FROM OUR FOUNDER | ONGOING WORK | MUSIC COMMITMENT | SCHOLARSHIP COMMITMENT| COMMITMENTS | SCHEDULE | RESOURCES
FROM OUR FOUNDER
The violence, marginalization, and systemic oppression against Black lives in this country with no accountability is inhumane, and it is our responsibility to fight to break this system.
Racism, prejudice and white privilege run deep. We believe true Diversity and Inclusion must represent the voices of all who have been marginalized – however, it is our Black community whose voices need to be heard and amplified right now.
Y7 was created for people who thought yoga wasn’t for them. Every element of the Y7 experience – the music, the infrared heat, the darkness, the absence of mirrors – aims to break down the traditional barriers of yoga, making it more accessible and inclusive for all to practice.
Our position as a music-driven studio and the relationship with hip hop music and Black culture, particularly in our earlier years, needs to be addressed.
- Music is what brought us to our yoga mats, allowing us to connect breath and movement in a different way
- Hip hop music and culture has had a major influence on our marketing and retail
- We have benefited from Black culture
- Now, we want to be more clear about what we stand for, provide insight into the work we have passionately been doing, and articulate the actionable commitments we’re making to not just break a system which has disenfranchised Black bodies for too long, but to also positively amplify Black voices.
By 2018 we had grown to 200 employees, opened 10 studios, and formed a small leadership team – we quickly realized how important it is to lead with action given the reach of the business and our mission to change what yoga looks like.
Our relationship with hip hop was born out of a sincere love of the music, however we saw we needed to look more deeply not only at the role hip hop and Black culture had played in the business, but at diversity within our own team. We began intentional work within the Diversity, Equity + Inclusion space to align our impact as a business with our intent; to be a truly inclusive yoga space. We aimed to embed it into everything we do, rather than just checking a box or conducting a one-off unconscious bias training.
While there is much more work to do as long as racial injustice exists, we wanted to share the changes we have implemented over the last two years, as well as our commitments on the work to come – this is by no means for a pat on the back, but to provide transparency and accountability to our community on where we have been and where we are going.
Thank you,
Sarah Larson Levey
Founder and CEO
ONGOING WORK SINCE 2018
DIVERSITY, EQUITY + INCLUSION (DEI)
HIRING
THE LEADERSHIP TEAM
MUSIC
BRAND REPRESENTATION
INSTRUCTOR INCLUSIVITY TRAINING
MUSIC COMMITMENT
The appropriation of hip hop culture and Black culture on our branding, the inadequate representation in leadership and clientele, and the for-profit use of hip hop music in the class experience when it’s not authentically played by instructors — we acknowledge this and take responsibility for this problematic co-opting that has continued for far too long.
We are deeply, empathetically sorry. We are sickened with anger and guilt that we’ve caused pain on the community we only admire and have genuine respect for. We are ashamed this was not addressed directly sooner. We know we need to regain your trust and are committed to making lasting changes by providing transparency and consistency in our actions.
WE MADE 5 COMMITMENTS TOWARDS RACIAL + SOCIAL EQUALITY.
OUR FIRST UPDATE TO YOU IS AROUND: MUSIC.
From the onset of our business we have been known as a hip hop yoga studio. From here on, we commit to being a music driven yoga studio. This means we play music of varied genres that is beat driven, still using the beat of the music to drive the breath and pace of class. We’ll be focusing on changes in 4 areas:
- BRANDING
- #HIPHOPWEDNESDAYS #HIPHOPSUNDAYS
- CLASS ACCESSIBILITY
- INSTRUCTOR REHIRING + RETRAINING
We began the shift to a music driven culture 2 years ago, but it’s clear that we missed the mark. The bottom line — this wasn’t acknowledged properly, nor made cohesive throughout the entire organization.
Our promise is to no longer profit off hip hop music, hip hop culture or Black culture. We will use our platform to amplify the work of Black artists, educate on the history and message of the music, and give back to Black communities and organizations.
To simply erase all brand ties to hip hop would be a lost opportunity to make amends for our wrongdoings, educate ourselves and others on lessons learned, and prevent appropriations in the future internally, by other brands, or individuals. We are committed to grasping this opportunity and we aim to share the process of the changes and the reasons why with our community along the way.
