Peg’s teaching emphasis is on adapting the posture to the body, not forcing the body into the posture. Her classes can vary depending on the abilities and needs of the students in any given class and tend to be tailored to the most challenged student. Classes emphasize comfort, safety and accomplishment over full expression and use lots of props, including Posture Pro. Peg is an RYT200, certified through Yoga Alliance and Silver Sneakers. When not working a full time job or teaching yoga, Peg also bike rides, power walks and spoils her granddaughters.

To see a list of Jill's classes click HERE

If you ask Cheryl how long she has been practicing yoga, she will answer "I have been doing yoga all of my life and so have you, you just don't know it".

A former Computer Programmer for 13 years, a Pampered Chef Consultant for 7 years. Cheryl decided to transform her life after losing several close childhood friends to heart attacks and other health problems. These problems sparked her dedication to the practice of yoga as a lifestyle and not just an exercise.

A February 2009 graduate of the Rising Sun Yoga Teacher Training program conducted by Jim Pero, attended Isha Inner Engineering in April 2009. Cheryl studied "Yoga at the Wall" as well as Sri Vidya Tantra in workshops with Psalm Isadora. In February 2007 Cheryl graduated from Irene's Myomassology Institute. She suggests, "Get a massage at least once per month and do yoga everyday in between massages, the more you do both the better you feel and the better the results. If you are doing athletic yoga periodically take it back to basic or posture pro to improve and reset your alignment for safety and efficiency, posture pro is a therapeutic tool because you can move and stretch in ways that you would not be able to in a traditional yoga class and you learn how to evenly distribute your body weight."

Cheryl works full time providing massage therapy services and supporting her family, teaches yoga up to 4 times per week, is a dedicated student and teacher of all things yoga and massage, married, 3 children ages 20, 10 and 8, 2 dogs and an 85 gallon fish tank. Enjoys cooking (vegetarian and vegan these days), aromatherapy, herb gardening, kids field trips, short and cheap yoga vacations.

To see a list of Cheryl's classes click HERE

Camille Dolence is our Senior member instructor. She teaches a more gentle approach to Yoga. Balance and proper alignment are re-interated in each posture, as is the breath in relation to the movement. She has been practicing Yoga for at least twenty years when the "call" to teach became a response "to take action". With an Associates Degree in Gerontology and a license in Message Therapy, she realized the bond between the: Mind, Body and the Spirit.

Her anti-aging formula is:
Eat Healthy(mostly)
Laugh Freely
Vacation Often
Do Yoga and
Meditate.

To see a list of Camille's classes click HERE

I began practicing Bikram Yoga in 1995 and have been hooked ever since! My yoga experience includes several styles of yoga including Bikram, Tri-Yoga, Kundalini as well as traditional hatha yoga. Since 2002 , I have taught basic and restorative yoga incorporating concepts from these styles in a Free Friday program in Southfield. I have co-directed a traditional hatha yoga teacher training program which graduated over 70 yoga teachers in the metro Detroit area. I also continue to participate in community programs introducing yoga’s therapeutic benefits to age 50+. ERYT 200 Registered Hatha Yoga instructor by the National Yoga Alliance: Bikram Certified Yoga Instructor – Spring 2009.

To see a list of Yvonne's classes click HERE

To see a list of Elizabeth's classes click HERE

Angela Harbin was introduced to yoga while completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2003. The classes she took there awakened a desire to know more about yoga philosophy and practice. After graduating college and the birth of her son Julian, now 5, a passion bloomed for wanting to teach her son the joys of yoga. While training with Jim Pero in 2009 she was presented with the opportunity to teach kids yoga at Yoga 4 Peace in Southgate, MI. Angela’s patience and love for kids creates a natural desire to always make yoga fun and engaging for them. Her youthful nature and creativity inspires an energetic and informative class while helping children learn to focus, stay calm and pay attention. Angela feels that kids are natural yogis, with their laughter, openness and enthusiasm for anything new. She endeavors to live yoga as well as teach it with compassion.

To see a list of Angie's classes click HERE

Heather Higdon holds a BA in English and Environmental Studies from Western Michigan University, and also attended East West College of Healing Arts, where she studied therapeutic massage and bodywork.

Heather received hatha yoga teacher training from Rising Sun Yoga, and became a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher in 2009. Heather is currently the president of Yoga 4 Peace and teaches workshops and classes in the hatha yoga tradition.

Heather has studied under professional astrologers and been a devout student of Western Astrology for over ten years. In addition to being a bodyworker and yoga teacher, Heather maintains a business in astrology counseling called Dharmaworks (www.dharmaworksastrology.com).

