Instructors

Meet our Ann Arbor Instructors!

Jasprit & Teresa Singh (Owners/Instrustors)
Currently Teresa is mainly teaching in Santa Barbara and Jasprit teaches in both Ann Arbor & Santa Barbara.

Click here to read more about Jasprit and Teresa!

 

 

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Bailey Ahles (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

Jane Allen (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

At 54, I am so far, the oldest new teacher.  After a year of circuit training at the YMCA, I first attended RussaYog® in the spring of 2007.  At that point, I thought I was in pretty good shape.  This delusion was quickly dispelled after my first class, and it was clear that there were many deficiencies in my prior workout routine—starting with incredibly weak core muscles.  For a time, I continued to attend the gym and RussaYog®, but eventually decided that I enjoyed RussaYog® more and that I received more fitness results without injury for my efforts.  When I began RussaYog®, I had an old shoulder injury, along with poor range of motion in my shoulders in general.  Areas of my neck and back hurt in a sore-muscle way most of the time, and were more painful and stiff after any activity.  I have arthritic knees, which prevent me from running. Slowly, the shoulder pain has disappeared, my range of motion has significantly improved, my knees can take a great deal more stress and my general fitness level has greatly increased.  RussaYog® has done so much for me, that I became determined to keep it in my life always, and decided to become certified as a teacher.  I hope to always have a studio wherever I might live, so that others can experience the many joys of RussaYog®.

Kevin Bowker (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

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Jasmine Crumsey (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

I attended my first RussaYog® class almost three years ago and fell in love – with the yoga style, the people, the feeling, and the chai! I completed RussaYog® teacher training in April 2010. Yoga has greatly improved the way I navigate through life and my ability to stay in touch with my personal growth. I also enjoy the rich interactions I have with people as a result of teaching and taking classes. I believe that one can only become a better teacher by always remaining a student and learning continually. I consider my greatest gift as a student my eagerness to learn and my openness to new ideas. I’ve found my greatest challenge as a teacher is designing classes that meet the needs of students and inspiring a personal practice for each of them. Training with Jasprit and Teresa Singh at RussaYog®, has helped me meet these challenges with confidence and chardi kala (unbounded optimism). (see an article about Jasmine’s professional work at the University of Michigan here).

Amy Hutchison (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

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Emily Kauffman (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

I started taking classes at the RussaYog® studio several years ago. After the first class, I realized I didn’t have a strong core and upper body. Without a doubt, RussaYog® has been the perfect complement to my running and training for triathlons. I was so happy that I found something to help make me healthier and stronger. I decided to take the RussaYog® teacher training in the Fall of 2010. The sense of accomplishment at the end of the teacher training was amazing. It helped me gain total body strength and reduced my stress level. RussaYog® has been one of the best things that I have done for myself and for my two children. I look forward to teaching others how to harness and build their mental and physical strength through RussaYog®, in order to live a happier, healthier and less stressful life.

Jenny Koppera (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

I first made my way to RussaYog in 2006 prior to officially moving to Ann Arbor.  I found my way back a few years later and was so pleased to make my way through the teacher training program.  I am so grateful to Jasprit and Teresa to be breathing, moving, and centering myself and others through RussaYog!

Coming from a background in dance, theatre and teaching, I am consistently looking for creative atmospheres that challenge and support my growth, movement, strength, and peace.  I find all these in the RussaYog studio, in the teachers, and in my fellow classmates as we journey through the pranayam and asans together.

RussaYog allows me to witness my own mental and physical strength, and this flows outward into the rest of my life.  It helps me to release any negativity and remain full of optimism.  With RussaYog, I approach my artistic work and teaching with renewed energy and clarity.   Chardi Kala!  It is a joy to come full circle and to share my love of yoga, breathing, and movement at RussaYog.

 

Jennie Lavine (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

Yoga has been an integral part of finding balance in life for me, a sanctuary for body and mind.  Naturally when I moved to Ann Arbor in 2011 I searched for a yoga home.  From the first class I took in the brightly colored studio on State St., I knew I had found one.  I started the teacher training a few short months later.  Training with Jasprit has been empowering.  I have gained a deeper awareness of my own capabilities and desires, and the tools to sense how those fit into the world around me.  Best of all, I know that this is only the first jaunt of a lifelong journey.  It is a joy and an honor for me to share the beauty and power of yoga with others, and to help sustain the welcoming, mindful, Russayog community.

