Meet Our Team
Rimmi Singh:
A committed yoga teacher and Ayurveda consultant, who is just as passionate about travel, nutrition, community and wellness-getaways.
Karen Best:
A dedicated mind-body movement instructor and professional dancer (Samira Shuruk) she loves culture, nature, travel, dance and hospitality.
Our Story…
The two friends always got together between teaching classes at The Yoga Center of Columbia to share stories from their travels and retreats; Rimmi leading retreats to India and Karen leading retreats to Morocco.
The Retreat Planners was born out of their shared and undeniable passions for global travel, meticulous planning, and organizing memorable experiences. Their intricately curated retreats focus on unique destinations, upscale accommodations, customized itinerary, health and rejuvenation. Every getaway embodies mind-body practices, nature experiences, delicious cuisine and local culture. Please see Our Philosophy page for more.
We design dream travel retreats that offer immersive, cultural experiences in a nurturing environment.
Rimmi Singh
Rimmi Singh is a 500-hour Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor, Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor and meditation teacher.
Born in India, she moved to United States for education and pursued a career as a software engineer. Eight years into her job, she abandoned the corporate world, and immersed herself in yoga. She started teaching in 2002, and continued her journey to became an Ayurveda Counselor and meditation teacher. Rimmi’s approach to yoga focuses on balance between strength and flexibility, effort and surrender, work and play – on and off the mat.
Rimmi loves to travel and explore the world. Since 2016, she has been leading International retreats to India and guiding weekend retreats in Bethany Beach and Catoctin Mountains.
Leading wellness-retreats have been one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. Rimmi believes travel, yoga and wellness is about connection, unity and community. Wellness is everyone’s fundamental right and a true wellness leads to a kinder, gentler, more inclusive world.
Karen Best (Samira Shuruk)
Karen Best, BA, ACE-certified has been teaching fitness and movement since 1986, when she was a dance major in college and has enjoyed a prolific cultural dance career (aka Samira Shuruk) since 2003. She is ACE-certifies as a fitness instructor, Sports Conditioning Coach and Behavioral Change Coach. Her Pilates lineage started with dance and movement study with University of Connecticut department head Jean Sabatine in 1983. Jean was a dancer with Jerome Robbins, who practiced extensively with Joseph and Clara Pilates in their NYC studio.
With parents from Australia, raised around many cultures, it is not surprising that Karen’s career and life path have focused on wellness and culture. Immersive travel with her family when young, combined with organizing cultural dance festivals seamlessly led to her first retreat leading experience to Morocco in 2017.
A guiding principle of “kindness thrives when shared” along with her love of holistic wellness, and knowledge of physical and mind-body disciplines help her to create classes and experiences that transform the lives of the community around her with insight, lightness and joy.
Karen believes there are countless paths to joy and with her teaching she empowers everyone around her to be their own self-stewards on their path to happiness, health and wellness.
Karen and Rimmi are both proud to call The Yoga Center of Columbia their main teaching home. Please visit The Yoga Center of Columbia to register for classes and workshops. YCC features over 100 classes, events and workshops every week ~ for All Abilities, All Bodies, All Ages.
Our classes are hybrid, meaning both in-studio and via Zoom, and you can attend anywhere you have wi-fi. Class times are EST/EDT or GMT-5.