Here’s a little embarrassing nugget from my past: I was an aerobics instructor in college – complete with high cut pink leotards and white ankle Velcro Reeboks. When I graduated in 1988 I left my sweat bands behind – its popularity was dying down. A few years later, the aerobics craze had been absorbed into and transformed by the gyms. The aerobics studios (and the big hair) vanished.
It’s not that people stopped exercising, it’s that the exercise trend shifted.
I started practicing yoga regularly in the late 80s, but the first yoga class I attended at an actual yoga studio was in 1995, in Pennsylvania. Yoga studios were springing up from the graves of the aerobics studios. They provided a place to gather and exercise that was more attractive to many than the smelly gyms.
I saw the rise and proliferation of yoga studios in the late 90s and early 2000s. But, because I remembered the wilting of the aerobics business, I thought I might see the same thing happen quickly in the yoga world.
I was wrong.
Yoga studios survived because they served purposes and needs beyond that of exercise. They provided not only an alternative to the gym, but also, for some, an alternative to traditional houses of worship, and, for others, sanctuaries to find support for their mental or physical health challenges. Yoga studios had a lot of staying power.
But the digital world was also quickly evolving…and then we had a pandemic.
And people who normally went to yoga studios got used to home workouts/self-care activities. They found free yoga on YouTube. And, after COVID many were no longer interested in returning to the studios. COVID threw a wrench in the brick and mortar yoga studio model. By some estimates, more than 50 percent of yoga studios have closed.
Today, some studios are surviving, a few are thriving, and many are just hanging on. The other day a studio owner wrote saying that she was shocked when a close friend told her, “Why would I pay you for yoga when I can get it for free from Adrienne?”
Doh…. the Ouch of honesty.
While it might feel like it’s time to throw in the Lulu’s and get a real job, on the bright side, yoga teaching is not going to go away – but it is changing. While some yoga studios will survive, more and more yoga will be offered in other settings. It can be useful for yoga teachers to think differently about how and where they want to teach.
Defining Yoga
First things first, if yoga professionals and yoga organizations don’t step up and define yoga, the mass media, pop culture, and to some extent, health care world, will. If you are a member of any yoga organization, and you are interested in the future of the profession, it may be a good time to reach out to them. Share this blog if you like. Ask what they are doing to define yoga and craft the public’s perception of it. Ask them how you can be involved.
As the industry pivots, the creation of stronger definitions and also stronger standards of training, competencies, and scope of practice – of yoga teaching and yoga therapy – will help the profession as well as the public to get a better idea of what we do and what yoga can do for them – exercise-wise and beyond.
I think YouTube and the gyms will probably increase their vacuuming up of yoga teaching – but it’s important to remember that most of that yoga is fitness oriented. Whereas the intersection of yoga with the health care system is really just in the beginning stages. This integration will be much smoother if yoga professionals and yoga organizations make a strong effort to define it in terms of health – physical, mental, and spiritual.
Achieving Whole Health
In the U.S., the major shifts that are currently happening in the health care system present opportunities for the yoga profession. If we can get our act together and agree on definitions and be creative about how and where we teach, we may not only survive, we may actually thrive.
Earlier this year, the National Academies of Medicine released a report, Achieving Whole Health, A New Report for Veterans and the Nation. You can read a summary of that report here.
According to the VA:
“Whole Health is VA’s approach to care that supports your health and well-being. Whole Health centers around what matters to you, not what is the matter with you. This means your health team will get to know you as a person, before working with you to develop a personalized health plan based on your values, needs, and goals.”
The VA’s pilot Whole Health program has been so successful that the National Academies recommends scaling it throughout the VA and also throughout the whole country.
The National Academies’ report references yoga as part of the Whole Health Solution 20 times, however it never defines it. So, the default assumption is that yoga is a fitness modality or a basic somatic intervention – one that’s separate from meditation, spiritual care, breathing practices, and health/lifestyle coaching.
I think it’s important for the yoga profession not to compromise on yoga’s definition. In other words, it’s not enough for yoga postures to be firmly established in this new Whole Health model. We need to stand up for our professional, explain the full scope of the tradition, and teach the powers that be that yoga goes beyond the frameworks of “health” or “wellness” and includes tools for self-actualization and thriving. And then figure out how to include these aspects in Whole Health initiatives.
Yoga Teachers Need to Pivot
The report emphasizes the need for structural innovation to support Whole Health, including “patient and family advisory councils, health coaches, and peer support specialists as well as the other workforce innovations.”
As the health care world expands into Whole Health – yoga professionals have so much to offer to the conversation of Whole Health. As a yoga teacher, you may already being doing health coaching, peer support, balance training/fall prevention, chronic disease prevention, etc. If you work with folks in ways that help them lead healthier, more functional lives, then you have something to offer to Whole Health. You may want to seek more training, but you won’t necessarily need to spend years pursuing an entirely new profession.
