but has called NYC home for more than 20 years.

Drawn to meditation and Buddhism while growing up, David found his true home while training in Prana Yoga under Dr. Jeff Migdow and Priti Robyn Ross. David is also certified to teach children's yoga through Kidding Around Yoga, and HOSH kids yoga.

David brings humor, joy and an eye for detail to his classes, creating a safe space for students to be present and explore their bodies.

As a yoga instructor I teach to the whole person. I believe every individual should and can be successful. And I want yoga to serve a person on and off the mat.

My yoga practice and teaching is influenced by my Quakerism. I believe deeply in the Light that burns bright in every person. I have a strong testimony of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality. I use these tenets as the core of my teaching and believe strongly that our yoga practice must serve us on the mat and in our daily lives as well.

My teaching is also influenced by my extensive professional experiences. I first began my career working with adults with various developmental disabilities. I always wondered if these adults' quality of life would have been improved if intervention work had begun for them as children. This lead me to earn a BA in Early Childhood Education. For over 25 years in the classroom, I bring a whole child approach, teaching to all their interests.

Similarly these early childhood teaching practices I follow, I look at the whole person when instructing my adult and child yoga classes. How do we meet the needs of the whole person, whether in the classroom or on the mat, through asana (physical practice) meditation, mindfulness or Thai massage, while still maintaining a playful mind and heart.

JuAn came to yoga practice like many, in search of a quieter mind. She began her practice about a decade ago while still living in Korea. She moved to New York in 2008 where she has continued her practice and has completed 200 hours of Teacher Training at Yoga People in Brooklyn Heights which drew from Jivamukti and Ishta influences. JuAn has been a teacher at Dou Yoga since May 2017, at which time she completed another 200 hours of teacher training under the amazing guidance of Yuuki, Ariel and David.

Always continuing to deepen her yoga practice, JuAn is very much excited to continue on my yogic journey with the Dou Yoga community who are all completely amazing. 

Kate’s aim, guiding a yoga practice is to create an environment of curiosity and exploration for each person to discover doorways within themselves where there once may have been walls.

Based in Brooklyn, Kate has been practicing yoga for the past 20 years and teaching yoga classes for the past decade. She works with young people K-12 as a yoga and mindfulness facilitator in public schools throughout NYC.

She serves all bodies, ages, and ability levels to adults in studios, online and in 1-1 private sessions with multiple organizations across the country. She earned her first 200 hour yoga teacher training with HOSH Yoga in 2013 and has since taken numerous specialized trainings focusing on: restorative yoga, anatomy, mindfulness based meditation, trauma informed teaching, restorative justice focused facilitation and yoga therapeutics focusing on grief, trauma and holistic mental health.

Most recently, Kate completed a 200 hour yoga therapy training focused on somatic grief and trauma processing through The Grief Support Network and The Center For Somatic Grieving. The immersion into this work has inspired Kate to work toward her 1,000 hour Yoga Therapy accreditation. She is currently enrolled at the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy.

Kate is also an artist and musician with a rich background in performing arts and has integrated both of her passions by empowering teachers to connect to their authentic voices combining various vocal, breath and meditation techniques.

Kate is thrilled to be a co-lead of the Dou Yoga 200 hour teacher training and has been teaching at Dou, her “home studio” since 2014.

IG: @Katchee22

Website: Kate-Liberman.com

Kelley received her 200 hr RYT certification from Dan Ward Yoga School in Los Angeles in 2014 and has been practicing for the last ten years. In 2015, she traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria with teachers Dan Ward and Rudy Mettia to participate in the production of streaming yoga classes through Udaya Yoga. Prior to moving to New York, she taught classes at Power Yoga Santa Monica.

As a teacher, Kelley emphasizes safe alignment and rigorous focus in the context of a strong and grounding flow. The yogic texts are foundational to her practice, and she aims to bring their insights into class when appropriate. In yoga, she found the invaluable practice of paying attention to the moment one finds oneself in, and she strives to imbue each class with this equanimity.

Kimo Gray is a staunch humanist and a lifelong student. His classes are friendly, funny, and focused on emotional awareness and creating a sense of community.

He encourages students to use his class as a safe space to release all ego and discover new opportunities, both physical and emotional, for themselves through loving awareness. He completed his 200-hour RYT certification in 2019 with Jewel City Yoga in Brooklyn, NY. To Kimo, yoga is the opportunity to examine our minds, bodies and spirits, “trapped in the amber of the moment”.

Leslie approaches yoga with a genuine passion for guiding others on their journey, rooted in a deep sense of service. Drawing inspiration from various modalities and forms of movement, meditation, and breathwork practices, she infuses her teaching style with a blend of intuition and curiosity. She encourages students to embrace each moment through thoughtful, breath-centered practices and intentions tied to the natural rhythm of the seasons. Her playful yet nurturing style cultivates a harmonious mind-body-spirit connection, fostering exploration and empowerment.

Leslie's classes welcome practitioners of all levels, offering a space to expand with a lightness that enriches the experience. Her dedication to this practice extends beyond the mat, integrating its principles in her daily life, and embodying a sense of inquiry, insight, creativity, and inner harmony.