Heather works at a holistic health care center, the Lotus Center of Ann Arbor: www.tlcaa.com. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and love of the healing arts with her community.

To see a list of Heather's classes click HERE

Carrie Hura is a Registered Yoga Teacher, (RYT 500), and Nationally Certified massage therapist, who began her interest in the healing arts and yoga 15 years ago. While living in California, Carrie became interested in yoga and had her first massage-she was hooked! She began her formal training in massage therapy at Irene's Myomassology Institute in Southfield, MI in 1998. There she studied aromatherapy, prenatal massage and became a Reiki Master. She went on to study through the Upledger Institute Craniosacral Massage. Through her own healing with yoga, she realized that she was offering it to her massage clients as a way to manage physical pain and for stress relief. She then decided to become a yoga teacher. She trained at Rising Sun Yoga in Southgate, MI. Realizing the wonderful benefits of meditation for herself, she became a meditation teacher with the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago, IL. Continuing with the therapeutic aspects of yoga, she completed her 500 hour certification with a specialty in Yoga Therapy at Ananda Seva in Santa Rosa, CA in 2007. She trained in Yoga of the Heart:Cardiac and Cancer Certification, with Nischala Joy Devi, the creator and former director of Stress Management of Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease. Her latest training was Trauma Sensitive Yoga for people suffering all forms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Carrie is a RYT through the Yoga Alliance, and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, as well as the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. Some of her recent featured classes and workshops have included Beginning Meditation, Yoga for Asthma and an 8 week Yoga of the Heart series at Yoga 4 Peace, previously Rising Sun Yoga. Carrie is currently in the Seminary Program through the Temple of Kriya Yoga.

To see a list of Carrie's classes click HERE

Mary has been practicing the age old art of healing known as Reiki for 20+ years and is a Reiki Master.  Her interest in yoga started as a teenager in the 70’s. Mary began her  yoga teacher training in 2004 at Rising Sun Yoga.  Mary’s yoga classes include a blend of yoga poses, meditation, and healing with the intention of strengthening the body, mind and spirit.  Her philosophy  is “No matter where you are in life, no matter your level of fitness, you can create a yoga practice and harvest its benefits.”

To see a list of Mary's classes click HERE

Only able to complete about 30% of her first yoga class at 45 years old would have normally been an utter disappointment and failure until hearing two sentences from her yoga teacher, “Yoga ISN’T a competitive sport” and “just because you can’t do this today doesn’t mean you might not be able to do more....next time.” Having grown up with an improper curvature of the spine called “scoliosis”, and refusing to have “rod surgery” with the guarantee that she would suffer continued ramifications of that for the rest of her life, the best spinal management had been exercise and Chiropractic care on a regular basis. This led to becoming a Chiropractic Physician herself. Dr. Ellen M. Lazar, B.Sc., D.C. graduated from Life Chiropractic College in 1990. She received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Microbiology/Immunology and minors in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Michigan Dbrn. in 1987 as well. Ellen had always recommended Yoga as the best choice for her patients’ exercise and rehabilitation needs but had not been practicing herself. A 3-wheeler motor-cycle accident left her unable to endure long periods of sustained exercise and a random yoga class many years before that made her feel she “wasn’t flexible enough to do yoga.” Her body barely got through a day of work and although she did get regular chiropractic care, she could not exercise without causing a new injury to her back or neck and shoulders. Therapy and exercise proved to be only “linear” and “boring” in nature and somehow could not complete a missing link in continued recovery from her accident. The recovery was at a standstill and she was even contemplating a change of career due to the continued physical distress. Several more yoga classes with her first teacher in 2009 led her to decide to investigate yoga further. Ellen’s patient and current yoga instructor for Yoga for Peace, Sue Pine, led her to the studio and private lessons with Jim Pero RYT200. He began her yoga recovery with the use of the Posture Pro equipment that helped her sustain and perfect yoga postures in a safe and logical manner. She became addicted after one class. More importantly, she was able to continue to practice without re-injury, lost 20 lbs. and 2 pant sizes. Ellen began sharing her newly gained knowledge and excitement of incorporating breathing with proper joint alignment perfection with her patients. This led Ellen to take Y4P’s RYT200 teaching training in March of 2010 and, unintentionally, teach the class that has “saved her (my) life”. Dr. Lazar has been in practice at Odettte Chiropractic Family Health Center in Brownstown, Michigan since 1997. She teaches Posture Pro Yoga on Wednesday and Friday nights and private lessons on request. Ellen is currently pursuing her graduate Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician degree, too. She has studied under Dr. William Moreau, DC, DACBSP, CSCS, FICC, director of the Sports Medicine clinics for the United States Olympic Committee. Her other current interest includes Bandha Yoga, developed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ray Long, MD, FRCSC. This incorporates scientific “keys to unlock the practice of yoga”. She stresses Yoga IS for the inflexible, inexperienced and injured...if taught right. If you’re thinking you can’t do yoga, know that you can. The benefit is in the ACT of getting there, NOT in looking like a “twisted pretzel”. Join her in her continued journey to improve and repair “the injured athlete” inside us all!

