This is a video about Building an Inclusive and Accessible Ashtanga Community. If you’re looking for coaching, find me at michaeljoelhall.com/coaching
00:00 Introduction to the System
00:18 Inclusivity and Adaptation
00:41 Welcoming and Modifications
01:06 Evolving Tradition
Decontextualizing indigenous insight practices—like those in traditional Ashtanga Yoga or other ancient systems—tends to diminish their efficacy because these practices are deeply embedded in specific cultural, spiritual, and historical contexts. This “embedding” isn’t a casual detail; it’s essential to how these systems work. When aspects of a practice are extracted or secularized, they lose the nuanced interconnections that support the whole system, similar to removing a keystone from an arch. For example, in Ashtanga Yoga, specific techniques and philosophies are not just exercises but methods developed within a layered understanding of ethics, community, and personal transformation. This is why teachers like Gregor Maehle emphasize that yoga is not just postures but part of a system that includes spiritual texts, breath work, ethics, and ritual. Removing…
To maintain equity for yoga teachers, compensation should vary based on whether the teacher is classified as an employee or an independent contractor, taking into account the responsibilities, expectations, and benefits associated with each role: 1. Employee Compensation Model 2. Independent Contractor Compensation Model 3. Additional Considerations to Ensure Equity 4. Hybrid Compensation Models Maintaining equity in compensation ultimately means recognizing the different responsibilities and benefits associated with each role—employee or contractor—and adjusting pay accordingly to ensure teachers are supported, valued, and able to sustain their livelihood. It also requires open communication and transparency so that teachers understand what they are being compensated for and have the opportunity to advocate for fair treatment.