Episode 118- Austin Sanderson: Surviving as a Yoga Studio in the Pandemic Era

Austin K. Sanderson moved to NYC in 1998 to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Design and Production Department. After graduating with his Masters degree in set and costume design, he spent the next twenty-two years working as a designer in the American theater. In 2008 he was introduced to Jivamukti Yoga in a yoga class at a local neighborhood gym in Jersey City New Jersey. As he continued to take Jivamukti classes both locally and at the Jivamukti Yoga School NYC. Austin wanted to learn more about yoga and share with others his life changing experience brought about while practicing the Jivamukti Yoga Method. In 2011, Austin attended the Jivamukti 300+ hour teacher training program at the Omega Institute. In 2012, he continued his studies and completed his 800-hour Jivamukti Teacher Certification at The Jivamukti Yoga School NYC. In 2013, Austin and his partner Bob opened a 3000 square foot Jivamukti Yoga Center in downtown Jersey City, two blocks away from where he took his first Jivamukti yoga class. Austin is extremely grateful to his teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life. Austin views Gannon and Life as his upa-guru, a teacher who points you in the right direction. Without them Austin would have never had a full understanding of why veganism is so crucial to a yoga practice. While Austin ran the Jivamukti Center in Jersey City he continued to seek deeper teachings outside the Jivamukti method, ones that would offer a deeper understanding of the ancient teaching of yoga from its roots. It was at this point that Shri Yogishri Sudarshan Kannan came into Austin’s life as a teacher and Sat-Guru. In 2020, Austin founded the Urban Sadhu Yoga Method, “a method of applying ancient yogic wisdom in a contemporary context.” He and his partner Bob are the co-owners of Urban Sadhu Yoga Shala, formally Jivamukti Yoga Center Jersey City. Austin is also if the co-founder and co-producer of Yoga Fest Jersey City, a free public yoga, music and vegan food festival held in the heart of downtown Jersey City NJ during the summer equinox. In this episode Austin Sanderson & Holly Skodis discuss the following:Running a Yoga studio during a pandemicMindbody purchasing class passAustin's new book the Urban Sadhu Yoga Chant BookThe relationship between all oppression and animal oppressionYoga is Vegan Featured Yogi Giveaway: To enter please email me a few paragraphs about why you went vegan and how it relates to your yoga practice. Please also send me 2 nice pictures of you either in a yoga pose or you doing something vegan related. You can also see what others have done by visiting the Featured Yogi section of the Yoga is Vegan website. Connect with Austin Sanderson:Website: urbansadhuyoga.com Instagram:@urbansadhujerseycity and @urban.sadhuYouTube: @urbansadhuyogajerseycity