Faculty
About the Ashtanga Yoga Fellowship Faculty
The Ashtanga Yoga Fellowship is a non-profit organization started in 1976 by Anand Dass and Bishwambhar Dass, students of Baba Hari Dass, a yoga master and silent monk from India. The AYF offers yoga classes, travelling satsang – kirtan singing gatherings, and retreat programs based on the classical system of Ashtanga Yoga and other teachings as taught by Baba Hari Dass. It also supports the charitable work of Sri Ram Foundation, raising funds for Sri Ram Ashram orphanage and medical clinic in Haridwar, India.
The Yogastock teaching faculty is made up of all certified yoga teachers that have exceeded the guidelines of the Yoga Alliance. Many of them have been involved with the retreat for over 30 years or their whole life!
AD
Anand Dass (Alan Trimble) is a founding member of the Ashtanga Yoga Fellowship and has been studying, practicing and teaching yoga under the guidance of Baba Hari Dass since 1976 AD took his original training at the Mount Madonna Center in the late 70’s and has specialized in teaching pranayam, meditation and shat karma classes at our retreats and at MMC. He is invited every year to teach shat karma down at MMC and enjoys every minute of it!
Lakshmi (Andrea Roth) ERYT
Lakshmi is a certified yoga teacher since 1979 and student of Baba Hari Dass since 1980. Lakshmi lives and breathes the teachings of yoga. She is recognized by the Yoga Alliance as an ERYT at the 500 hour level. Lakshmi has been organizing/co-ordinating the Ashtanga Fellwoships’ retreats, satsangs and events for over 20 years. She is presently teaching in Aurora Ontario since 1992. Her teaching style has been influenced greatly during the last 5-6 years by Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti. Check her out at her website, www.yogaforlife.ca.
Neal Arbic (Mahendra)
Neal is a student of Baba Hari Dass for over 20 years is author of Yoga for the Soul and began practicing and studying yoga over 20 years ago. He is a certified yoga teacher trained at California’s prestigious Ashtanga Yoga Institute. Since 1990, he has been a full time yoga and meditation instructor. He has taught thousands of people, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and the blind. Mahendra is also a main chanter in Travelling Satsangs and brings his wonderful bhakti energy to all he does. Neal has a website; www.relaxingyoga.com
Dayanand Diffenbaugh RYT
Dayanand is our honoured guest from the Mount Madonna Center in Santa Cruz California who lives what he shares in his teaching. He edits Babaji’s books and is a sanskrit scholar as well as a scholar of the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras and Samkaya philosophy. He has been a close student of Baba Hari Dass for over 35 years. It is a real treat to have his creative and informative classes at Yogastock. Dayanand will be leading a few experiential workshops on The Power of Sound through the various forms of yoga.
Suneel Byers
Suneel enjoys the yogic limbs of pranayam and meditation and teaches the Intermediate/Advanced class at Yogastock. He has been a student of Baba Hari Dass for over 20 years. and many years ago, he did his Teachers Training at Mount Madonna Center, California. Suneel is the Pujari of the yagna at Yogastock.
Josh took his yoga teachers training at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga. He has been teaching ever since and loving every moment. Premchand has grown up at classical ashtanga yoga retreats with Baba Hari Dass in Canada and the U.S. He now teaches yoga and leads kirtan nights with the travelling satsang at various yoga venues in Ontario Premchand will be leading the evening program on Saturday and teaching the kirtan workshop with Amanda Mcfayden and Dayanand Diffenbaugh.
Caroline Marie Dupont
Caroline (Arpana) is a meditation and yoga teacher, holistic nutritionist and energy worker dedicated to helping people heal in all ways using natural laws. She is the author of the book Enlightened Eating and the CD Open Heart Meditation. At the retreat she will be presenting ‘Enlightened Eating – An Edible Journey‘. See www.carolinedupont.com
Shirley Morasutti – Horvat RYT
Shirley has been practicing yoga since she was a child and has been teaching within the community since 2000. She is an enthusiastic and warm hearted teacher who enjoys teaching Gentle yoga to beginners and she feels very honoured to be able to introduce so many people to the many aspects of yoga. She also considers herself very blessed to have been in attendance on occasions when Baba Hari Dass has visited Ontario. Shirley endeavors to practice of all limbs of yoga in her life, through volunteering, teaching and environmentalism.
Deb Whipple RYT
Deb began her love affair with yoga in North Vancouver 1979 and considers herself fortunate to have been blessed with many wise teachers and students over the years. She is long time student of Iyengar, Ashtanga, Sivananda, and Vinyasa yoga and has studied with many of yoga’s master teachers as she continues to dive deeper into an ever evolving rich and rewarding practice which she loves to share with her students. Deb is a graduate of the Yoga Alliance 500 Hour Advanced Teachers Training at The Yoga Sanctuary.
Amanda McFayden
Born and raised in Newmarket, Amanda spends her days helping children to retain, and adults to remember, the simplest and sweetest joys of life through yoga and music. Amanda is the founder of BlissKids Yoga and Music, a certified YogaKids teacher and trainer, as well as a musician & mother. Amanda believes firmly that peace in the world can only begin with peace within, peace that we may transmit to our children, loved ones and enemies alike, to create real and lasting change in the world. For more info www.blisskids.blogspot.com
Karusia Nirmala Wroblewski
Karusia Nirmala has been practicing asana and dance since childhood and teaching for over fifteen years. She is very grateful to Baba Hari Dass and the Ashtanga Yoga ffellowship for initiation
into the juicy inner realms of yoga: pranayama, meditation, kirtan, and philosophy. Her teaching incorporates all the limbs of yoga.
The Kids Camp and Kitchen faculty will be posted when it is finalized.