Beyond her passion for yoga, Leslie loves traveling, experiencing new places and cultures, dancing, savoring delicious foods, grounding in nature, getting lost in a good book, and enjoying moments of laughter. She believes in giving back and uplifting her community, which she fulfills through volunteering with the Kings County Tennis League. Leslie deeply values meaningful connections with people, animals, and the world around her. Her fur babies, Jude and Columbo, inspire her daily with wisdom in love and life.

Michelle Addo-Chajet completed her 200-HR YTT at Abhaya Yoga under the guidance of Tara Glazier, and will earn her RYT® 500 certification when she finishes the 300-HR program in December of 2023. She teaches yoga online, in-person, and via private lessons at several studios throughout Brooklyn. Although she dabbled in yoga during high school, her practice became consistent in 2010 upon moving to NYC - finding the city's numerous donation-based programs a relatively accessible way to explore the city.

As a teacher, Michelle strives to empower students of all backgrounds to explore the nuance and strengths of their physical and subtle bodies through an encouraging, yet technical and challenging practice. With sequences structured around rational progression, students will find an emphasis on alignment and modifications for their unique physicality. As a student, she uses her own practice to apply ahimsa – an accessible way to stay active, participate in a far-reaching, diverse community, and find peace through practice. Indeed, Michelle finds a calling within the dual - internal and external - nature of yoga and the concept of devotion to a collective. (Sutra 2.1: The practice of yoga consists of self-discipline, self-study, and dedication to Self.)

Marlee started practicing yoga in high school to help relieve back pain and found more than she bargained for. In 2024, she completed her 200 hour teacher training at Dou with Yuuki, Shieri, and Kate. Her classes prioritize presence, using movement and the breath to anchor to the present moment and find center. She is honored to be part of the Dou community and offer to others what she continues to learn from yoga.

Born and bred in and around Boston, MA, I recently relocted to Brooklyn to shake up my late-pandemic lifestyle! I began doing yoga as a teenager, after I'd left behind my years as a gymnast and ballet dancer and spent most of my time on the ice hockey rink. As an avid athlete, finding a slower and more mindful way to move and stretch my body became the best way to keep my body strong and my mind healthy. I find ways to incorporate my practice into my career as performing artist and youth educator, fostering stillness and breathwork to combat the rat race mentality that most contemporary humans find themselves in. In 2018, I travelled to the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand to complete my teacher training at La Casa Shambala with Micha Albecete. Life is too short to be serious, so my classes incorporate moments of laughter and freedom to experiment and explore, even if/when we fall over or just need to have a good wiggle.

IG: @sgtmarge

Tye (she/her) was drawn to Pilates as a conditioning method to accompany her contemporary dance pursuits. Living with hypermobile joints, Tye found it difficult to feel centered in movement. Pilates helped her develop a sense of stability, from her core to her fingertips. A new sense of groundedness led to a relief of tension in her body and mind. Tye's passion for building strength — through functional movement and mindfulness — is what led her to teach Pilates!

Tye completed 900 hours of teacher training over a two-and-a-half-year certification at the University of Wisoncin-Madison under Collette Stewart and Liz Sexe. Tye's teacher training was based in functional anatomy and the classical Pilates method.

As a young instructor, Tye brings excitement and curiosity to every session. Her classes emphasizes precision, relieving tension, and fostering three-dimensional body awareness. She hopes students leave class with a sense of harmonious balance, where their bones and joints align, and their spirit is empowered. 

Shieri Yamafuji is a Yoga and Pilates practitioner, Mindfulness-based Personal Trainer, and Mentor for Yoga Teachers specializing in self-branding and authentic expression. She also serves as the Training Director for Dou Yoga’s 200- & 300-hour Teacher Trainings and is the Founder and Director of 35 hour Mindfulness Pilates Training.

Her journey began with a transformative turning point: a debilitating foot injury paired with a sudden panic attack that led her to seek deeper healing through movement and breath. What began as recovery soon grew into a lifelong commitment to yoga and Pilates.

Shieri trained in Pilates at the prestigious Kane School of Core Integration and Polestar Asia, and in 2013 completed her 200-hour RYT yoga teacher training at Dou Yoga. She expanded her expertise with additional certifications in Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra at ISHTA Yoga, Foot Fitness under YAMUNA, and other specialized trainings. In 2018, she deepened her studies with a 500-hour RYT training under Guta Hedewig at The Yoga School NY, grounding her teaching in the T. Krishnamacharya/TKV Desikachar tradition, celebrated for its adaptability and individualized approach.

To further honor the roots of yoga, Shieri studied with senior yoga therapists and Ayurvedic doctors trained directly by Krishnamacharya and Desikachar. Her studies at Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Yoga Vahini, and Svastha Yoga in Chennai, India, deepened her understanding of Subtle Anatomy, Pranayama, Ayurveda, and Yoga Therapy.

Guided by this rich lineage and her own healing journey, Shieri teaches with the intention of moving beyond the physical, helping her students and clients cultivate resilience, self-awareness, and a profound connection between body, mind, and spirit.

IG: @shieri_shelly_yamafuji

www.shierishellyyamafuji.com