01. BRANDING
As we rebuild and reopen our studios, we will hire a Black brand representative to lead a refresh and update of Y7’s brand that reflects our position as a music driven experience and our mission to make yoga accessible and inclusive.
A TRIBE CALLED SWEAT: A play off the hip hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, this phrase will be removed from our studio walls, our merch, and no longer used.
TRIBE: This term has racially offensive connotations, particularly to African groups and indigenous people, and reinforces misinformed stereotypes that undermine the sovereignty of these groups. In further educating ourselves on its historical context, this term will no longer be used and immediately removed from our language.
IN-STUDIO BRANDING: Each Y7 location has different signage, branding and photography that decorate the studios. All in-studio elements will be collectively reassessed as we reopen under the new rebrand.
02. #HIPHOPWEDNESDAYS #HIPHOPSUNDAYS
Y7 will launch new ongoing class programming to replace #HipHopWednesdays and #HipHopSundays with charitable themed classes that spotlight both Black music artists of varied genres and different charitable organizations. All proceeds will be donated to a charity or cause aligned with the artist, and free spots will be reserved for BIPOC in order to increase the accessibility of yoga to communities that have had limited to no access to the practice.
For each class, Y7 instructors and employees will be able to select a Black artist and charity they wish to support, and use this platform to educate about the artist, amplify their music and talents, and give back directly.
By giving agency to our team in leading these decisions, they’ll have ownership in what artists and organizations we support, and will ensure an authentic connection between the instructor and the music, making for an overall enhanced client experience.
As a part of this new programming, we’ll also focus on partnerships with up-and-coming Black artists to help drive awareness to their work.
Classes will be regularly scheduled at all locations each month; we don’t know the exact number yet.
03. CLASS ACCESSIBILITY
The practice of yoga has not been made accessible to communities of BIPOC, not just on a socio-economic level, but with overall exposure to the practice. In order to increase this access, we’ll partner with groups and organizations that support BIPOC, offering free classes to their members.
Additionally, we are expanding Y7’s community outreach program, Freedom to Flow, which brings yoga + mindfulness to students in marginalized communities. We will share more on our Freedom to Flow Commitment in the coming weeks.
04. INSTRUCTOR REHIRING + RETRAINING
While COVID-19 has and will continue to have a harsh financial impact on the business, it also gives us an opportunity to rehire instructors who have a deep interest and connection with music and inclusive teaching, and also to retrain instructors on curating a music-driven experience.
All instructors will go through a required retraining around all teaching practices with a focus on music connectivity, understanding the content of the songs and history of the artist, and the impact this has on students. Instructors are to only play music that is authentic to them.
WHO WE ARE
Y7 IS STILL SWEAT DRIPPING, BEAT BUMPING, CANDLELIT YOGA.
OUR MISSION IS STILL TO BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS OF YOGA.
WE ARE STILL A COMMUNITY.
As we rebuild post-COVID-19, there are many unknowns and truthfully, we don’t have all the info yet. We are committed to holding our promises, and keeping you a part of the process in what we learn, what we address, and what we change within each of our 5 Commitments.
We thank this community for the open and honest dialogue and holding us accountable, and hope you will continue to do so.
TEACHER TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS
The availability, practice and benefits of yoga have not been made accessible to most BIPOC communities.
Y7 is proud to expand its past partial scholarship and offer full scholarship opportunities for BIPOC folx towards our 200-hour teacher training. Scholarships are available to those who are involved in service within their community or have contributed to their community in a significant way, and will continue to share the practice of yoga through teaching.
In all trainings moving forward, Y7 will guarantee at least 1 scholarship recipient for every 10 teachers trained. Y7 will offer full 4 scholarships in our upcoming Spring 2021 200-Hour Teacher Training program.
We know that representation matters, and that more diversity in instructors will encourage more diverse students to come to the practice, and to become teachers themselves. We also know that access to the practice of yoga is just as important in fighting systemic racism within the wellness and fitness industry. We will continue to address the issue of accessibility for students in our Commitments.
PROGRAM DETAILS
- Y7 scholarships are open for BIPOC folx. We strongly encourage those who identify as both BIPOC and LGBTQ+ to apply.
