The Yoga Studio Is Dying — And What Comes Next (Video)
What does it really mean to stay devoted to a practice for three decades — and let it keep changing you?
Harmony Slater and Russell Case sit down with Jodi Blumstein: long-time Ashtanga yoga practitioner, founder of one of Chicago's first Ashtanga shalas, and the teacher who led the Mysore program at YogaWorks in Los Angeles for over 15 years. Now teaching online to a global community, Jodi brings the rare perspective of someone who has lived through the full arc of Ashtanga yoga in the West — from the early days of counting in Sanskrit with a German accent at a single Chicago class, to practicing on Oak Street Beach with Tim Miller, to navigating the post-COVID world of online Mysore.
This conversation is honest, nostalgic, nuanced, and full of lived wisdom.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- What it was really like to study with Tim Miller, Dena Kingsbrough, and Nancy Gilgoff — and how each teacher gave something completely different
- Why the traditional yoga studio business model is unsustainable — and what might replace it
- How Ashtanga practice should evolve as you age (and why the 'marathon' model of practice is the key)
- What the rise of Instagram did to the Ashtanga community (for better and worse)
- How Jodi found her way into online teaching — and why she's never going back to in-person
- The practice philosophy she now teaches: rotating series, building core strength, and adapting intelligently for the long haul
- What Pattabhi Jois's presence was really like in those final Lakshmipuram classes
Connect with Jodi Blumstein:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodi_blumstein/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jodibe4483
The Inner Rejuvenation Codes: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/inner-rejuvenation-codes-mc
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FIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/
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