Roopa Singh, works at the intersection of wellness and justice through art, scholarship, and social entrepreneurship. She is a licensed attorney, university instructor, and a yoga teacher/student.  In 2013, Roopa gathered the first public forums for South Asian American yoga educators to share experiences in the field.  SAAPYA (South Asian American Perspectives on Yoga) shaped social discourse on race, yoga, and the commodification of traditional knowledge.  In 2018, SAAPYA is partnering with SAADA (South Aisan American Digital Archives) to create an archive of foundational content; including footage of panel discussions at the Brecth Forum and UC Berkeley’s Race and Yoga Conference.  Next steps for SAAPYA include designing an online presence that is accessible to those seeking solidarity and support for justice based yoga teacher trainings.

Roopa is a doula, certified pre-natal yoga instructor, and a mom.  She teaches Justice Studies at Arizona State University; has taught Political Science at City College (CUNY) and Pace University; interned at National Public Radio; and advocated for Legal Services for Prisoners with Children and the ACLU.  In 2015, Roopa exhibited a silk screen print series on race and yoga created during artist residencies at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Boom Concepts, and the Neighborhood Print Shop in Braddock, PA.  Roopa has a law degree (UC Berkeley), a Masters in Cinema Studies (NYU), and is a PhD student in Justice (ASU).  Her writing on yoga as property is featured in Yoga, the Body, and Embodied Social Change: An Intersectional Feminist Analysis.  Roopa also authored Survivor Yoga, a zine on best practices.  Email saapya@gmail.com to link.