167: We Don't Want AI Yoga with Cyndi Lee
I am so honored to be joined on the podcast by my teacher Cyndi Lee. As a senior yoga teacher, author, and Buddhist chaplain—Cyndi talks to us about what’s being gained, lost, and misunderstood as artificial intelligence enters yoga, writing, and teaching spaces.
Cyndi reflects on her five decades of practice and teaching. As the founder of Om Yoga Center in New York City, a global hub for yogis from 1998 to 2012, she has witnessed firsthand how yoga has shifted under the pressures of capitalism, scalability, and speed.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
a discussion of two growing trends: students using AI as a “yoga teacher” and yoga teachers using AI for emails, sequencing, and social media
why Cyndi chooses not to use AI in her writing or teaching
why lineage is vital—not as rigidity or hierarchy, but as continuity, care, and accountability
a hopeful message for yoga teachers about the fast changes in our word
Learn More From Cyndi:
Follow Cyndi on Substack: Drip, Drip, Drip
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Recent Podcast Episodes
Today I’m revisiting one of the ideas I talked about when I first started the podcast nine years ago: the idea that yoga teachers need to find their “ideal student” or a very specific niche in order to build a successful teaching career.
I still believe there is some value in getting specific about who we’re speaking to when we communicate about our work. Specific language can make our marketing more compelling and help potential students understand how our teaching might support them.
But I’ve become increasingly convinced that the idea of finding your perfect student doesn’t translate well to the actual work of teaching yoga.