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is not only...

an award winning ...

but also one of over five thousand

About us

Yoga CIC is the worlds' first and only yoga community interest network. We undertake research and innovate new products and services for a social purpose, trading for people and planet.

We are a very small, multi-purpose, open and independent organisation operating a global network, Yoga CIC is involved in a full range of national and international debates and the scope of our activities is very wide-ranging.

Our international associations extend Yoga CIC’s influence and reputation across the world.

We currently work with thousands of individuals and groups working within such diverse fields as philosophy, religion, psychotherapy, science, exercise and fitness and we are developing a range of free resources in key areas: the future of yoga, reform of educational frameworks, social enterprise, community reform, spiritual renewal, personal development and growth opportunities.

We publish lots of information each year and are the primary sponsor Yoga Wiki, a seminal hub for "open source" collaborative projects about yoga.

In 2012 we also hope to offer an events programme that will bring individual practitioners to a wide range of audiences.

Yoga CIC is committed to the following objectives:-

• Combating inequality: By taking active steps to ensure groups share power and opportunities much more evenly.
• Empowering yogis: Helping people to gain mastery and obtain sustainable resources affordably that will enable them to shape and control their own destinies.
• Promoting social enterprise: Putting individuals first, recognising that the yoga community is made up of interdependent individuals, who flourish because of the ties and networks that support them.
• Creating a fair and sustainable community: Not only through fighting statutory regulation, but through a commitment to a low ecological impact, less consumerist and more inclusive sense of abundance that helps alleviate the plight of the global poor and protects the future of our planet.
• Revitalising the community: Not just through sweeping away outmoded practices and embracing spiritual pluralism, but by radically re-thinking group processes and establishing new ways of approaching yoga locally, nationally and internationally.

Please see the The Yoga CIC Story and How We Are Funded for more information.

We think that our work has important social and health implications, with the potential to empower individuals in all aspects of their lives and take more control over their personal development.

We are seeking commitments from many different providers to support more people in their interests to develop personally and improve access. We are also working on a collective pledge relating to the production of more ecological goods and services.

We support individuals and social groups with a particular emphasis on providing goods and services that can be tailored to meet the needs of those with any religious outlook, and those with none.

By positively discriminating in favour of individuals and not organisations we aim to make a positive difference to the yoga community through the provision of free and affordable goods and services.

Yes, all well and good, but what exactly is it you do?

As an officially and independently regulated, Community Interest Company we are generally not allowed to donate to charities and other good causes directly, however we do prioritise our support according to the following:-

• We prioritise individuals over organisations
• We prioritise projects that we think will serve the yoga community in the most positive way (eg. improving access to opportunity or managing systematic inequality)

1. We provide employment
2. We act as agents for OEM's
3. We help providers with Online marketing and promotion (eg. search engine optimisation)
4. We host and design websites - like this one
5. We retail fair trade and environmentally low impact equipment and clothing for yoga
6. We offer business advice
7. We develop equitable supply chains
8. We offer professional support and consultancy from paralegal products and services to marketing advice as well as other ancillary and auxiliary goods and services on ana ad hoc basis.
9. We are now developing some PaidForServices for Yoga Wiki
10. We offer a range of solar powered internet services
11. Social relationship management and membership engagement (eg. membership email list administration )
12. We offer a unique Investment oppportunity for those interested in shared retreat centre property
13. Voice and advocacy services

Also see: StrategicReview2011, CorporateKarma, NationalMinimumRate

We promote the interests of members of the yoga community through lobbying local and central governments, and act as a pressure and advocacy group with other national and international agencies.

We represent the interests of members of the yoga community in various media channels and raise the awareness of yoga community issues and comment on news stories related to the yoga comunity and contribute to online discussions.

We promote a range of goods and services to the community and develop trade initiatives, networks and offer other innovative products and services to sustain our other activities.

We have both a medium and long term strategic outlook based on a clear rationale and which cover specific objectives.

We host YogaPlaces, a free directory of activities and events available for the entire community to use and work to facilitate and support seminars, debates that promote yoga.

We are pioneers of tackling yoga industry waste. Our unique way of sharing info and providing mat reuse is a great example of utilising the yoga community to tackle a global cause. Donate your unwanted goods today!

More information

We are very keen to support other organisations that have an interest in yoga.

If you think that you would like to work with our organisation then we would be happy to hear from you.

CIC's are special organisations created for the use of people who want to conduct a business or other activity for community benefit, and not purely for private advantage.

This is achieved by a "community interest test" and "asset lock", which both ensure that the company benefits the yoga community and that its assets and any profits are dedicated to these purposes.

Registration and ongoing monitoring of a CIC is via an indepenedent and statutory Regulator who also has a continuing enforcement role.

Yoga and the "Service Delivery Model (SDM)" (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Revisit the idea of separating out the elements within the SDM to analyse - what is left?