125: Teaching Yoga in Changing Times

Change is constant and inevitable; but the sheer speed of recent changes in the yoga world leaves many of us confused about what it actually looks like and means to be a yoga teacher right now.

Today hosts Rachel and Tiffany look back over the massive changes that have occurred in the yoga world over the past few decades, and what they might signal for the years ahead. We debate the pros and cons of boom times, the rise of social media, and the ever-evolving needs of students.

Listen to this episode to learn how yoga teachers can continue to adapt to better serve our communities.

“Be firm in your standing of who you are and what you value, but be flexible in terms of what that looks like and how you deliver it.” – Rachel Land

“What I have to offer is really a reflection of my curiosity.” – Tiffany Cruikshank

Show Notes:

Looking back can help us move forward with more clarity [1:18]
Early days of yoga in the West: underground, no-frills, “anti-influencer” [3:53]
Big changes in the early 2000s [11:00]
The first commercial teacher trainings and new yoga brands [15:35]
Yoga celebrities, yoga fashion, and growing competition [16:46]
Credibility from yoga lineage overtaken by social media following? [21:45]
Yoga Medicine and explosive growth in YTT [27:38]
The 2010s: The yoga boom and growing pains [31:35]
Covid challenges and opportunities: meeting people where they’re at [33:56]
Post-COVID era: options versus overwhelm [37:35]
Takeaways: find your niche with patience, persistence and presence [40:03]
Takeaways: What feeds you changes over time [48:04]
Takeaways: Know what you bring to the table [53:55]
Takeaways: Be purpose-driven [58:45]
Final thoughts [1:02:33]