So much has changed in our world in the last several months, and the yoga world has been forced to pull in and take a pause. While many brick and mortar studios are closing and there are other related sad endings, I think we are also in a time ripe for positive and much needed change.

If everything is going to change, what matters most?If we are never going back to the old way of doing things, what do we want to create in the new world?

These are questions I have been asking myself, and I’m so excited to introduce this new series here on The Mentor Sessions called, Where Do We Go From Here? In this series I have paired up teachers and thought leaders in the yoga world so I can ask them these exact questions. My first two guests are Jesal Parikh and Bryn Chrisman.

Jesal Parikh (she/her/hers) is a yoga teacher, movement educator, podcaster, author, and disrupter working on creative solutions for equity in yoga. She is one of the co-hosts of the Yoga is Dead podcast and is the Co-Director of Yoga Teachers of Color. Jesal's mission is to uplift those of us who are feeling isolated and marginalized by the yoga industry.

Bryn Chrisman (she/her/hers) is a student, teacher and educator of yoga & body-mind practices and the founder and operator of Yogamaya Yoga Studio in New York City which opened in 2010.  As a teacher, Bryn offers creative movement explorations guiding students to witness wonder, feel empowered and be more aware of themselves.  As a studio operator, Bryn always wants to “do better” and provide education where students learn and teachers teach in an uplifting and fun atmosphere.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• what has changed for Jesal and Bryn since March of 2020
• what predictions we have for the yoga world in the next six months
• what is lost when teaching yoga virtually
• what is gained when teaching yoga virtually
• what is most important about brick and mortar spaces and when we think we’ll be gathering in them again
• what changes we are hopeful about in the next several years

Mentioned in this episode:

• Yoga Teachers of Color
• Yogamaya Yoga Studio
• The Connective Studio
• The Connective’s Anti-Racism Community Agreement
• Yogamaya’s Teacher Training

Learn More From Jesal:

• On her website
• On Instagram
• On her podcast Yoga Is Dead
• Yoga Teachers of Color on Instagram

Learn More From Bryn:

• At her studio
• On Instagram