“There seems to be an unwritten rule that we shouldn’t talk about money in yoga,” she said, her blue eyes flashing. “Have you noticed that? Something important is happening in the yoga community around money, gender and empowerment—and no one is talking about it. It’s time.”

With thanks to our partner Divine Feminine Yoga. We’re excited to bring awareness to this telesummit & the topic of money & yoga.

I was sitting with Laura Cornell, a yoga teacher for nearly 20 years. We had been talking about her experience founding the Green Yoga Association, the non-profit that really kick-started the whole green yoga movement.
Although they had many successes, her passion and long hours weren’t enough to make the organization flourish. “I just didn’t know how to build a strong financial foundation for us to grow,” she said. Things got worse, and she ended up having to walk away in exhaustion from the organization she loved.

“The real wake-up call for me was when I lost my home,” she said. “It doesn’t get much worse than that—but that was also a turning point that changed my life.”

Cornell vowed to heal her relationship with money on every level. She studied accounting, business planning, sales and marketing, while also undertaking a deeply personal and spiritual quest in relation to finances. “I knew that in order to be successful in following my heart purpose, the purpose Spirit had given me, I had to make a change.” She went on to found Divine Feminine Yoga, an organization committed to empowering women yoga teachers.

Motivated by her desire to lift the taboo around money in the yoga community, Cornell started talking to other senior yoga teachers—and she realized she had hit a nerve.

“Everyone had such strong reactions, such powerful stories about money in their lives as yoga teachers—stories of confusion, shame, and loss, but also personal revolutions, unexpected insights, and unique paths to abundance. I started thinking, what would happen if we brought the whole money conversation out of the shadows and into the light?”

Now, Cornell is bringing together eight of these senior yoga teachers to share their stories and wisdom with the yoga community in next week’s free “Divine Feminine Yoga Telesummit: Women, Money and Yoga.” There will be interviews with Beryl Bender Birch, Nischala Joy Devi, Beth Shaw, Sara Avant Stover, Sierra Bender and others, broadcast live and accessible by internet or phone.

“This event is for yoginis who long to feel more empowered around money,” says Cornell. “You can really step into powerful leadership when you drop the money baggage that’s been holding you back, but we all need mentors and guides to get there.”

This event is all about bringing those guides to the women who need them. “Sara will be talking about how our inborn feminine cycles are the true source of success and prosperity—which is fascinating to me!—and Nischala will be feminizing our understanding of aparigraha (or non-possessiveness).

“Beth is talking about Karma Yoga and how important it is to any business plan. We also have a studio owner, Joan, who will share how she took her struggling studio and made it the largest independently owned, non-residential yoga and holistic center in New England. This is the guidance we all need.”

Women, money and yoga… Yep, I think we’re ready for this conversation.

More info: DivineFeminineYogaTelesummit.com

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