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Patents, Petitions, and the Politics of Practice

9/26/2013

38 Comments

 
Picture
The backstory-

  • From Yoga International:  http://yogainternational.com/article/view/patents-and-lawsuits-the-future-of-yoga/
  • Yogaglo's responses:--http://www.yogaglo.com/blog/2013/09/yogaglo-response-to-todays-news/
  • Yoga Alliance's Letter-http://www.yogaalliance.org/ya/Articles/YogaGlo_09_25_13.aspx
  • Petition- http://www.thepetitionsite.com/258/457/371/urge-yogaglo-to-back-down-from-patent-application/
  • Yogadork- http://yogadork.com/2013/09/24/firestorm-after-yogaglo-moves-to-patent-online-yoga-class-setup/#comments
  • Mia Parks's article On EJ- http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/09/yogis-behaving-badly-patenting-a-view-of-a-yoga-class-mia-park/
  • Adrien Edwards's article on EJ- http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/09/cease-desist-yoga-patents-adrien-edwards/
  • Meredith Klein's article on EJ- http://wKrww.elephantjournal.com/2013/09/a-love-letter-to-yogaglo-meredith-klein/
  • Krista Katrovas' article on EJ- http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/09/yogaglo-you-can-go/
Whew! I think those are the main articles out there that have been written on the topic this week, but if I missed something else important, you can certainly post a link in the comments.  It's a lot to keep up with in one week.

I keep getting called out on Facebook to comment on the current situation with Yogaglo (outlined above) so I thought I might as well say a few words on my blog. 

Here's the thing:  I have been on the teaching faculty of Yogaglo for several years and have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship the production and management team. As a result of my involvement with them, their excellent technology and an enthusiastic community of subscribers,   I have had a chance to teach yoga to a diverse community of people around the globe.   All in all, it has been a great thing and I have enjoyed the opportunity to be part of their professional team of teachers.  In fact, I have loved being part  of the Yogaglo team.

During the summer we ran into some conflicts over the YogaTips on my Youtube channel and rather than take down the short clips  which were seen to be  in conflict with the terms of the exclusivity agreement I had signed, I terminated my contract with Yogaglo. I understood the exclusivity agreement to mean that I could not post full "yoga classes on any streaming site" and they felt that the terms meant that I could not post any portion of any "yoga class on any streaming site" and so we parted ways.  Yogaglo owns the content I created while under contract with them and my classes have remained up for my students to use. Whether a class remains up or comes down  is under Yogaglo's discretion per the terms of the contract, not mine. 

So, folks keep wanting a statement from me as a  "Yogaglo teacher" on the matter. Another person told me "the yoga community would boycott me if I didn't do something" and  still others are politely inquiring why the Yogaglo faculty is so silent on the matter.  Just for the record, I am doing what  I have always done which is practicing yoga and teaching yoga as best I can. (Oh I did just buy a new mountain bike so this week I have been  riding that a lot also. But I digress...)  

My point is that I am not going to do anything new because there is nothing left for me to do other than what I have already done. 

I do want to say-- for the record--that I love teaching yoga. I wake up most days  in awe that  I landed in this job that often kicks my ass and yet  always shows me that deep meaning can be created through mindful movement, honest expression and dedicated efforts over time. I came to yoga as a life-saving measure. I think that is why I am so intense about the practice. Had I been casual about yoga in those early days, I would be dead today.  I didn't become a yogi  because I was some holy person so full of integrity or because I was so predisposed to the inner life. I became a practitioner because I needed the teachings one day a time to stay alive and to climb slowly out of  a mire of self-hatred and self-abuse. Personally, I do not understand what peculiar function of Grace gives a job like this to someone like me but most days I figure it is because I needed to be kept close to the Teachings, lest I forget the Source of my life.

And sometimes I find it ironic, overwhelming and bizarre that because I teach yoga I now have a lawyer, a corporation and  I am called to  make "public statements" about current events but those things are part of the game of the yoga business for me these days and that is what it is. And-for the record- I am happy and honored to have the opportunity to play this particular game.

