It’s important for our girls to be strong and live a life that they believe in - Girl Power Circle creates a space for girls to find this strength within themselves and to support one another.

-Julie M.

Joy is the perfect combination of strength and sensitivity. She teaches children discipline and diligence, while maintaining a soothing and therapeutic demeanor. My daughter has experienced tremendous growth in her self-esteem, confidence, decision-making skills, and physical fitness while enrolled in Joy’s various programs. The tools she has learned there have been critical to her development. I am forever grateful for Joy’s presence in my daughter’s life. I highly recommend her classes and cannot envision a time when my daughter is not involved with Joy.

- Mark A.

We love this family yoga class! Joy is delightful. She has a natural ability to connect with the kids and help them feel at ease and make the class fun, while helping me and other parents enjoy a moment of calm and peace. We've known Joy for 5 years now through karate and yoga classes and she is like family. My daughters love her and feel so comfortable in her class because she is so generous with her soothing energy. It's a wonderful way to wrap up a busy week for our family, and a great way to bond with my girls. Wonderful environment, a great idea for busy families, and I've been recommending this class to all my friends! I highly recommend this class for the whole family!

- Jessica M.

I love Girl Power Circle, it teaches me to concentrate and focus on what girls can do - I can do anything if I put my mind to it!

- Sophie M., 8 years old

My eight year old daughter has known Joy Nakayama since she was four years old. Whether it has been through karate, yoga, or Girl Power Circle, Joy has been an amazing role model and mentor for her. My daughter leaves her classes with Joy exuding confidence, excitement and a desire to be better and do better in everything she tackles.

In a world that can be difficult to navigate for young children, Joy gives my daughter a grounded sense of who she is and also how far her dreams can carry her. We have been thrilled to have Joy in our lives and know that she has changed all of us for the better.

- Elizabeth K.

Joy has been such a positive role model for my daughter for the past 4 years. Joy is kind, cheerful, and witty, and motivates and inspires children through her strength, compassion, and discipline. We have seen so much growth in her self confidence over the past few years, and we owe so much of that to Joy and the example she sets.

For my daughter the Girl Power Circle has been a safe and welcoming space for her to share her thoughts and ideas, learn new things, and be creative. She walks out of every session feeling safe, strong, smart, and thoughtful (her own words!) It has been such a unique and rewarding experience for her.

We are so grateful for Joy and the impact she has made in my daughter's life. We highly recommend her programs and look forward many more experiences with Joy for years to come.

- Jen E.

I had been looking for a weekly family yoga class in South Loop for months. We really wanted some fun, relaxing family time that could be spent with each other and with other families of our neighborhood. When Sensei Joy announced that she will be starting a weekly family yoga session, we joined in a heartbeat and haven't looked back since.

The classes are a perfect mix of serious instruction and fun for kids. The instructions are specifically tailored to individual capabilities of both the parents and kids. She weaves the lessons and poses around a meaningful story to keep the kids engaged. As a family, it is a wonderful way for us to kick the weekend in.

Sensei Joy's enthusiasm, patience, empathy and love for Yoga show in her demeanor. She makes everyone feel welcome and comfortable.

The light in my family bows to the light in your family. Namaste.

- Ruchi S.

When Sensei Joy came up with the idea of a family yoga program we were immediately drawn. This was a perfect chance for us to come together in something that involves the whole family. Seeing her at work, and understanding that she can be better with our kids than we can, was also a heavy argument for us to keep on going. Then, as we have started getting the hang of it, we found that the program can be as challenging as each of us want it to be, for the exercises go quickly from simple to strenuous and from individual to couple, to family back to individual. The thing that is probably the most interesting is that she brings all exercises together under a theme, with a narrative, which engages the kids and gives us continuity of all exercises making it so much more than just yoga practice.

There is then her karate background that plays a part in this, for she can make references and build exercises sequences that cater to our entire family’s interests and objective with the program. We are truly grateful for this program, and for her inspiration and investment in this unique program.

- Ciprian S.

Our children have been students at Imazaki Dojo for over four years. In that time, we have been impressed by how Sensei Joy empowers the children in her class. When she speaks about her students, you can feel how passionate she is about them and their potential. Her enthusiasm is infectious and even when a child is having a bad day, Sensei Joy is able to encourage the child to overcome whatever obstacle is before them. Sensei Joy has been one of the people that has left a positive imprint on our kids and we are thankful for her.

- Jasmeen S.

When you think of the words girl power, what comes to your mind? For me it’s kindness, bravery, friendship, being thoughtful, generous, and being really powerful, sometimes even more than you think. When I came to the girl power circle for the first time, I was 12, and in 6th grade. I was scared that being older than most of the people there would make me feel left out, but I was surprised when I didn’t feel that way. The whole circle treated me as if we all were the same age. We all connected on what we needed some support with in our lives. Bullying, harassing, stereotyping, all that, and the thing you realize in the circle is that, you aren’t the only one. You aren’t the only one being bullied, harassed, stereotyped, you aren’t alone. That’s what the circle is about, connecting, making friends, feeling better about yourself, and flicking away all bad things. All of the people in this circle helped me realize that even though I was twelve, and they were younger, we all could connect. Joy, the teacher is a kind, amazing person that brings this all together. So come to the girl power circle because it’s downright fun, you’ll love it, and everyone in it, promise.

- Madigan, age 12