Planet yoga
Stories from around the weird and wonderful world of yoga
Canada: In the Money
Fashion giant Lululemon is approaching midway through its Power of Three ×2 growth strategy to double net revenues from $6.25 billion in 2021 to $12.5 billion by 2026. The company, listed on New York’s Nasdaq stock exchange, expects net revenues to be around $9.5 billion in 2023, representing growth of 18% on the previous year. The key pillars of the plan are product innovation, guest experience and market expansion. The growth strategy also includes a plan to double men's, double direct to consumer and quadruple international net revenue relative to 2021. “I am energised by the significant opportunities ahead,” said CEO Calvin McDonald.
USA: Dissection club
The New York Times reported recently on how yoga and Pilates instructors are seeking out specialist workshops learning to dissect cadavers in a bid to better understand human anatomy. The macabre meetings are proving highly instructional, according to attendees. “There’s just a lot more to the picture,” said Jane Sato, a yoga and Pilates teacher quoted by the newspaper. “When you see it in real life, your cues automatically change.” Instead of telling clients to suck in their belly button, she now tells them to draw in all their core muscles “like a hug.” Now that’s dedication to the yoga teaching cause.
UK: Yoga lionesses
After missing out on the women’s World Cup last year, Manchester United forward Nikita Parris is targeting a return to the national team with the help of yoga. The 29-year-old told The Telegraph recently that she has embraced the practice in order to overcome any disspointment and move her career forward. “For me, yoga isn’t just about stretching, it’s about clearing my mind,” she was quoted as saying. “It’s about being able to empty all of the things out that I’m overthinking about, and things that I couldn’t control; that mindfulness really allows me to let go of things.
UK: Bye Barbara
Famed TV yoga teacher Barbara Currie is calling time on her teaching career. She taught her final lesson in December 2023 — three months before her 82nd birthday — after half a century of helping students to learn the ancient practice. She now wants to travel with her 85-year-old husband and explore other things. “I am so grateful that yoga has given me the flexibility, strength and energy to keep teaching all these years,” she wrote in a massage to fans on her website. “That young mum in her late twenties would never have believed that, due to yoga, I would still be bending and stretching at 81.” An amazing role model, Barbara Currie, we salute you!
Japan: Big in Japan
Japan is about to get a lot more yoga. Sunpark Co. Ltd has committed to open a minimum of 50 Yoga Six and Pure Barre franchised studios across the country, after signing an agreement with US-based Xponential Fitness, Inc. “The fitness and wellness sector is still in its infancy in Japan,” said Ken Takagi, Sunpark’s founder and CEO, a respected entrepreneur who has now set his sights on the wellness space. The company opened its first franchised StretchLab studio space last year. “We believe the time is right to build on our successful launch of StretchLab by introducing Pure Barre and YogaSix to the market and continue tapping into the strong consumer demand for health, wellness and fitness.”
Om Magazine
First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.
