Joanna Lau - Urban Zen Tokyo Lead Teacher
URBAN ZEN TOKYO · YOGA INSTRUCTOR · TOKYO

VALERIYA BEREKO

Practices
Hatha Yoga · Pranayama
TEACHING LANGUAGES
English · Russian

Valerya's Hatha Yoga classes combine strong, focused movement with pranayama and mindful attention. Drawing on a personal practice that began in 2017 and deepened after moving to Japan, she creates classes that can challenge the body while bringing greater steadiness and focus to the mind

URBAN ZEN TOKYO · YOGA INSTRUCTOR · TOKYO

VALERIYA BEREKO

Practices
Hatha Yoga · Pranayama
TEACHING LANGUAGES
English · Russian

Valerya's Hatha Yoga classes combine strong, focused movement with pranayama and mindful attention. Drawing on a personal practice that began in 2017 and deepened after moving to Japan, she creates classes that can challenge the body while bringing greater steadiness and focus to the mind

Joanna Lau - Urban Zen Tokyo Lead Teacher
About

Personal Journey & Philosophy

Valerya's journey with yoga began in 2017, simply out of curiosity and a desire to explore the practice, with no intention of becoming a teacher.

After moving to Japan in 2022, yoga became a steady part of her life. The practice supported her through both physical and mental challenges, and over time, she realized she wanted to go deeper - to approach yoga not simply as a hobby, but as something she wanted to truly study and understand.

In July 2025, this led her to complete her first 200-hour RYT teacher training.Today, she brings what she has learned into her own Hatha Yoga classes. Pranayama plays an important role in her teaching, helping students work not only with the body, but also with attention and the mind. She enjoys a strong, intensive practice, while always keeping care for each student at the center of the class.

Qualifications

Training & Certification

2025
200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training (RYT 200)
About

Personal Journey & Philosophy

Since experiencing the uplifting feeling in her first yoga class as a teenager, there was no turning back for Joanna’s yoga journey. Through different stages of life navigating insecurity, nursing injuries, and finding her footing in new countries, yoga always remained a familiar place to return to.

Over the years, yoga has taught her to listen to her body, understand its alignment, soften limiting beliefs, and meet challenges with greater compassion, presence, and resilience. She sees yoga as a practice of coming back to ourselves. 

Her classes emphasize self-awareness rather than performance, inviting you to move with intention, respect your body, and reconnect with the strength that is already within you. Above all, Joanna hopes to cultivate a welcoming community where people feel safe to breathe, move, open their hearts, and simply be.

Qualifications

Training & Certification

2015
95 hours Children’s Yoga with Karen Wightman