To see a list of classes click HERE

My first experience with yoga was during the early 80’s, and I attended classes here and there over the years. I began a consistent yoga practice 12 years ago, and only in the last few years it has become clear to me that yoga is a metaphor for life. I have found that there is always space in life to expand and try something new; and equally important, there is space to go within and reflect and be.

As a yoga teacher, my goal is to create a space for a calm mind and provide a means for the connection of movement and stillness. I enjoy the practices of hatha, vinyasa and yin yoga, and I try to bring some of the aspects of each of these styles to my classes. I have found such variety in my students, and with that in mind, I encourage them to modify their practice or to take it to a newly discovered edge.

To see a list of classes click HERE

Yoga has been part of Cindy Orlandi's life since the 1970s when she first watched PBS's Lila's Yoga and You on TV. Yoga was one of her elective recreation classes at Bowling Green State University where she received her undergraduate degree in Journalism. Yoga has remained a constant in her life over three decades. Cindy's exercise regime also includes walking her dogs, other aerobic exercise, pilates and lifting weights. She has managed to find a few minutes for yoga after work or on her lunch break and she believes it has helped her complete her MBA in Marketing and transition through several career changes, including the stresses of job loss in a down economy. She has enjoyed yoga at the top-rated spa of the Kerr House in Grand Rapids, Ohio, as well as from Pat Nevins who she arranged to have teach a class on the lunch hour at a previous employer. Cindy visited Rising Sun Yoga in 2008 and was so impressed by the Posture Pro classes that she decided to take the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training from Jim Pero, RYT, to improve her own yoga practice. She was delighted Carrie Hull, RYT, exposed her to Qi Gong , the ancient Chinese system of self care. It builds on her love of Shiatsu, which she studied at Irene's in Southfield just because she wanted to learn more about the acupressure points activated by the massage she's enjoyed for more than a decade. She incorporates self shiatsu into her practice today. Continuing education she's completed in 2011 includes Qi Gong led by Daisy Lee Garripoli and Tai Chi led by Arthur Rosenfeld, nationally known experts in Qi Gong and Tai Chi. In 2009, Cindy Orlandi, RYT, began teaching Yoga and Qi Gong for Real Bodies at Rising Sun Yoga, and now volunteers at the non-profit Yoga 4 Peace, on Tuesday evenings after work. She incorporates Qi Gong as well as self Shiatsu for building energy and Yoga Nidra for deep relaxation. Qi Gong (pronounced chee-gong) is an ancient Chinese system of postures, exercises, breathing techniques and meditations to improve one's qi/chi energy field. Qi Gong circulates energy to rejuvenate your body, revitalize your organs, soothe your nervous system, restore your mental clarity and help eliminate anxiety. Qi Gong is an active standing meditation that uses deep abdominal breathing and gentle stretching to strengthen the immune system, regulate the circulatory system, exercise the respiratory system and balance the nervous system. Yoga Nidra is a systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. She enjoys sharing what's she's learned about these practices and has written about qi gong, tai chi and yoga nidra in Natural Awakenings magazine. Cindy hopes her class will help you to learn how to incorporate these techniques to enhance your own quality of life. Cindy recently completed the 1st Degree and 2nd Degree in the Traditional Usui Reiki method of Natural healing as certified by Mary Ivey. Cindy recently completed the workshop taught by Li Junfeng on Sheng Zhen Healing Qigong

To see a list of Cindy's classes click HERE

Jim began practicing in the early 90's and started teaching full time in 2002. Equally passionate with hatha, pranayama, chanting, and meditation, Jim encourages students to explore yoga in all it's varieties to find a practice they resonate with. His teachings focus on the uniqueness of the individual and the importance of listening to your own body to discern what is best for you. His classes reflect his diverse training and are often unpredictable and different. His reverence for the body however keeps his practices safe and he encourages students to learn to do the practices correctly. His purpose is to teach and encourage people to be as healthy as possible to prevent obstacles on the path to finding their essence. Jim ran a studio and teacher training program in Southgate, MI since 2003 and is now on staff at Song of the Morning.