Faculty
Chief Trainer, Michel Besnard
Originally from France, Michel is currently based in Hong Kong where he founded Yogasana, the very first Ashtanga Shala in Hong Kong in 2002 and was also one of the first to in Hong Kong to establish Yoga Teacher Trainings.
Prior to Hong Kong, Michel ran a successful Iyengar school "Noosa Yoga Centr" in Australia from 1987 to 1996 and from 1997 to 2000 he taught Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in Vienna Austria. In the past two decades, Michel has taught yoga and conducted teacher trainings in different parts of the world including Asia, the United States, Austria, England, France and Australia.
Michel's teaching philosophy is to provide students with clear and sensitive guidance, encouraging them to listen to the needs of the body without pushing or straining, thus making space for their own understanding. Ultimately, Michel encourages everyone to take the practice, but not themselves, seriously.
As a student, Michel has been immersed in the tradition of yoga with 30 years of study with world-renowned teachers. He began practicing yoga in 1978, and has been teaching since 1983. He started with Iyengar yoga and was a direct student of BKS Iyengar himself, having made regular trips to study under his teacher in Pune, India. He later discovered Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and studied directly under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India on several extended trips to India. After 1993, Asthanga Vinyasa became his primary focus and he now teaches and practices this powerful, ancient system of yoga. Subsequently in 2002 Michel met Ramesh Balshekar an Avaida Vedanta Teacher from Mumbai and has been avidly his student since.
Along with yoga, Michel has an extensive background in bodywork and postural alignment. He is an advanced Reiki practitioner and a certified Advanced Postural Integrator certified by Psycho-Physical institute of San Francisco and holds a certificate from the Gestalt Institute of Melbourne Australia.
Truly a teacher's teacher, Michel has trained instructors in 10 different countries and is accredited by IYTA (International Yoga Teacher Association) and Yoga Alliance at the 500-hour level trainer level (highest possible). Michel brings the depth of knowledge and years of experience into class that is so often lacking from modern yoga teacher trainers.
Instructor - Anatomy, Michelle Lam
Graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1998, Michelle is a Physiotherapist specializing in Sports injuries and prevention. Having worked in the Sports rehabilitation for nearly 10 years, Michelle has developed her unique way of incorporating Physiotherapy knowledge in exercise training and performance enhancement.
In addition to being a Physiotherapist, Michelle is currently a Personal Trainer & Group X instructor, as well as the part-time lecturer in the Chinese University Adult Learning Center (Hong Kong).
Instructor - Ayurveda, Vinod Sharma
Mr. Vinod Sharma graduated from the University of Bombay in 1981, with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in Financial Accounting. However, his main interest in life has always been the holistic sciences.
In 1979 he was accepted as a Yoga disciple and personally trained by His Holiness Yogiraj Umeshchandraji, the founder of Ramtirth Yoga Ashram in Bombay. He soaked up knowledge of yogic techniques and philosophy from the various swamis and brahmacharis who visited and lived there. He first began teaching yoga in Bombay in 1985 and continued after he moved to Hong Kong in 1991.
A Hong Kong resident, Vinod has been teaching yoga at various clubs, hotels and fitness centers in Hong Kong for the past 17 years, and has trained several Yoga teachers in Hong Kong. He has also traveled abroad widely, conducting workshops, seminars and Ayurvedic Consultations in Central America, France, Russia, Taiwan, China and India