Our Team

Joe Banwait, M.A

Joe has been a student of yoga and meditation for over 15 years. He was fortunate to discover the art of meditation as a teenager – and have it ignite a fascination with human potential that shaped his future education and training. Joe later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Toronto followed by a Masters degree in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto (OISE/UT).

In 2000, Joe joined the faculty of the Transformational Arts College where we was a facilitator for a series of personal and spiritual development courses in the Discovering the Total Self Program. In 2006, he moved to South Korea and served as a visiting professor in the International Language Center at Kyungwon University in Seoul. While living, working, and traveling throughout Asia, Joe practiced Ashtanga yoga at Samahita Yoga Thailand on Ko Samui, trained with David Swenson in Seoul, and did an immersion at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI) in Mysore, India.

Joe completed his 200-hour certification at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Massachusetts and returns there annually to serve as a faculty assistant for their yoga teacher training programs. He is also a certified Yoga Ed. Instructor and restorative yoga teacher. Joe is currently pursuing certification as an ‘Ayurvedic Life-Style Counselor’ with Dr. David Frawley and the American Institute of Vedic Studies.

Joe is an Ambassador for Lululemon Lakeshore and Power of Movement. He volunteer teaches yoga and meditation to inmates in correctional facilities with Freeing the Human Spirit. He is known for his clear and accessible teaching style which emphasizes breath, alignment, and the cultivation of inner stillness and compassionate self-awareness.

Parvati (Angela Lytle), M.Ed.

Parvati (Angela Lytle) is a holistic yoga educator and trainer with a BA in Religious Studies and a Masters in Adult Education and Community Development. Parvati undertook her yoga training at Anand Prakash Ashram in Rishikesh, India, with Yogi Vishvketu and Chetana Panwar, where she is now part of the training team. She offers Akhanda (holistic) Hatha yoga classes that integrate mantra (chanting), pranayama (breathing exercises), asana (postures) and meditation. Akhanda Yoga is accessible for all body types and emphasizes yoga as an integrated system of personal and spiritual development.

Parvati is currently pursuing certification as a “Yoga and Ayurveda Health Educator” through the American Institute of Vedic Studies, and offers introductory workshops and counselling on Wise Earth Ayurveda® Women’s Health and Spirituality practices. Much of her work focuses on women’s well-being and spirituality and she also offers workshops and guidance on working with the Divine Feminine. She is certified in Trauma Sensitive Yoga instruction, and offers classes and workshops to underserved communities in Toronto. With a background in women’s human rights training and education, she brings a multi-disciplinary approach to her work, seeking to integrate personal spiritual development with actions that help to transform our world. She is particularly passionate about yoga and ayurveda as means for women to find healing and empowerment.