- Scholarship includes enrollment in Y7’s 200-Hour Teacher Training + cost of books ($3375 value)
- Curriculum will have an emphasis on inclusive teaching by exploring the method and practice of teaching in order to create skills that bridge yoga and social equity
- Applicants should apply if they are looking to deepen their own practice, share the practice through the skill of teaching, and are interested in furthering the efforts to diversify the yoga community.
- All teacher trainees are required to teach 8 community hours to those that don’t have access to the practice
- As we rebuild and reopen post-COVID-19, we will offer scholarship opportunities exclusively for Y7 employees
Interested in sponsoring a scholarship recipient directly? Contact teachertraining@y7-studio.com.
COMMITMENTS
The work does not end here. We take responsibility for being a part of the problem, and we recognize our responsibility to be a leader in the change. Y7 is making the following commitments towards racial and social equality. We will share more detail on each of these individually.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY + INCLUSION
As we rebuild post COVID-19, we are prioritizing representation and diversity within our leadership team. We are also looking to expand our ongoing work and refresh our existing Diversity, Equity + Inclusion sessions to include additional training, particularity in the onboarding process to help solidify the Y7 mission and values. Employees must see reflections of themselves across all departments and levels at Y7. We recognize we have work to do to accomplish that, and in the spirit of transparency, we are committing to sharing our diversity statistics and updating them quarterly to hold ourselves accountable.
FREEDOM TO FLOW
To truly make yoga accessible, we must bring our mission beyond the studio walls. In 2018, we launched Y7’s Freedom to Flow program that brings yoga and mindfulness to youth in underserved and underprivileged communities. Sessions include a Q&A section that break down some of the misconceptions around yoga and provide students with tools to apply these practices in their everyday lives. Education is how you create change and open conversation, and it is where the majority of our community efforts have been focused. We are expanding this program to offer virtual classes in order to reach more students during COVID-19
LISTEN TO + AMPLIFY BLACK VOICES
We commit to using our platform to listen to and amplify voices of those who have been long silenced and abused, while also challenging the rest of our community to be allies, because this work should not fall on the Black community to solve. We are sharing all upcoming workshops, fundraiser classes, and ways to connect with the community on this page below.
This page exists to provide transparency into our internal practices, to keep you informed on our initiatives, and as a resource to join us in the fight against racial injustice and a systemic problem of racism.
EVENTS SCHEDULE
FUNDRAISER FLOWS
This is the movement and this is the time. Flow with us and help raise money for organizations that support the #blacklivesmatter movement. Y7 matched all proceeds raised for organizations selected by our instructors. All donations made directly through Instagram Live.
LIVE FLOWS AVAILABLE ON INSTAGRAM TV
Elise Fletcher for We Are ILL
Brendan Henderson for Black Trans Media
Paige Willis for Equal Justice Initiative
Sam Leonetti for Loveland Therapy Fund
Arielle Castillo for Dream Defenders
Riv Mccollum for The Loveland Foundation
Amanda Valdes for Naaya
Emily Torockio for The Black Feminist Project
Laura Madelain for Campaign Zero
Brandon Scott for Black Visions Collective
Ivonne Ackerman for Sisters with Purpose
Kendra Thomas for The Innocence Project
ALLY-FOCUSED GOAL SETTING WORKSHOP
Right now many of us are asking ourselves the question – how we are going beyond social media to work towards dismantling institutional racism? Rather than trying to step into a role that is commonly expected such as protesting on the front lines, this workshop will help you utilize your strengths to identify your individual role within the social change ecosystem. We’ll outline what you want to accomplish, work through a goal-setting learning plan to take action, and leave feeling more empowered on how to best use your voice as an ally.
All proceeds were donated to Loveland Therapy Fund. Y7 matched all funds raised.
LIVE WORKSHOP AVAILABLE ON IGTV @y7studio
Led by Riv McCollum @rivyourbestlife.
Riv is one of our Chicago founding teachers. She uses her voice to empower other women in the world of wellness, yoga, and strongly advocates for mental health.
RESOURCES
HEAL
Black Girl In Om
You Good, Sis?
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
Melanin & Mental Health
Black Women’s Health Imperative
TAKE ACTION
This page exists to provide transparency into our internal practices, to keep you informed on our initiatives, and as a resource to join us in the fight against racial injustice and systemic racism.