Aiko first encountered yoga in 2005. After her friend recommended that it was “good for poor circulation”, she went to her first studio. After that, she gradually developed a home practice.

At the time, her dream was to work abroad and she was lucky to have the opportunity to work in Switzerland for 4 months in 2006. She felt at the time that she should have some kind of specialized skill in order to function abroad. During her childhood days, she has practiced apparatus gymnastics and was good at movement, so she decided to proceed down the path of becoming a yoga instructor.

After returning to Japan, Aiko taught Hot Yoga for one year. After further studies, she discovered that yoga was beneficial not only for the physical body, but also for cultivating one’s mind. Whilst attending fitness style yoga classes, she came across vedic chanting and was pulled in by its charms to eventually take private lessons.

After she quit working at the Hot Yoga studio, Aiko went to Australia to study a 500-hour level Yoga Alliance registered course at the Byron Yoga Center. Returning home to Japan again, she has been teaching hatha yoga at fitness clubs, Hot Yoga studios and community halls. She has also been active as an editor for HelloYoga.com.

From 2010, Aiko has been enrolled in a 2-year vedic chanting teacher training course at Vedavani.