9 Predictions for Yoga in 2009

Won’t it be fun to look back on our predictions in 2010 and see how close or how far we are!

Right now I say this is yet to be determined, but I predict 2009 wil be the year where the on-line yoga and meditation authorities will be established. Yogis who can blog/v-log/podcast with useful and inspiring info will build an on-line reputation as a trusted authority and have an opporunity to tap into a budding on-line yoga market. Some current leaders that you may already be reading: Yoga Journal, Sikhnet, Zen Habits.

2. Instant Yoga-ing
Who’s got an i-phone or a blackberry? Who wants one? New technology is coming whether you like it or not, and with it a new way of living. Not in 2009, but probably by 2010, you won’t be able to buy a simple cell phone with just a phone, they’ll all have e-mail and good internet screens.

So why not get ahead of the trend and start producing yoga products for these mediums. Can anyone say, “Om Mane Padme Hum” ring tones? Meditation Instant Messages? Have you seen how your blog looks on a blackberry or i-phone yet? Check it out the next time you are at a mall.

3. Green Yoga
With the advent of products like the Kindle at Amazon - not available in Cananda yet – who needs or wants tons of books on the shelf. Plus many living spaces are getting smaller so there is no room for shelving. Prediction: the continuing rise of downloadable digital music, books, and even classes and training courses.

I know a few yogis (Blisschick) who have made the commitment to go car-less. One of my friends won’t take planes anymore in her effort to go green. So she may be interested in the on-line Teaching Kids Yoga course I’m working on! I predict 2009 will begin the upward rise of the On-line learning curve. They have on-line courses in Universities and Colleges now. I think on-line learning will become normal and mainstream. One of my current favorites is Yoga Today and all the free classes they have on-line.

What could you offer to cut back on travel and paper?

4. Second Yoga-kinz
The creation of on-line kids yoga studios and games. For kids think Second Life meets Webkinz doing Yoga. It hurts me everytime I see how much kids love flipping those little Webkinz burgers to make a few bucks in Kinz-cash so they can buy things in the Webkinz mall. But boy, have they Kinz-cashed in! There must be a more fun game someone can develop using yoga. Maybe this is less of a prediction than a plea -someone please invent it!

5. Un-Plugged – The Yoga Studio Sessions
Kids and adults will have more and more internet exposure and parents, spouses, and even users will be freaked out about it. They will be looking for guidance on how to manage time and exposure to games and on-line communities. They will want assurance that it is okay to not check your e-mail for a day. I predict retreats and yoga classes on how to use the internet and not have the internet use you!

6. How to Be the Change?
2009 will mark the return of the big questions. People will wonder openly and often: Who am I? What can I do? What world do I want for my children to grow up in? How can I feel more meaning in my life? What’s my contribution? What’s the point of it all? How can I be the change?

Luckily for the yoga world the answers to these questions come through meditation. 2009 will offer more spaces for like-minded individuals to connect over these big questions. Yoga studios that offer an optional social component, like tea after class or family yoga will gain popularity. So will blogs, podcasts and webinars that deal with these questions. Parents will look for safe places where their kids can go for socializing and support. Look for more resources popping up on Facebook. Also more Yoga classes for teens and adults that teach yogic lifestyle methods like: cooking, stress management, and romance education.

7. Yoga Studio Field Trips
2009 Trend: Schools teachers taking their class to the yoga studios. I’ve heard of one studio doing this in Toronto and I’m predicting a trend here. It gives teachers a break. Gives the kids a walk to the studio, gives them a work out, and then they walk back. Not a bad activity that is win-win-win for kids, studios, and teachers. Yes, kids yoga teachers will still go into schools and daycares, but it will also happen the other way too. Why? Why not! (same thing for yoga in the office – the office starts coming to the studio – just to get out of the workplace!)

8. Creativity Crisis
As Freidman says, The World Is Flat. With downsizing, out-sourcing, and networking, people will begin to question their value as a human being which may be precariously tied into their ability to make money and support their family. In 2009, those who can offer advice to the economic down-trodden on how to awaken the imagination and activate creativity will be sought after. This includes helping people believe in themselves, which ultimately involves relying on the Infinite Source of Creation that we live in. Enter a new branch of Yoga and Meditation for the entrepreneur for 2009.

9. “This World is for the Bold”
My teacher, Tulshi Sen, gave us a New Years talk and emphasized that this is the time to step out and enter into the unknown. He used words like “Freedom,” “New Birth,” and “Why Not!” In these fast-paced, changing times there is a powerful tool to motivate – freedom. We have the freedom to be great. We have the freedom to overcome our obstacles. And we have the freedom to shed the old year and begin a new life. Adults and kids who understand what freedom means, will stand apart from all the limit-makers and doom and gloom sayers. Embracing, not resisting, but truly embracing the times we live in, being bold, is what will inspire others in 2009. As it explains in this short audio, make “why not!” your slogan for 2009 and see what happens.