Short Version
Slava Kolpakov (Surya) is a Licensed Massage Therapist and a Certified Yoga Therapist. He recently moved to the Boston area from San Diego, CA, where he worked as a full-time yoga teacher and massage therapist for the last five years.
His specialties are Traditional Thai Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Trigger Point Therapy, and Tui Na. Slava is a graduate of the International Professional School of Bodywork, one of the oldest and most progressive bodywork schools in the world. He completed most of his training there (www.ipsb.edu).
In 2006, Slava spent three months in Chiang Mai, Thailand, further mastering the art of Thai Massage. He was fortunate to study with many renowned teachers.
If you have never tried Thai Massage, take this opportunity: you are guaranteed to have an amazing, relaxing and rejuvenating experience.
Slava’s yoga training includes several certifications from Integral Yoga, a style of yoga known for its meditative quality, well-rounded sequences, and integration of all aspects of yoga, physical and spiritual (www.yogaville.org). Integral Yoga was developed by the world-renowned self-realized master Swami Satchidananda. In addition, Slava holds a certification in Structural Yoga Therapy, a two-year course which blends yoga, Ayurveda, and physical therapy. Structural Yoga Therapy was developed by Mukunda Stiles, one of the greatest American yogis (www.yogatherapycenter.org). Slava is endlessly grateful to all of his teachers for being a continuous inspiration.
In October 2007, shortly after his move, Slava opened Aranama Eco-Studio in Newton Center, MA, with the intention to create a safe and nurturing space where individuals can be guided to pursue their path to self-awareness and well-being.
Long Version
I was born and grew up in Siberia in a large riverside city called Krasnoyarsk. From the age of six, I was seriously involved in sports. In particular gymnastics and judo. In both, I advanced to a high level. My parents had many books on yoga, meditation, and eastern thought and culture due to their interest in spirituality. My father practiced yoga and Qi Gong every morning. Growing up, it felt natural to me to care about personal well-being and the well-being of others.
I left Russia at sixteen and drifted away from cultivating spiritual awareness. I was fortunate to live and study in many countries including England, Germany, and the U.S. I graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Business Administration, and a year later, ended up pursuing an acting career in New York City. I didn't feel fulfilled. Something seemed to be missing in my life. Slowly, the desire to find inner fulfillment and peace became obvious and puzzling. I invited any experience that may have cleared up my confusion.
Finally, in 2001, several illuminating events occurred; a book, an inspiring story, a peace-full yoga class, getting married to my beautiful wife, Theresa. Each of these is a story in itself and is too lengthy for this bio, but it was their particular succession that had the most transformational effect. I realized that most of humanity, including myself, was living as if in a dream. This realization was not intellectual. I felt that I was sleeping and suddenly woke up to an obvious truth.
Immediately, I made drastic changes. I decided to dedicate my life to creating awareness of our inherent unity and our spiritual nature. I stopped using and eating all animal products. I got rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff, physically and mentally. I began my study and practice of Yoga. There were no more coincidences. I saw Meaning, Love, and Interconnectedness in everything.
In the years that followed, I became a certified Integral Yoga® teacher, a Structural Yoga™ therapist, and a body therapist (LMT). I traveled across the U.S., to Mexico, India, and Thailand to study with different teachers of yoga and healing arts like Thai Massage. Throughout this time, I have been gathering ideas and methods on transitioning consciously from “sleeping” to “waking up” and on sustaining that “awake” reality.
Back in 2001, I learned that it was the stories that we tell ourselves, each other, and our children that form our values, our society, our culture, and the current state of affairs on the planet Earth. I realized that these stories, no matter how simple and seemingly insignificant, are the cause of many world problems like war, aggression, fear of the natural world, separation from nature, environmental destruction, and loss of wildlife habitats. It became clear that our stories have to change if we want to see abundance on a beautiful green-blue planet. From separateness to interconnectedness and honoring nature, from aggression to acceptance and positive action, from fear to Love and selfless service.
I began to collect such stories that would inspire these changes. Since then, it seems, the whole Universe has become my guide and opened up its bottomless well of wisdom. I have been learning from these stories every day of my life and sharing them with the yoga students who come to my classes. These stories of Love are there at every turn and corner of our lives, begging to be discovered and realized. This has been my personal journey. I am still, always, on this journey. Just as you are on yours. Perhaps, we can learn from each other.