And--for the record-- for me, the practice  itself has no politics. Practice is between me and God. Practice gives me the tools I need so that  I can rest my head on my pillow at night, look back at my day, review  what went well, where I felt short and pray to do better tomorrow.  Practice connects me to the trunk of the tree when I have walked too far out to the skinny ends of the branches and have lost my way. Practice bolsters my faith,  strengthens my courage and softens me just enough to notice that I am not alone on this great path called Yoga. 

So anyway, put a patent on that. Oh wait- it is not for sale.


38 Comments
Buffy link
9/26/2013 01:28:08 pm

so beautifully said. I really admire your clarity and your willingness to cut right to heart of things. Thanks for being a consistent voice of wisdom in the yoga world. I appreciate you, and watch you, though I have not had the pleasure to study closely with you ~yet.

Reply
Christina Sell link
9/27/2013 05:23:15 am

Thanks, Buffy.

Reply
Jessie Diaz-Perez
9/26/2013 01:45:50 pm

what buffy said. your openness in this post is so beautiful. thank you for sharing.

Reply
Christina Sell link
9/27/2013 05:23:50 am

You are welcome. Thanks for reading the blog. I appreciate it.

Reply
Shari
9/26/2013 04:30:26 pm

As always, you are thoughtful, honest and full of integrity...it is an honor to be your student in person. Unfortunately it's not possible on a regular basis, as I live too far away. So, much gratitude for your stance on this matter...your generosity in sharing your hard earned knowledge epitomizes community and grace. Shame on Yogaglo.

Reply
Christina Sell link
9/27/2013 05:24:24 am

Thanks, Shari.

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Leslie Fiore link
9/26/2013 07:21:17 pm

I think I love you Christina Sell. I'm going to have to come to your workshop in Portland me. I was on the fence. Not anymore. See you in Nov. :)

Reply
Christina Sell
9/27/2013 05:24:52 am

Thanks, Leslie. It will be great to meet you in person.

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Leslie
9/26/2013 10:13:43 pm

I came to yoga to stay alive as well. Totally resonated with much of what you said. Plus, I am a fan of things well written. Glorious words, awesome clarity, lovely to read.

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Christina Sell
9/27/2013 05:25:14 am

Thanks, Leslie.

Reply
Michelle
9/26/2013 10:37:57 pm

I respect you sooo much for your honest, candid and timely message you sent out to us yoga peeps. I recently discovered your YouTube clips and love the snippets; and I also pay every month to subscribe to YogaGlo. You are a superb teacher and no matter what politics arise, that is the bottom line. You da best!

Reply
Christina Sell
9/27/2013 05:25:45 am

I am glad you find the tips useful. so happy to hear that.

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Mindy Willis-Menard
9/26/2013 10:46:31 pm

So much love and respect to you Christina! I wondered what happened on Yogaglo and I'm glad you have been transparent in what went on previous to this incident. I had to question whether this was the first issue that someone had with them and it's good to know where you stand since it deeply inspires me to stand in my Self and in my practice. It's clear to me now that the future of yoga will somehow involve contracts, lawyers, lawsuits, competition clauses and so on and not just a teacher, some mats and an amazing experience which I naively thought it was many years ago. So, are you able to teach streaming classes elsewhere now since I will need a fix of your awesome classes? Congrats on the mountain bike, love it!!!

Reply
Christina Sell
9/27/2013 05:29:35 am

You know, I think business and yoga can meet really beautifully and so in general contracts, lawyers and so forth can be great and quite useful. I am not really too worried about our future with all of that because the heart of it will always live in the hearts of true practitioners. stay in touch- you know me-- I will obnoxiously and shamelessly promote my online classes when I have the next iteration ready and working. (and yes, the mountain bike is super fun.)

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Brenda
9/27/2013 12:38:02 am

I really respect your method of response to this issue. I like the fact that you offered facts, not opinions, and your from the heart comments are how many of us feel, I'm sure, about this wonderful gift of yoga! Thank you it is easy to see why you are such a great & respected teacher! Namaste

Reply
Christina Sell
9/27/2013 05:30:07 am

Thanks, Brenda. That means a lot to me.

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Dave
9/27/2013 01:05:52 am

It's not because you "teach yoga" that you have these things. It is purposely obfuscating & self-victimizing to pretend it is. You have those things because you are a very savvy & ambitious business minded yoga teacher. You have published books, done multiple webinars, own a yogacentric practice space etc.. These are the reasons you "...have a lawyer, a corporation and (are) called to make "public statements" not because you "teach yoga."

