About Slava

Slava Surya Kolpakov is originally from Krasnoyarsk, a city in Siberia, Russia. He has lived in the United Stated since 1996. Slava grew up in the Soviet Union with yoga-practicing parents, and met his teachers, Swami Satchidananda and Swami Asokananda in 2000 in New York City. 

  • Slava has been a yoga teacher since 2002, completing several Integral Yoga certifications, and 750-hour Structural Yoga Therapy training in 2005, 
  • Thai Massage and neuromuscular therapist since 2006, 
  • Vedanta philosophy teacher since 2009,
  • Thai Massage instructor since 2010,
  • Russian Manual Therapist since 2011,
  • Running coach since 2012, specializing in biomechanics and injury prevention, 
  • Buteyko Breathwork instructor since November 2020, and 
  • Functional Medicine Health Coach since February 2022. 

In 2017, Slava wrote Threads of Light (available on Amazon), a book of yoga stories and yogic practices inspired by Vedanta philosophy and its modern applications. 

Slava teaches courses on Yoga Philosophy, Vedanta, the Yoga Sutras, Understanding Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, History and Origins of Yoga at multiple Yoga Teacher Trainings around the United States.

In addition to his yoga background, Slava has been a Thai Massage practitioner and Neuromuscular Therapist since 2005. He has been leading Thai Massage Trainings since 2009.

For many years (2007-2018), Slava owned and operated East West Massage Center, a massage clinic with two locations in Boston, MA, working with many athletic teams like Harvard University and Boston College athletics, as well as people with injuries and chronic pain. Slava sold East West Massage in 2018 and moved to San Diego, CA. 

East West Massage Boston Testimonials from Brad Powell on Vimeo.

(please note: East West Massage changed ownership in 2018 and is now "Skin to Soul Massage")