Assisting School

105 Hours

Dates: July 7 - 26, 2025

Location: Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto

Investment: $3250 + HST(13%)

Includes:

40 hours: Practice with David & Jelena (17 Mysore & Led classes, 12 Pranayama & Meditation classes)
25 hours: Workshops with David & Jelena on Adjustment Technique
20 hours: Anatomy with Arielle Nash
10 hours: Embodied Psychotherapy with Sandra Pribanić
10 hours: Practicum/Assisting in the Mysore room with David & Jelena
- Practicum hours will be scheduled on the first day of the workshop and will consist of six 1.5 hour shifts during morning Mysore classes.

Apply Here

Payment Options:

RESERVE YOUR SPOT (Full Payment)

RESERVE YOUR SPOT (20% Deposit)

Take advantage of our early bird pricing to secure your spot now! Sign up before the end of February and pay in full to receive 10% off.

Develop a more complete understanding of the Ashtanga yoga tradition and enhance your skills so you can empower others in their practice.

Our Ashtanga-based 3-week yoga assisting course is designed for dedicated practitioners and yoga teachers who want to refine their practice, expand their understanding of the traditional technique and philosophy of hands-on adjustments, and foster confidence in guiding others.

What You’ll Learn

The Foundations of Assisting: Explore the principles of safe and effective hands-on adjustment techniques and modifications, rooted in the Ashtanga yoga tradition. Acquire skills to detect alignment errors and know how to correct poses with precise cueing, both verbally and physically.
Anatomy and Alignment (taught by Arielle Nash): Gain a deep understanding of the human body to ensure precision and safety in every assist.
Mindful Communication (taught by Sandra Pribanić): Develop the skills to hold space and connect with students respectfully and intuitively, creating a supportive and empowering environment.
Sequencing and Support: Understand how to assist within a structured Ashtanga sequence while adapting to individual needs, including how to support students with injuries.

This Course Is For You If

You are passionate about yoga and want to deepen your personal practice.
You are a yoga teacher or aspiring teacher looking to enhance your assisting techniques.
You want to build confidence in providing hands-on adjustments safely and effectively.
You value the transformative power of yoga and want to support others on their journey.
You are curious about the principles of Ashtanga yoga and how they can elevate your practice and teaching.

Why Choose This Course?

Expert Guidance: Learn from dedicated senior teachers with extensive experience in the Ashtanga yoga tradition and assisting expertise. The guest teachers for Anatomy and Embodied Psychotherapy are also leaders in their respective fields.
Hands-On Experience: Practice and refine your skills with real-time feedback in a supportive environment.
Flexibility: Tailored for both participants in the 200-hour Programme and those looking for a focused, standalone course. It’s an opportunity to gain valuable insights without needing to commit to a longer program.
Community Connection: Join a like-minded group of Ashtanga enthusiasts and build lasting relationships with people from all over the world.
Transformative Growth: Discover how assisting can deepen your own practice and expand your understanding of yoga.

Get personalized attention and hands-on practice!
Space is limited to provide you with an intimate setting for learning.

Investment: $3250 + HST(13%)

Investment Includes:

100 hours of instruction
Unlimited AYCT membership for the duration of the training & mat storage
AYCT Assisting School Manual
Canadian Yoga Alliance Certificate of Completion (100-hour)

Does NOT Include:

Travel and accommodation costs

Prerequisites:
Interested applicants must have completed an in-person or online Primary Series Intensive with David and Jelena. Applicants must also have an established daily Mysore practice.

Reserve Your Spot Today!

Complete Your Application
Fill out the application form to share your background, intentions, and goals for this training. This helps us ensure a meaningful and supportive experience for all participants.
Confirm Your Enrollment
A 20% deposit is required to reserve your spot in the training. The final balance is due by May 31, 2025. Alternatively, full payment can be made to confirm your enrollment.

Important: Spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis after completing the application form and payment process. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this incredible opportunity!

Take advantage of our early bird pricing to secure your spot now! Sign up before the end of February and receive 10% off.

Cancellation Policy: We accept cancellations up to May 31, 2025 for a full refund minus an administration fee (20% of the original workshop fee). No refunds are available for cancellations made on or after June 1, 2025.

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RESERVE YOUR SPOT (Full Payment)

RESERVE YOUR SPOT (20% Deposit)

Teachers

David Robson

David Robson is a practitioner and teacher of Ashtanga Yoga, in the tradition of Sharath Yoga Centre (SYC). He’s a co-director of the Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto, where he leads one of the world’s largest Mysore style programs.

David began a daily practice in 1998 while at university studying Comparative Religion. After graduating, he made his first trip to Mysore, India in 2002, where he initiated studies with his teacher Sharath Jois. In 2007, David was authorized to teach Ashtanga.

He has become well known on social media for his educational and entertaining tutorials. He also leads workshops and retreats around the world with his wife Jelena.

