Instructor Bios

David Robson

David Robson is the owner and director of the Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto. With 100+ students each morning, he leads one of the world’s largest Mysore programs. After completing a degree in Comparative Religion, David made his first trip to Mysore, India in 2002, where he initiated studies with his teacher Sharath Jois. Since then he has returned annually to deepen and enrich his practice and teaching. David teaches workshops and retreats around the world, and he recently released a popular series of videos on vinyasa, Learn To Float. He is Level-2 Authorized by the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute.

Stan Byrne

Stan started practicing yoga after completing a degree in English Literature at McGill and became a daily Ashtanga practitioner after studying with Sharath Jois in Goa and Mysore in 2007. Since then, Stan has traveled to Mysore three more times to study with the Jois family. She has completed two trainings with David Robson and loves the daily practice and community at AYCT. In 2012, Stan was Level-1 Authorized to teach by the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute. After practicing throughout her pregnancy and soon after her son was born, Stan has a special interest in the benefits of the Ashtanga system before and after delivery. Stan is very grateful to her teacher David Robson for guiding her practice and to her teachers Sharath and Sarawsathi Jois for lighting her path.

Read Stan’s blog!

Jeff Goodman

Jeff first stumbled into yoga through a friend in 2008. He discovered traditional Ashtanga Yoga in 2009 and has maintained a daily practice since then under the guidance of his teacher David Robson.  He completed an immersion with David in the summer of 2011 and was fortunate enough to travel to Mysore, India in 2013 to study with Sharath Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute.  The myriad benefits that come with a committed daily practice are truly amazing, and Jeff is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to tap into them.  Also, traditional Ashtanga Yoga is probably as close as Jeff will ever get to fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a Jedi.

Shara Brown

Shara Brown began taking yoga classes while in university studying International Development and Environmental Studies. She has since established a daily mysore practice with her teacher David Robson and completed his immersion in 2008. Since than, she has been assisting with AYCT’s mysore program and teaching at studios around the city. Shara is enthusiastic about traveling and environmental awareness and is very fortunate to have found a balance in life that combines all of her greatest passions.

Anna Chao

Anna Chao began practicing Ashtanga Yoga several years ago. She is a certified Moksha teacher and she has completed two trainings with David Robson. Anna has a dedicated daily practice and is David’s assistant in the Mysore program. Her Ashtanga practice along with her work in Vipassana meditation has brought her insight into working with the human body, mind and spirit. Anna is also a registered practitioner of Chinese Medicine with Acupuncture (CSMCA) and has worked for several years with patients in palliative care. Anna brings her knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine to her teaching and she is available to treat patients at AYCT.

Lisa Novembre

Lisa has been practicing for over 10 years. In 2005 she took her first Ashtanga Class and loved it. She realized the practice was challenging but it increased her strength, energy and brought structure and stability to her busy life. Lisa has been teaching since 2007. She is a dedicated practitioner of traditional Ashtanga yoga, and practices daily under the guidance of David Robson.

Vince Smit

Vince accidentally stumbled across yoga in 2006 when he casually took his first class to ‘stretch’. That experience ended up being much more than that. He felt lighter, content and calm. Through the practice of Ashtanga Yoga Vince felt a calling to get a deeper understanding of it. Vince has had the opportunity to study with a hand full of humble, yet accomplished teachers around the world, including his main teacher David Robson at AYCT, where he recently completed his immersion in Ashtanga Yoga. Vince continues to learn daily from his teachers; from the regular practice of yoga; and from the people that surround him every day. It’s his sincere passion to always be a student, and to pay forward what he has learned to those that are ready to grow with the practice of yoga.

Emma O’Neill

Emma started practicing Ashtanga yoga over a decade ago and hasn’t looked back. Her practice & studies have allowed her to travel all over the world, including 5 lengthy trips to Mysore, India to study with her principle teacher, R. Sharath Jois. Emma has practiced regularly under the guidance of David Robson since the early days of the AYCT and is happy to be part of this growing community in Toronto. She teaches around the city and hosts retreats and workshops around the world. She  is Level-1 Authorized by the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute. During her most recent trip (2012) she has had the honour of assisting Sharath in the shala doing hands on adjustments. She also has a passion for yoga therapy and healing.