Meet Our Staff
Swami Atmarupa
(Beverly Roberts Singh)
Education Director
Swami Atmarupa Saraswati is a Yogacharya of the Yoga Vidya Council announced in 2015 by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
She is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the E-RYT 500 level, RPYT (prenatal yoga), RCYT (children's yoga) and YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider.) Teaching since 1995, she has been conducting teacher training since 2000, training students from around the world.
Prior to following her passion for yoga teaching, Atmarupa was a certified registered nurse anesthetist for over 25 years and was a primary instructor in the nurse anesthesia program for 10 years at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Atmarupa is also the Founder and Director of
Atma Center
, a yoga studio in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, which has been open since 1997. The Atma Center houses the Yoga Academy of North America.
Swami Atmarupa is one of YANA's traveling teachers.
Sannyasi Atmardarshan
(Laura Santoro)
Senior Instructor
Atmadarshan is a Level 2 Accredited Satyananda Yoga instructor who is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the E-RYT 500 level and is a YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider.) Teaching since 2001, she is especially interested in teaching yoga psychology.
She is also a master storyteller who brings ancient stories to life to help better understand yoga teachings.
Before and after graduating from Case Western Reserve University, Atmadarshan worked with University Hospitals of Cleveland in the Department of Biological Psychiatry. She is co-author of a paper investigating biological indicators of medication response in patients with schizophrenia.
Atmadarshan presents regularly on yoga psychology and the Bhagavad Gita and is available to lead workshops on these and other topics.
Atmadarshan is one of YANA's traveling teachers.
Jignasu Nityatara
(Cathy Prescott)
Senior Instructor
Nityatara is a Level 2 Accredited Satyananda Yoga instructor and also certified in Satyananda Yoga Nidra. She is registered with the Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500, RPYT (prenatal yoga), RCYT (children's yoga)and YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider.)
Her background is in Integrative Yoga Therapy where she holds a 1,000-hour certification and serves as a senior instructor and mentor. Nityatara is also a certified yoga therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
Nityatara is an Ayurvedic Consultant and Reiki Master, and has also earned qualifications in Therapeutic and Remedial Massage, Clinical Aromatherapy, and Yin Yoga.
Nityatara is available to present at your venue on topics such as
mudras and Ayurveda. Please contact YANA for further information on hosting Nityatara.
mudras and Ayurveda. Please contact YANA for further information on hosting Nityatara.
Who Teaches and Mentors?
YANA's courses are taught by accredited Satyananda Yoga instructors. Only senior instructors mentor teacher training students. Instructors with Level 1 accreditation have successfully completed Yogic Studies Level 1 and Teacher Training Level 1, encompassing over 800 hours of class attendance and study; instructors with Level 2 accreditation have completed Yogic Studies Level 2 and Teacher Training Level 2, for a total of over 1500 hours of coursework. Accredited instructors must also maintain Continuing Education requirements.
Most YANA instructors also have college degrees and extensive experience in their fields of specialty. Our faculty includes:
- former nurse anesthetist
- a nurse
- an occupational therapist
- a massage therapist
- a school teacher trained to work with special needs children
- ...and many other professionals.
YANA Board of Directors
Swami Atmarupa Saraswati
Beverly Roberts Singh, CRNA, BA, AYT, E-RYT 500
Beverly Roberts Singh, CRNA, BA, AYT, E-RYT 500
Board President
Sannyasi Bhaktitara,
Terri Keppinger, BBA,
AYT
Board Member
Jignasu Karunadhara,
Kristine Fondran, BS, MS,
AYT, E-RYT 500
Board Member
In 2015, Swami Atmarupa was named as a Yogaacharya of the Yoga Vidya Councel to represent the yoga teachings of the Bihar School of Yoga. In addition, she has a BA in Anthropology from Cleveland State University. Beverly was trained as a nurse anesthetist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and was a primary faculty member of that program for 10 years. Her registered nursing education was through the Toledo Hospital School of Nursing.
Sannyasi Bhaktitara has a BBA in Marketing and graduated from the Bihar School of Yoga with a Diploma in Yoga Psychology. She is an accredited Satyananda Yoga teacher who lives in Hawaii, and is a founder of Zero Point Embodiment and North Shore Rolfing.
Bhaktitara has spent many years in Rikhiapeeth doing seva, as well as serving on 5 missions with Doctors Without Borders.
Karunadhara is a licensed elementary education teacher, skating instructor, certified yoga instructor, owner of North Coast Inline Skating School in Cleveland, OH and director of the Inline Certification Program.
Karunadhara has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Cleveland State University and a Master in Education (Exercise Science), from Cleveland State University.