This story is part of a series covering the future of yoga during and after the coronavirus pandemic. Here, we take a look at the challenging issues the yoga industry faces. Read more about the role unionization may play in addressing those challenges in our first story: As COVID-19 Reveals the Cracks in the Yoga Industry, Could a Universal Teachers’ Union Help Reshape Our Community?
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One month prior to the announcement of the permanent closures of the YogaWorks New York studios that were announced in April, I spoke with the changemakers on the front lines of unionization efforts on a Zoom call; a handful of YogaWorks NY teachers who formed the collective, Unionize Yoga—a first-ever yoga teachers’ union to become certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Accompanied by an official from the International Association of…