In 2024, we began to deliver what the 2024-2030 Strategic Plan promised. Three commitments sit at its center: Uplift the Transformative Power of Yoga. Surface and Reduce Barriers to the Practice. Build, Engage, and Support this Community.
For most of our history, Yoga Alliance had one entrance, one door that said “become a teacher,” “register your school or teacher training program.” If you were a curious beginner, a twenty year home practitioner, a studio owner, or a wellness center, there was no clear reason to join and no sense of what joining would offer. That is a belonging problem before it is a business problem, and it quietly contradicts the very reason we exist to serve.
So we turned to the community to ask some important questions. And we asked through multiple channels and corners of membership, not in a boardroom.
We collaborated with research partners from Forum One, to listen to 2,000 people in more than 20 countries. We hosted a co-creation retreat where practitioners and professionals connected to build membership concepts side-by-side with our staff. Fourteen focus groups, two global surveys, a collaborative decision session, turned community feedback into a new ecosystem and long-term organizational change.
In this hour, we are sharing what you told us and what changed because of it.
We will cover:
- The problems and how we set out to solve them
- Who was in the room, and why it was built on community co-creation
- What the community told us, including what surprised us
- The direct lines from what you said to what formed the future ecosystem
You will hear from Beth Watson and Steven Bond, leaders from Forum One. You’ll also hear from Allison Mattingly (Director, Membership & Strategy) and Helsa Thompson (Program Manager, Learning & Development), key stakeholders from the Yoga Alliance team, stewarding the changes and new ecosystem. Most importantly, you’ll hear from participants in the research itself, members speaking in their own words, from their unique perspectives.