Some health care roles require relatively little training. For example health coaching, peer support specialists, and Community Health Workers. The Community Health Worker role may be an important piece of the Whole Health puzzle. “A CHW serves as a liaison between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and to improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.”
CHWs are paid a living wage – which is not always the case with yoga jobs. This infographic may be helpful if you’re interested in finding out more about the role (and rise) of Community Health Workers. Each state has different initiatives, so you want to check it out in your area.
Whole Health will increasingly present new opportunities for yoga professionals to find ways to share their knowledge with groups of people who aren’t in gyms or studios – and also earn a living.
I’m not suggesting that teaching within the health care system is for everyone, but if you are feeling frustrated watching yoga studios wilt, I think it may be time to shift your perspective. With a little initiative and creativity you may find that it’s not only a way to make a living, but also incredibly satisfying to work with people who would never go to a yoga studio.
Please check out my free eBook, How to Be Trauma Attuned in the Yoga Space.
CHAIR YOGA FOR YOUR BRAIN & NERVOUS SYSTEM
SUBTLE® YOGA FOR ENHANCING TRAUMA RECOVERY
Five Ways Yogic Meditation Benefits Your Brain – eBook
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A studio I taught in for two years recently closed after twelve years in business. This gives me such hope for the future of the yoga thin profession. I love the idea of a whole health approach and educating the public of the fact that the benefits of yoga are multi-dimensional beyond the general perception of it being an “exercise” option. Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve taken two workshops with you Kristine and they were fantastic!
Aw thanks so much Angie! Glad this give you some hope. I think the future of yoga is very bright, but it definitely is shifting.
The Veterans Administration is ahead on the emphasis on Whole Health. They have recently completed a study looking at the benefits of trauma yoga in collaboration with the Center for Trauma and Embodiment formerly of the Justice Resource Institute in Brookline MA.
Yes, they are always the leaders in healthcare in the U.S. for sure. Thanks! I’d love to see a link to that study if you’ve got it handy?
go to traumasensitiveyoga.com and find the research section in the Resources menu on main page.
i really enjoy your writing (subtle…) here in nz. my partner is trained and practising in TCTSY so i thought…i can find that info for you without even searching…
keep up the good work.
Thank you for this column about the post-covid yoga landscape. I’ve never heard of a community health worker (CHW) so I looked up CHW in my state and found a website that explains the certification process. This sounds like a great match for yoga instructors, and any local resident, who are concerned about the health needs of their community.
Hi Susan, Yes, i am thinking the CHW role might be a great fit for some yoga teachers. I’m planning on writing about it more and speaking about it at some conferences. xo
Your essay was well timed as myself and colleagues are stressing over diminishing class sizes. Whereas before Covid we had students come for the social as well as the physical part of yoga, now we have students hopping from place to place looking for free classes and deals. We are struggling and no one can do this as a full time job. I think your suggestions and will present them to the studio owner.
Thanks Anita! I would love to hear how you folks decide to move forward and if any of these suggestions are helpful for you in your area and for how and who you wish to work with. thanks!
Thanks for your timely and informative message.
(This comment may not be helpful to those are committed to teaching in the mind-set that you
describe, and practice. It’s just an observation…). Some of the studios in my area did not survive the pandemic, and some
have thrived. One “business model” studio keeps raising membership and pass rates and offering teacher
training numerous times throughout the year. Others of the teachers in my area have small private practices and/or zoom practices
with huge followings. We all are free to make decisions for what we have to offer. Your studio is always accessible and forward
thinking. Thanks for your valuable contributions to the yoga world. I have especially appreciated the inclusion of “slow yoga,”
neuroplasticity, and Avurdeva. Also for recommendation of Huberman Lab – excellent info.
Thank you Amy – and I agree, everyone has to make their own decisions. My blog is certainly not for everyone either. LOL! But I’m glad you’ve found some of it helpful for your work. xo
Thank you for sharing this very information and applicable article. I can certainly identify with the aerobics craze in the 80’s to the yoga movement and then the shift once the pandemic hit. So much good food for thought here.
As a 20-something, I fell in love with yoga from the first class. As a largely broke artist, however, I was one of those studio-hoppers that always looked for free class specials, and checked out library videos to learn new poses to supplement my fairly focused personal practice. What I learned years later was the value of a real live actual teacher — years after I had ingrained poor alignment into many of my poses that were beginning to cause pain because I had no teacher to point out what I was doing wrong. Yoga studios have the advantage over Youtube in that their teachers can actually assess their students in the moment — giving feedback and offering modifications or extensions as needed. Hopefully they can market this to their advantage!
Thank you – such an important, crazy obvious, but often overlooked point.