Instructors

Samantha Smigelski – RYT200

Studio Owner, Yoga Teacher

After years of competitive sports, Samantha begrudgingly came to yoga in 2010 at the behest of a friend. She had assumed yoga was only for hippies and that it wouldn’t be a good fit for her.

She was so wrong! After one class, she was hooked! The single class gave Sam slight relief from her chronic back pain, the people were kind and welcoming, and her muscles were feeling the workout!

She’s been practicing in different capacities at various studios ever since, finding her home at Spirit Rising after moving to Brighton. Yoga has become a tool that’s allowed her to grow and maintain a healthy lifestyle without the anxiety, stress, and pressure of competitive sports.

She’s passionate about sharing yoga with her community in hopes of showing others that yoga can be for everyone, so long as you’re open to giving it a try.

Samantha is available for corporate, private, and group yoga sessions as well as private reiki sessions.

Lisa Shumway – E-RYT500

E-RYT 500 Kripalu Yoga Teacher, RYT 500 Kripalu Ayurveda Yoga Teacher, 200 hr. certification in Ayurveda, 500 hrs. of Ayurveda Health Coach Training. Certified Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master/Teacher

Lisa is a 500 hr. registered yoga teacher certified through the Kripalu School of Yoga & Ayurveda in Lenox Massachusetts and will be certified as an Ayurveda Health Counselor in May 2022.

To date, Lisa has over 900 hrs. of training. Through the practice of yoga, ayurveda and meditation, Lisa has developed a passionate belief in our abilities to take control of our own health. Healing our minds and bodies with the benefits of these holistic practices.

Lisa’s classes include pranayama (breathe work), meditation and using the teachings of Ayurveda to offer classes to bring us in balance with nature. You will often be guided into the subtler layers of your being, that which is flowing beneath it all – Life Force pulsing inside. Working in the energy layer helps you connect to your vitality and radiance. In addition to her Yoga certification, Lisa is a Certified Meditation Teacher, Certified Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master & Teacher and is the lead teacher for our 200 hr. Yoga Teacher Training.

Lisa has studied with Shiva Rae, Yoganand Michael Carroll, Larissa Hall Carlson, Dr. John Douillard, Dr. Rosy Mann, Dr. Claudia Welch, Dr. Scott Blossom, Sudha Carolyn Lundeen, Stephen Cope, Noah Maze and Rocky Herron as well as Energy Medicine with Donna Eden.

Lisa has taught over 3500 studio classes as well as multiple teacher trainings, workshops and corporate events/yoga.

Lisa is available for private Reiki, Hypnotherapy and Ayervedic Consultations.

Kim Haas – 200HR-CYT

 Yoga Teacher, Reiki Master

Kim Haas, 200-CYT, has well over 1000 hours of teaching experience, and is also a Reiki Master. After tip-toeing around the edges of yoga for almost twenty years, Kim fully committed to a yoga practice in the Fall of 2012 which quickly led to the Spirit Rising Yoga Immersion program.

It resulted in her teacher certification, just in time to help fill her looming empty nest. Kim enjoys offering unique classes and workshops that sometimes combine yoga with meditation, writing and even Reiki.

As a writer, she discovered so many connections between the practices of yoga and writing that she designed a class that combines both, creating space for her students to dive deep into their practice and their lives. She firmly believes in the power of yoga to transform on levels well beyond the physical.

Living her yoga both on and off the mat is a daily practice that helps her to create a life of depth filled with clarity, grace and ease and her intention is to offer that same opportunity to her students.

Kim is available for private group yoga and private Reiki.

Andrea McLauhlin – RYT500

Yoga Teacher

Andrea has been practicing Yoga since 2006. In 2014, she relocated from Plymouth, MI to Seattle, WA and found an even deeper connection with Yoga. It was the single most effective tool in helping her stay grounded in a brand-new environment. She knew she wanted to help others feel the same, so in 2017 she decided it was time to become a Yoga teacher herself.

A creative teacher and forever student of Yoga, Andrea’s greatest passion in life is movement. She believes movement is medicine, where we have the opportunity to connect with both body and soul.