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Mary Jane
9/27/2013 02:24:24 am

Don't the think that was how it was meant or meant to be taken.

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Christina Sell link
9/27/2013 05:22:43 am

Great point, Dave. I agree with you.

I have the opportunity to teach yoga in a very visible way and contributed to the momentum of my career in that direction. None of this was or is done to me. I am very grateful for the opportunity to live and work as I do. I have grown into a stage of my work where I have a large sphere of influence and you are right 100% that I have made those choices and taken those actions. Certainly, not everyone who teaches yoga has or needs things like lawyers and contracts, etc and I could have structured things so I don't either.

I didn't intend to sound self-vicitimizing. I do not feel that way. I was only giving voice to one aspect of my experience as it related to the big business aspect of the work and organizations with which I am or have been involved. That aspect is not the whole story at all.

In saying that "I am happy to play the game" I was alluding to the very terms of playing in the way I have chosen to play. If my writing sounded as though I felt victimized or that I was obfuscating the truth, it was not my intention. Perhaps I should have been more specific in my writing.

Thanks for chiming in with a call to greater clarity. It is always good to know how things land with folks.

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Dave
9/27/2013 10:41:25 am

Christina, thank you very much for this well considered & thoughtful reply to my comment.

Jennifer S. White link
9/27/2013 02:29:26 am

You've done a remarkable job clarifying for many the situation and also sharing appropriate links and information. I'd like to humbly add to this list my elephant journal article sharing a link to the petition, in the hopes that anyone and everyone will sign.

Thanks. ~Jennifer

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/09/cease-desist-lets-try-peace-exist-yogaglo-petition-from-yoga-alliance/

Reply
Christina Sell
9/27/2013 05:30:47 am

Awesome. Thanks for adding this link to the list.

Reply
Kristina link
9/27/2013 03:25:33 am

Damn. This is so beautiful, I seriously almost cried. My relationship to my practice comes from a similar place, and you just put into words everything I have been thinking over the last few days re: Yogaglo. Thanks as always for being transparent, sharing your experience and facilitating this amazing and thought-proviking conversation.

Business nerd sidebar: I haven't had a chance to dive into the details of their patent, but I really can't see this ending well for Yogaglo..what they are trying to patent just does not seem very patentable. I realize they're saying it is about their 'unique' classroom setup but honetly how many options are there when you are trying to film a class for online use? I feel like this amounts to an attempt to monopolize an entire delivery channel (online) for yoga instruction, whether or not Yogaglo realizes that's ultimatley what they are doing. Granted, this probably isn't exactly on the FTC's radar but I think this goes beyond IP protection and crosses the line into anticompetetive behavior. Just my 2 cents...business nerd out.

Reply
Christina Sell
9/27/2013 05:31:55 am

Thanks, Kristina. I appreciate your insights and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me and to read the blog.

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Michael Denvir
9/27/2013 03:49:47 am

I really appreciated this humble response to the controversy. I especially love this:

"I didn't become a yogi because I was some holy person so full of integrity or because I was so predisposed to the inner life. I became a practitioner because I needed the teachings one day a time to stay alive and to climb slowly out of a mire of self-hatred and self-abuse. Personally, I do not understand what peculiar function of Grace gives a job like this to someone like me but most days I figure it is because I needed to be kept close to the Teachings, lest I forget the Source of my life."

I am 19 years clean and sober today, and your explanation of your practice really resonates for me. It inspires me. It reminds me of my own truth. Thank you.

Reply
Christina Sell
9/27/2013 05:34:19 am

Thanks Michael. Congratulations on 19 years. wow.

The 12-step community of OA saved my life and was my first introduction to an life-saving yoga and spirituality. My relationship to asana is linked to the work in 12-steps and that foundation continues to serve me so well.

Thanks so much for sharing a little of your story with me.

