The Yoga Journal Story

The Yoga Journal Story

For over 30 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 and Judith 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, the magazine has a paid circulation 350,000, and a readership of over 1,000,000.

In September 2006, the magazine was bought by Active Interest Media, (www.aimmedia.com), which publishes Vegetarian Times, Backpacker, Black Belt, Southwest Art, 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 yoga, spending nearly 6 billion dollars 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:
• John B. Abbott, Publisher, International Editions
• Kathryn Arnold, Editor-at-Large
• Jennifer Andre, Online Sales & Marketing Director
• Barbara Besser, Group Circulation Director
• Celine Bleu, Marketing Director
• Kathleen Craven, Director of Sales Development
• Pat Fox, Vice President & General Manager
• Bill Harper, Vice President & Group Publisher
• Debbie Kane, Director of Partnership & Web Marketing
• Andrea Kowalski, Online Editorial Director
• Dayna Macy, Communications Director
• Elana Maggal, Conference Director
• Charli Ornett, Creative Director
• Kaitlin Quistgaard, Editor-in-Chief
• Claudia Smukler, Production Director
• Alan Zucker, Webmaster

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.

Wellness—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.

Travel—Features writers who explore themselves while exploring the world.

Yoga Journal Information (as of December 2007):

• 350,000-per-issue circulation (ABC-audited)
• 1,200,000 readers monthly
• Published 8 times a year
• Cover price: $4.99; basic subscription rate: $21.95
• Recent awards include the 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002 Folio Award for Editorial Excellence, and eight Western Publications Association Maggie Awards, including the 2007 "Best Overall Consumer Publication" and the 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 & 2003 awards for "Best Health and Fitness Magazine".
• 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, Estes Park, CO and Hollywood, FL. conferences. Top yoga teachers in the United States, including Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden, Baron Baptiste, Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Richard Freeman, and Judith Hanson Lasater teach at these conferences. For more information go to www.yjevents.com.

DVDs: Recent Yoga Journal DVDs include "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.

Website: Nominated in 2008 for "Best Magazine Website" and "People's Voice Best Magazine Website" by the Webby Awards, Yogajournal.com includes thousands of articles, a database of yoga poses searchable by anatomical focus and therapeutic applications, an interactive tool that allows users to build home practice sequences, and both practice and yoga lifestyle videos on Yoga Journal TV. Forbes called yogajournal.com "The Web's most expansive and impressive Yoga site."

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