The Pulse

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AYC CEO Andrew Tanner joined Shawna Krueger, host of the Leadership and Yoga podcast, for an inspiring episode about the future of yoga education and the systems that shaped the profession today. 

Their discussion explores the broader yoga ecosystem, including power, money, education, technology, ethics, and the long-term impact of yoga as both a spiritual tradition and a modern profession. Together, they navigate a question that's top of mind for many yoga teachers across America: What does the future of teaching yoga actually look like?

One of the central ideas Andrew shares early in the conversation is simple but provocative: “Yoga doesn’t need governance — it needs leadership.” Rather than creating more layers of oversight, and rigid hours-based processes, he suggests the yoga community explore a competency-based model, honoring diversity of yoga lineages, styles, and approaches. 

The goal is not to standardize yoga into a single model, but to give teachers and students a clearer way to understand where knowledge comes from and how it is passed forward.

Shawna and Andrew also take an honest look at the economic realities of teaching yoga. New instructors enter the field with passion and dedication, but struggle to build long-term financial stability. Their conversation touches on questions that are rarely discussed openly in yoga spaces: How can teachers build sustainable careers? How can yoga teachers create retirement plans? And what systems need to change in order for yoga to remain a viable profession for future generations?

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why the traditional 200-hour teacher training model no longer serves the profession
• Why lineage and transparency matter for teachers and students
• The vision behind the American Yoga Council as an alternative professional platform
• How technology influences yoga education and teacher networks
• The economic realities of teaching yoga and the idea of a yoga retirement plan
• What the future of teaching yoga might look like in the age of AI 

Listen now on Spotify