The Yoga Journal Story

For over 35 years, one magazine has shaped the yoga revolution in America -- Yoga Journal. Founded in 1975 by members of the California Yoga Teachers Association (Rama Vernon, Ike Lasater, Judith Hanson Lasater, Rose Garfinkle, Jean Girardot, Janis Paulsen, and William Staniger), Yoga Journal was created to unite the growing yoga community and provide "material that combines the essence of classical yoga with the latest understanding of modern science." In May 1975, the first issue of Yoga Journal -- all 10 pages and 300 copies of it -- was born.

By 1990, as yoga began moving from the fringe to mainstream America, Yoga Journal's circulation had hit 55,000; by 1995, it had reached 66,000. During these crucial years, many hardworking, talented people—including former publisher Michael Glicksohn, former editors-in-chief Stephen Bodian and Rick Fields, and former longtime managing editor Linda Cogozzo—contributed to the magazine's success.

In the fall of 1998, John Abbott, a former investment banker at Citicorp and an avid yoga practitioner, bought the magazine, and brought in Kathryn Arnold as editor-in-chief. In January 2000, they redesigned and relaunched the magazine. Today, it has a paid circulation 360,000, and a readership of more than 1,500,000.

In September 2006, the magazine was bought by Active Interest Media, (www.aimmedia.com), which publishes Vegetarian Times, Backpacker, and other consumer enthusiast titles. The company also produces the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest boat show in the world.

Yoga has now fully entered mainstream America. According to Yoga Journal's most recent "Yoga in America" survey, 15.8 million people in the United States now practice, spending nearly $6 billion a year on classes, equipment, clothing, vacations and media. And while more people are practicing yoga than ever before, the real reason for Yoga Journal's continued success is that the magazine remains true to its original mission: give readers insightful articles on yoga, filled with the most current scientific information available, while honoring the 5,000-year-old tradition on which it is based.

Key Editorial and Business Staff:

• Pat Fox, Vice President & General Manager
• Kaitlin Quistgaard, Editor-in-Chief
• Bill Harper, Vice President & Group Publisher
• Barbara Besser, Group Circulation Director
• Celine Bleu, Group Marketing Director
• Debbie Kane, Director of Partnership & Web Marketing
• Dayna Macy, Communications Director & Managing Editor, International Editions
• Elana Maggal, Conference Director
• Charli Ornett, Creative Director
• Jane Tarver, Creative Services Director

Key Editorial Features

Basics—Yoga Journal's most popular column, Basics makes yoga asana and philosophy accessible to students who are new to the practice and long-time practitioners looking for a refresher course.

Eating Wisely—How we eat is a reflection of how we live, and for yogis, this means making thoughtful decisions about what goes on the menu. Eating Wisely examines the deep connections between spirit and food.

Home Practice—Starting a home practice can be a big challenge for yogis. Personal Practice provides all the tools readers need to roll out their mats at home.

Master Class—Offers in-depth instruction for the serious practitioner. Written by authoritative master yoga teachers.

Media—A critical discussion of the latest and most noteworthy books, music, DVDs, videos, and audiotapes.

Om—High-energy and fun to read, Om tells readers all they need to know about trends, news, fashion, people, places, and things that make the world of yoga fun and rewarding.

Well Being—Current and insightful information on herbal remedies, Ayurvedic medicine, nutrition, bodywork, and other modes of natural healing that complement a yogic lifestyle.

Wisdom—Renowned meditation teacher Sally Kempton shows how yoga philosophy can provide modern practitioners with a road map for living a more evolved life.

Yoga Journal Information (as of June 2009):

• 360,000-per-issue circulation (ABC-audited)
• 1,500,000 readers monthly
• Published 9 times a year
• Cover price: $4.99; basic subscription rate: $21.95
• Recent awards includes eight Folio Awards for Editorial Excellence, and 10 Western Publications Association Maggie Awards for "Best Health and Fitness Magazine" and a Webby nomination for "Best Magazine Website."
• Published by Active Interest Media (www.aimmedia.com) based in El Segundo, California.

Ancillary Businesses:

Conferences: Yoga Journal holds several major conferences a year, including our Boston, New York, San Francisco, Grand Geneva, WI, Estes Park, CO and Hollywood, FL. conferences. Yoga Journal conferences attract the finest teachers in yoga including Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden, Baron Baptiste, Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Richard Freeman, and Judith Hanson Lasater. For more information go to www.yjevents.com.

Website: Nominated in 2008 for "Best Magazine Website" by the Webby Awards, and praised by Forbes as "the web's most expansive and impressive yoga site," Yogajournal.com is a one-stop-shop for yogis. With thousands of articles, a huge selection of downloadable practice videos, a searchable database of poses, advice columns from top yoga teachers and experts, plus popular blogs and other reporting on yoga trends and culture, it's a valued source of education and inspiration for yoga practitioners worldwide.

International Editions: Yoga Journal is the most widely read yoga magazine in the world and is published in the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain and Thailand.

DVDs: Yoga Journal's most recent DVD is "Yoga for Back Care." Other DVDs include Yoga Journal's "Pose Encyclopedia;" "Yoga Yoga for Morning, Noon and Night," and "Yoga for Well-Being," both featuring Yoga Journal's in-house instructor Jason Crandell; "The Yoga Journal Great Instructors Series" featuring Baron Baptiste, Seane Corn, and Shiva Rea; "Yoga Journal's Yoga Step-by-Step: The Total Guide to Beginning Your Home Practice", featuring Natasha Rizopoulos. Other Yoga Journal DVDs include "Yoga for Your Pregnancy: Your Guide to Prenatal Fitness & a Healthy Birth", produced in conjunction with Lamaze® and "Yoga Journal's Yoga for Stress". Yoga Journal also produces, in conjunction with Living Arts, the "Yoga Journal Practice Series", best-selling instructional videos featuring Patricia Walden and Rodney Yee.

Shop Yoga Journal:(www.yogajournal.com/shop/) Web and mail-order sales of Yoga Journal—branded yoga products, including DVDs, books, calendars, back issues, and more.

Books: Books published under the Yoga Journal name include "Yoga as Medicine," by Dr. Timothy McCall, Yoga Journal's medical editor "Living Yoga", "Yoga Basics", "Yoga Escapes", and "Yoga", an exquisite coffee-table book with more than 400 black-and-white photos of world-renowned yoga teachers performing hundreds of asanas.

For more information contact
Dayna Macy, 415-591-0555, ext. 304
dmacy@aimmedia.com