 

Lisa McVety (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

What I liked about RussaYog the first time I took a class, was the playfulness. It was something about the ropes, the music and the friendly atmosphere. When I first started taking RussaYog classes, I had some injuries that other forms of exercise were not helping. Also, 23 years of practicing as a massage therapist was causing it’s own overuse injuries.  Over time with practicing RussaYog, I began to build a stronger core and upper body. My injury’s either went away completely or became more manageable.  RussaYog has helped me continue in my profession as a massage therapist. Also, my ability to manage stress has greatly improved with regular yoga practice. With my own experiences, I wanted to share this with others and became a RussaYog teacher

Robert Spalding Newcomb (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

I discovered Russa Yog in 2004 just as the Ann Arbor studio was opened. I immediately felt a resonance with the discipline and became a dedicated practitioner for the next four years. After taking some time away from classes, I returned in 2011 and entered the teacher training program. The challenge of combining the role of instructor to my own practice has already been rewarding on many levels, increasing the depth and sincerity of my self-awareness and my sensitivity to my fellow yoga travelers.  I am a musician-guitarist/sitarist-composer and poet. Yoga practice has for many years been essential for bringing meaning to my creative work and focus to my life path.  I am grateful to Jasprit and Teresa for all they have done in bringing the profoundly effective Russa Yog discipline into my life.  It is an honor to share these tools for achieving a greater wellness with others.

Anthony Nitsos (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

When asked to write this entry, I did not realize how difficult it would be. It has literally taken me over a year and a half since I became a teacher to even begin to come to an understanding of RussaYog’s impact on my life.  Part of this impact finally came clear to me recently when I met a friend whom I had not seen in over 15 years.  As we met and caught up quickly with each other’s lives he asked what was new in mine and I mentioned that I taught yoga.  Without missing a beat, he responded “Ah, the fountain of youth.”  And so it is, and so there is my answer.

However you approach RussaYog, whether as someone like myself who came to it new, or as someone who has practiced yoga forms elsewhere, there is no denying that yoga and RussaYog in particular, simply dials back the clock on your body, mind, and spirit’s timepieces.  RussaYog totally shatters the “common knowledge” that as we age we must physically and mentally decline.  And there is ample scientific evidence accumulating all the time on the benefits of yoga if you don’t wish to take my word for it.

In the end it is simple.  As a new father, to have the chance to maintain the energy, stamina, and flexibility as my son grows is truly a fountain of, and for, youth.   There can be no greater gift to give yourself.

Sherry Nitsos (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

Russayog is the best discovery that I ran across in 2008, when I was looking for something physical and spiritual to improve my life.  It didn’t take me long to realize that I want to put more effort in learning more about it and eventually becoming an instructor. I am so glad that I made that decision. Because in the following months and years I have learnt so much from Jasprit and Teresa, the yogis who regularly come to the studio, and the yogis who I have only met a few times. I enjoy every minute of the time when I teach a Russayog class and when I take a class in the studio. Chardi kala.

 

Jill Ostrowski (Certified to Teach RY Level 2) |On Leave

I completed the RussaYog® training in April 2010. I enjoyed the de-stressing, relaxing and energizing effects of RussaYog® all through my undergrad and graduate studies at the University of Michigan. I now work for Environ International as an environmental engineer in Ann Arbor and continue to enjoy teaching and being a part of the RussaYog® community.

 

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Rashmi Rama (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)

I was initially introduced to and became interested in yoga at a young age. On and off, I would look to it for a source of inner strength and inspiration. However, it was not until RussaYog® that I started incorporating this interest into many more aspects of daily life. I first tried RussaYog® in 2006, but became more focused towards and committed to its life enhancing qualities and benefits closer to 2009. I have learned a lot so far from Teresa, Jasprit, other instructors, and my students about living a healthier and happier life and hope to continue doing so as my journey continues.

 

Richard Yau (Certified to Teach RY Level 2)