January 1, 2020

Dear Anusara Teachers,

We, the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, are writing to update you on the Anusara School of Hatha Yoga’s strengths, goals, finances and challenges.

We want to share information about:

• Our current state
• Some decisions we have made
• Actions we have chosen to stabilize our school’s resources so that we can look toward a future of health, sustainability, growth and vitality

1) The Anusara School of Hatha Yoga (founded in 2012) is a very different organization than Anusara, Inc., which was led by John Friend.

Now, we are all partners in keeping the organization of the Anusara School of Hatha Yoga healthy and vibrant. The School provides each of us with the services we need to continue as teachers and practitioners of Anusara Yoga. The seat of the teacher now moves around the world!

2) The School has grown significantly in the past seven years. We have our first Business Plan! However, the School ended 2018 and 2019 with a significant budget deficit ($20,000 USD and $10,000 USD, respectively) despite strong cost controls.

• • If we continue to operate as we have been–minimal budget, part-time staff with more work than hours, and many volunteers–we will likely never meet the potential of growth, and we will run out of funds. If we were to continue as before, our energies, your energies, the School’s energies would be insufficient for health and growth.

3) With that in mind, we have decided to raise licensing and applications fees for 2020 to ensure financial stability. The fee increases will greatly help to stabilize the organization. For example, the School is in desperate need of a Communications and Public Relations position to help with all channels of communication and media on a larger level.

• • While we understand this may be unpleasant to some, we have also found that our current fees are well below those of comparable organizations and institutions with similar type, scope and mission. In addition, we expect any future fee adjustments to far more modest, based on cost of living or inflation.
  • We are on the precipices of great potential, but we need to have the funding to meet even the current ideal of sustainability much less the possibility of growth.

4) For longer-term growth, we are working to expand and diversify our revenue sources. This includes: 

• • Corporate donors
  • Individual donors outside our licensed community
  • Corporate sponsors (like Yoga Vibes)
  • Grants from philanthropic foundations
  • More events

We are also working to improve oversight of and increase revenues from our intellectual property, such as our manuals and teacher trainings.

All these efforts take time to bear fruit. Additional fundraising will require that Anusara be better known. Your Board of Directors is discussing the optimal ways and means to increase the international visibility of Anusara Yoga.

We teachers can help build both visibility and financial sustainability for the Anusara School of Hatha Yoga. For example, we can all take a small step by:

• • Including the phrase “I am a proud member of the Anusara Yoga School of Hatha Yoga, the international network of teachers of Anusara Yoga” in our email signature;
  • Stating in your classes that you teach Anusara yoga;
  • Using Amazon.Smile (if you use Amazon) and select Anusara School of Hatha Yoga as your beneficiary.

We hope this letter explains our reasoning and adequately conveys the necessity for the 2020 license fee increases and additional fundraising.

Please contact any of us with questions or comments, or if you would like to receive a copy of the Business Plan.

We are all Anusara Yoga.

Namaste,

Executive Committee
Anusara School of Hatha Yoga

• John Seelye, President, Board of Directors (john@anusarayoga.com)
• Maria Grazia Orlando, Vice President, Board of Directors (maria@anusarayoga.com)
• Aat Bos, Treasurer, Board of Directors (aat.bos@hotmail.com)
• Kim Friedman, Operations Team Coordinator (kim@anusarayoga.com)