Andrea has a history of teaching many styles of Yoga, including Vinyasa, Hatha, Prenatal, Restorative, and Gentle Yoga. Her classes focus on the breath and tuning into the physical body so that we may meet ourselves in a deeper way. Andrea believes that everything in life truly comes back to meeting and honoring the self.

She is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, with focused training in stretching and biomechanics. She blends this knowledge with her love of self-connection for a truly holistic Yoga experience.

Andrea recently relocated back to the Detroit area, and currently resides in Brighton, MI with her husband, son, and sweet pup. Off her mat, she loves reading books, listening to inspirational podcasts, and having dinner with family and friends.

Laura Deierlein, RYT-200

Yoga Teacher

Most importantly, Laura is inspired by the creativity of her mentors and enjoys teaching joyful and mindful classes that offer a deeper and more harmonized relationship with our physical and energetic bodies. She has taught hundreds of yoga classes, including at Spirit Rising. She has continued to develop her yoga methodology with unique training opportunities, including an immersion in Kundalini-style practices at a yoga ashram in northern India, Partner Yoga and Energy Medicine practices through the Kripalu Center for Yoga, and a certification for leading Laughter Yoga from Laughter University in Bangalore. Laura is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and she received her 200-hour teacher certification in 2012 from Stacey (original founder of Spirit Rising). One of her favorite things to do is catching photos of her doing yoga poses everywhere she travels. This pic is doing yoga on a camel! She is excited to reacquaint with the space at Spirit Rising!!!

Becky McVey, RYT-200

Yoga Teacher

If you want to ground and soothe both your mind and body on a daily basis, Rebecca’s instruction will fill your soul. She first got into yoga nearly 30 years ago, when she received an ashtanga yoga video from her mom, a longtime practitioner. For the next several weeks, Rebecca did it every day and felt amazing. For the past six years, she has taught adaptive yoga, completing her RYT 200 in June under Kelli McMullin. Her classes feature a variety of themes and music, seasoned by her creative spirit and bold intention. Students will learn to trust their bodies, enjoying all of the movement and the stillness that class brings. If you are a student in her class, your time and energy will be treated with the deepest honor and respect. Rebecca lives in Brighton; and her loving home is blessed to include her spouse, children and many friendly pets. When she’s not teaching or practicing yoga, she loves to spend time in her extended family’s home away from home near Traverse City, reading and relaxing by the river.

Amanda Asaro, RYT-200HR

Yoga Teacher

Amanda began her yoga practice in 2019, and in 2020 received her RYT-200 certification. As her teaching practice grew, she became interested in the healing aspects of yoga that address the whole body. She is enrolled in the IIYT Yoga Therapy program and will graduate as a certified Yoga Therapist in May 2026. Amanda studied with Judith Blackstone and in 2024 became a certified Realization Process Embodiment teacher.

Amanda has a passion for helping students discover how they inhabit their bodies, and how to deepen their awareness and relationship with themselves. She integrates body-based meditations into her practices for more mindful, restorative movement practices that honor mind and body.

Shawn Archer, MA, LPC, RYT-500, TCTSY-F

Private Yoga Instructor

Shawn Archer (she/her) is a therapist, certified RYT-500 yoga teacher, Trauma Center – Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator, and founder of Gentle Spirit Yoga, LLC. In addition, she is currently enrolled as a Clinical Extern at the International Institute of Yoga Therapy and will be certified as a Yoga Therapist in January 2025.

As a therapist, Shawn has 20 years of experience with individuals who have a history of complex trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her clinical experience and training have fostered a deep understanding of how trauma disrupted an individual’s sense of safety, not only out in the world but also within the body.

Shawn is dedicated to guiding people on their healing journey and compassionately assisting them in exploring the healing aspects of yoga movement while incorporating mindfulness, breathwork, and body awareness into each session.

If you’re struggling with complex trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, or loss either individual or private small-group trauma-sensitive yoga sessions are available. For more information or to schedule a trauma-sensitive yoga session, contact Shawn by email at gentlespirit.sa@gmail.com.