Seen at YogaDork's place....
"Beth June Shaw, marketing guru and captain of the YogaFit ship, must’ve had $1.349 million burning a hole in the hidden pocket of her Lululemon pants, because that’s what she paid on Jan. 22 for a three-bedroom, two-bath at 736 Calle De Arboles Dr. in Torrance (California)......"
Beth Shaw, Down Dog Millionaire!
Hmmmm....I bust my yoga butt (oops, I hope that phrase is not trademarked by Beth because I can't afford to hire a lawyer) with all my yoga continuing education, travel to India to learn from Desikachar himself, and I'm still living in an area where houses haven't sold for over a year and yoga studios struggle to survive. DAMN, WTF am I doing wrong?
I guess cranking out "yoga teachers" who learn all about teaching yoga in a weekend must be very lucrative.
I must not be livin' right.
4 comments:
That is pretty crazy. But I'm not surprised... being from The OC, I know just how much money people with money will spend on trendy crap they nothing about. So there you go.
And working in nonprofit, I know that you don't get rich doing the right thing either. I'm sure you're doing everything right! :)
You are all right. You are not selling out and that's great. My daughter got me a subscription to Yoga Journal and now I'm getting all kinds of catalogs and stuff in the mail from different places. One had all these cute yoga outfits but for big BIG bucks. Me, I still shop at Goodwill and I have more than enough.
Hi Linda,
*Sorry - this is one of my long blabs!*
A great post that really hits a chord with me, especially after the experience I've recently had with yoga schools pumping out yoga teachers (who are really just asana teachers). This same experience made me want to give up yoga - only three months ago.
When I visit your yoga blog (along with many others) I see someone who is a yogi. Committed to yoga as a life path, not just as an exercise fad or trendy activity you do because everyone else is doin' it and (assume appropriate accent) -like- you know, you've just gotta -like- be there and do it... Preferably in Lululemon clothes you've just remortgaged your house for.
Now I don't know Beth June Shaw, so I am no one to say she's not an authentic yogi. I checked out her Yogafit site and it looks like she's started a Yoga franchise for gyms, along the line of what Les Mills has done with Body Balance (called Body Flow in the US) everywhere else. But on the Yoga Fit site there's products... loads of products and a huge range of trainings! I'll be nice and give her the benefit of the doubt...Yogi and business woman. Marketing guru ... hmmm... another topic altogether.
BUT as I was writing this, I've just had an idea... My teacher, Mahadevananda spoke this morning of the experience of doing Yoga Nidra with Swami Satyananda. She said her experience of Yoga Nidra with him was of a depth - a 'something else'- that only comes from someone who's authentically dedicated to yoga.
Soo... How about a yoga franchise that serves the purpose of training people in a deeply authentic yoga? One where you're not simply pumping out asana teachers?
Maybe I'm just dreaming... but it was my idea of the day.
Amanda, I have no problem with someone making a buck off of yoga, whether here or in India. hell, I wish I was making more money! but "become a yoga teacher in a weekend"? a program called "Yoga Butt" AS IF that's what yoga is about that just feeds the Western mindset that yoga is JUST about the physical?
uh, no.
and don't be concerned about your long comments, love 'em!
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