Reply
Alison Alstrom
9/27/2013 08:27:51 am

Hi Christina, I want to thank you for this, and for your blog in general. Your writing and sharing is clear and smart and honest, and because of that goes straight to the readers hearts. We need more voices like these out there - so many of us have forgotten what it feel s like not to be pandered to, and pleaded with, and manipulated, all to align with someone's agenda. I cancelled my subscription to yogaglo because it's important to me that my actions and my money line up with my values as much as possible. I might renew it after they change their mind about the patent, but at the moment I'm having fun finding out about all the other neat yoga offerings on the wild and wonderful internet, and sharing those with my students and friends. I'm glad to be able to add your youtube channel to my list. xo

Reply
Christina Sell link
9/27/2013 09:56:27 am

Thanks, Alison. Your kind words mean a lot to me and I am so happy to still be walking this path with you after all these years.

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Debra Hodgen link
9/27/2013 08:34:10 am

This is a thoughtful and well written article. I have been teach quite a while and have seen the changes and challenges in the yoga world.i am saddened by many of the situations that have occurred over the last few years. I hope that yogi's begin to follow the teachings of yoga on a deeper level

Reply
Christina Sell link
9/27/2013 09:56:59 am

Amen.

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Erika DiSalvo
9/27/2013 11:09:33 am

As always I appreciate your willingness to share your experiences and the truth as you know it. Like Allison mentioned above, I am very conscious about aligning where my money flows in the direction of where my values lie. I finally cancelled my subscription because like many I don't agree with what they are wanting to do (although I have been on the fence with yogaglo since summer). Than being said, I really appreciate your candid share. Upon reading this entry, I was transported to when I found yoga and where I was at in my life and how it saved me. The practice and it's teachings are so powerful and rich and this is why I love to study with you. You bring it down to earth and tell it like it is. It is authentic and I appreciate that. No frills, just truth.Thank you. Love

Reply
Scott Newsom
9/27/2013 12:00:11 pm

Hey Christina,

How do you keep getting out just before the SH*T hits the fan? :-)

Reply
Tatiana Urquiza
9/27/2013 01:29:23 pm

Eloquent, beautifully written, and you go girl!

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Benita (BJ) Galvan link
9/27/2013 05:02:59 pm

Stellar and exquisitely eloquent as usual! Love you!

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Gianni link
9/28/2013 03:31:23 am

Thanks Christina for this, even though the play of yoga nowadays is that (a melting between the practice and the marketing) I really appreciate your open heart and your clear voice, specially about reminding what the real yoga is about....PRACTICING (and with practicing I just dont refer to the physical practice or asana). Thanks for always being a mirror and reflect the potential that is within us and for keeping yoga real!!

love you!!

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Katrina Ariel link
10/18/2013 03:50:08 am

Thank you for being vocal about where you stand on this topic, and what truly matters. I appreciate your honesty and your ever-present focus on the truth of what practicing yoga means to you.

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Replica Uhren link
11/5/2013 11:07:24 am

So to me right now, the practice is the toolbox. I study the me I am working on, and select the tool that I think will work well to do what I want, & then I use that tool in the way dictated by my intention. So we have different tools and different ways of using the tool.

Reply
Kelly Randall
3/20/2015 07:07:13 am

Yogaglo is STILL up to no good! Now they are attacking smaller companies who tangentially share yoga OR fitness information with "glo" or "glow" in their name, claiming rights they are not entitled to, while suppressing free speech and free use! Please sign the new petition against Yogaglo's business tactics here: https://www.change.org/p/yogaglo-derik-mills-yogaglo-stop-suppressing-free-speech-and-free-use-of-yoga-fitness-information

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  • Welcome
    • About Christina
    • Christina's Books
    • Contact
  • Study In-Person
    • Workshops
    • Teacher Training
    • Intensives
  • Study Online
    • The Gift of Practice >
      • Gift of Practice >
        • Week #1 >
          • #1: Ganesh Mantra
          • #2: Affectionate Breathing
          • #3: Inner Sanctuary Visualization
          • #4: Gratitude List
          • #5: Simple Lunging Flow
          • Q&A Week #1
      • Week #2 >
        • #6: May All Beings Be Happy
        • #7: Compassionate Breathing
        • #8:Loving Kindness Meditation
        • #9: Letter From a Compassionate Friend
        • #10: Reclined Hip Opening
        • Q&A Week 2
      • Week #3 >
        • Day #11: Prana Ram Mantra
        • Day #12: Nourishing Breath
        • Day #13: Compassionate Body Scan
        • Day #14: Dialogue with Body
        • Day #15: Standing Poses
        • Q&A Week #3
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