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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American yoga teachers have a unique role in fighting fascism. We are deeply practiced in the tools that help us (and our students) feel clear, steady, focused, calm and resilient. And if you read the teachings the way I do, we have a powerful directive to engage in direct social action.
Lovingkindness meditation says, “May All Beings Be Safe And Free” and that is not just a nice idea, but a mandate to work for change. As you can plainly see with your eyes, all beings are not safe. But there is so much we can do! There is incredible work being done and all we have to do is plug into it.