Working Rights For Yoga Teachers with Kallie Schut

For many years, it’s clear that something has been off with how we work as yoga teachers. In the 10 years that I was a full time yoga teacher, I had countless conversations with fellow teachers who were being bullied by their employer, had their classes cut unfairly, or have simply not been paid for the classes they taught. However, late last year, the world's first union for yoga teachers was created in New York for the teachers who were employees of the YogaWorks studios there. Many yoga teachers, though, are not employees.

Then, last week (early October 2020) something groundbreaking happened. A small group of committed yoga teachers in the UK (Normal Blair, Laura Hancock, Julie Pons and today’s guest, Kallie Schut) created the world’s second union for yoga teachers, and the first for those of us who are independent contractors! 

Kallie Schut shares a great deal about the formation of the union (which you can read more about below) However, Kallie also does a great deal of work around decolonising yoga & antiracism training that we didn’t get into in this episode. We’ll be sure to have Kallie back to discuss those topics in the future.

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• How the Yoga Teachers Union in the UK began
• Organising as independent contractors / gig workers
• The benefits of joining a union for yoga teachers
• How unions rebalance power in working relationships for yoga teachers
• How unions can help create more opportunity for folks who have been traditionally marginalised in the yoga community
• Tips for how you can organise in your yoga community

FIND KALLIE SCHUT

• Kallie’s Website
• Kallie’s Instagram

FIND THE UNION

• Yoga Teachers Union UK on Instagram
• Yoga Teachers Union UK Website

FIND CORA

Cora’s Instagram

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode47

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