And so continues the commodification of Yoga. Those who think Yoga isn’t for sale are mistaken. Clearly it is and it is getting all ‘wrapped up’ in the global brands. Whilst I sympathise with Triyoga dilemma here (all bricks ‘n mortar studios large and small have felt the negative effects of pandemic) they clearly have contributed to this commodification trough their own ‘will’ to be a ‘big player’ in the first place. They got to a stage that when crises hit it was go bust or get mopped up by a bigger player. Don’t be mistaken, no matter what fancy words they put on it, the main point of the likes of Triyoga getting bigger in the first place wasn’t collaboration it was to gain wealth; but their size wasn’t sustainable and the recent times have been punishing for all Yoga studios, push finally came to shove and now they will be just another bland brand within the united fitness family which is owned by a venture capitalist trust which is ‘focused on growth investing, typically backing consumer brands with premium pricing potential’… this says it all. Triyoga are now part of UF and they can watch any values they managed to hold onto when they previously expanded themselves disappear in the new money grab. I so HOPE that, in time, people/practitioners will become more discerning and come back to the independent instructors and smaller studios and Yoga schools, the ones that endeavour, increasingly against the odds, to maintain integrity and are not looking to take over the Yoga world…
Namaste