Jelena Vesić

After four years of pursuing her PhD (Political Science, York University, Toronto), Jelena decided to walk away and dedicate herself to teaching Ashtanga Yoga full time. She’s been teaching since 2014, and is a co-director of the Ashtanga Yoga Centre of Toronto where she leads one of the world’s largest Mysore programs. Jelena also teaches workshops and retreats in Toronto and around the world with her husband David.
Jelena first came to yoga through dance. As a former ballet dancer of 16 years, the structure and rigour of the Ashtanga Yoga practice felt like home. Drawn to the discipline, mindfulness of the movement, and emphasis on the breath, Jelena made the Ashtanga practice her sole focus in 2009.

Jelena has made many trips to Mysore, India and studied with her teacher, Shri Sharath Jois. In addition, Jelena also considers herself to be a student of Jack Kornfield, a Buddhist teacher and clinical psychologist. She’s completed his and Tara Brach’s two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program.

Lastly, Jelena’s true passion lies in promoting rescue and adoption of (street) dogs. You can often find her sharing her love for #adoptdontshop on her IG, and sharing the joys of living with her two fur-babies, Goku and Khani, both celebrities in their own right.

Arielle Nash

Arielle has spent over 20 years studying the human body and its response to movement. She is a long-time dedicated practitioner with over two decades of teaching experience. Her teaching is informed by her tenure training elite athletes, formal academic study, wisdom passed down from her teachers, and personal experience. Arielle holds a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology and Functional Anatomy, along with an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology.

Arielle has led and been the lead anatomy educator in over 50 yoga teacher trainings, both foundational and advanced. Over the past 20 years, she has been blessed with the opportunity to teach alongside or spend significant time of study with highly skilled senior teachers, including Richard Freeman, Dr. Paul Dallaghan, Sri OP Tiwari, and David Robson. Prior to his passing, she made several trips to Mysore, India, to practice with R. Sharath Jois.

It was her observations of students that led her to inquire deeper into the workings of yoga on physiology and the connections among our psychology, neurobiology, and movement. This inquiry fueled her master’s research exploring the interconnectedness of the human stress response, muscle tension, and pain experience. This, combined with the influence of her teachers, makes her teaching a clear example of East meets West. She highly regards and understands the tradition and roots of practice and the true purpose of yoga as a tool of self-understanding. At the same time, she applies the latest scientific understandings of human function to meet the practical needs of modern yoga students. A constant student of the human body, she supports practitioners and teachers in their journey with a broad and informed perspective.

Adding to her experience, Arielle owned and operated Ashtanga Yoga Victoria for nearly a decade, franchised sport conditioning centres internationally, and runs a yoga-based somatic healing program at a renowned mental health facility. She remains the lead anatomy and physiology educator at the highly regarded Samahita Retreat in Thailand.
Having been at the respected E-RYT500 level for over 15 years, Arielle teaches continuing education courses for yoga teachers and movement professionals, focusing on yoga anatomy, fascial integration, somatic movement, prenatal yoga, and adjustment techniques. She regularly teaches classes in her home city, Victoria, BC, is a faculty member in the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Camosun College, and is a mother of school-aged twins.

Sandra Pribanić

Sandra is a Registered Psychotherapist with private practices in Toronto and Collingwood. Her holistic approach to both therapy and teaching integrates body-centered, psychodynamic, and transpersonal psychotherapy, alongside neuroscience, early childhood developmental theories, and trauma-informed practices focused on relational and collective healing. She also incorporates craniosacral therapy and energy work into her practice.

Sandra’s journey with Ashtanga yoga began in 2011, and it has since become a foundational element of both her personal and professional life. Through her teaching, she invites students to deepen their connection with themselves, fostering authenticity, mindfulness, and presence. Sandra believes that Ashtanga is not just a physical practice, but a transformative process that creates space for all parts of who we are - empowering us to live with greater awareness and cultivate peace within ourselves and the world around us.

Assisting school is The Place to learn traditional Ashtanga Yoga but also to grow, connect, overcome your fears and doubts, and laugh in the amazing and supportive AYCT community. Learning hands-on adjustments in the Mysore room was supported by workshops on adjusting techniques, anatomy, and additional skills. It was an intense, amazing, and life changing experience. I’m grateful for the knowledge, experience, support, and kindness shared with us by David, Jelena, Arielle, Sandra, and the amazing AYCT assistants.

- Manuela K. | Croatia

I’d been meaning to join AYCT’s Assisting School in person for some time, and I finally had the opportunity to do so this past summer. I’m glad that I did! I learned so much about anatomy from Arielle Nash, about the mind/body/heart connection and holding space for others as they do the practice from Sandra Pribanic, and finally about the art of skillful assists and adjustments from the pros themselves, David Robson and Jelena Vesić. Due to the amount of information and the wealth of knowledge transmitted in this training, it’s the type of immersion that a student could take many times and yet always learn something new or hone existing skills. Though I’m not a yoga teacher (but apparently have a doppelgänger somewhere out there who is :)), I got so much out of the experience. I’m sure that I’m not alone in cherishing my three-week immersion at the studio in all things assisting and Ashtanga yoga related. Thanks, David, Jelena, Sandra, and Arielle, for sharing all your wisdom and expertise with us all!

Assisting School