Ep. 6 - Should Yoga Teachers Unionize?

YogaWorks teachers and teacher trainers have come together to form the first-ever yoga union. In this episode, Sarah interviews Markella, Jodie, and Laurel; three of the New York City YogaWorks teachers; about why they are unionizing and what forming a union would mean for yoga teachers and the yoga industry as a whole. To find out more about the unionization efforts, visit them on Facebook or Instagram. You can also learn more about yoga teacher unionization and find resources at Shut Up & Yoga.Want to connect with Sarah? Reach out to her on Instagram, Facebook. or directly via email at [email protected] Beginner's Mind is created in partnership with Shut Up & Yoga. Check out their new books at www.shutupandyoga.com/books or join the conversation via the new facebook group, Shut Up & Yoga Forum for Modern Yogis. Laurel Beversdorf, YACEP, E-RYT 500, is an international yoga educator, the creator of Yoga with Resistance Bands classes and trainings and Body of Knowledge anatomy and biomechanics workshops, and a Yoga Tune Up® and Roll Model® trainer. Laurel regularly presents trainings and workshops at locations like Kripalu, YogaWorks, and studios around the world. Her classes blend strength training, rehabilitation practices, myofascial release, and yoga. Laurel has written for Yoga Journal, Shut Up & Yoga, and the Tune Up Fitness blog. A Wisconsin native, she lives in NYC with her husband, baby girl, and two cats. You can connect with her at laurelbeversdorf.com.Jodie Rufty is a Senior Trainer and East Coast Director of Trainer Development for YogaWorks in NYC. She has been teaching Yoga since 1995 and is registered to teach through Yoga Alliance at the EYT 500 hour level and has been certified to teach both by Alan Finger in the ISHTA lineage as well as Alison West of Yoga Union and YogaWorks. Jodie co-founded Amrita Yoga Center NYC in September of 2002 and helped launch Nava Yoga Center in Zagreb Croatia in June 2004. She is also the author of “The Art of Yoga Sequencing” published in 2008. Jodie has continued her education with many teachers including Rodney Yee, Genny Kapuler, Desikachar, and Ana Forrest, completing several Training Intensives in 1998, 2000 & 2003. Jodie now resides in NYC where she continues to study, practice and teach Yoga at YogaWorks as well as privately. You can connect with her at jodieruftyyoga.com.Markella Los started practicing yoga in 2008. After years of faster-paced sports and martial arts, she thought she would find yoga slow and boring. Obviously, she was wrong. In 2015, she completed her first teacher training through YogaWorks under the mentorship of Chrissy Carter and has been teaching full time since. After almost ten years practicing yoga, and only yoga, she developed pain in her hips. More yoga and passive stretching didn't help. Instead, she had to completely rethink her practice, and therefore her teaching, to give her body more strength and stability. This led Markella on a path of discovery, advanced education in anatomy, kinesiology, and biomechanics, and further training. Now she helps people move and feel better while doing the practice they love and in their daily lives. Her teaching style is grounded, light-hearted, and rooted in resilience and exploration. You can connect with her at markellalos.com or on Instagram.