Arlington, Va. (March 29, 2017) – YOGA ALLIANCE is pleased to announce that David Lipsius, RYT 500, has been hired as the President and CEO of both Yoga Alliance and Yoga Alliance Registry, beginning May 17, 2017. Best known among the yoga community as the former CEO of Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Lipsius previously held leadership and creative positions during a 15-year career at NBC Universal in New York City.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I'm thrilled to welcome David Lipsius to the Yoga Alliance team. As a longtime practitioner and teacher, David's dedication to yoga will be an asset to our organization and community. He brings incredible professional experience, and his leadership and vision will position Yoga Alliance to grow and serve our members with integrity,” said Yoga Alliance Board Chair Kerry Maiorca.
A Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT®) and avid student, Lipsius is passionate about serving yoga teachers, schools, trainees, and enthusiasts and helping the yoga community extend its social impact. “In my new role, I am most looking forward to supporting yoga’s increasing influence on all areas of society in need of this ancient wisdom,” said Lipsius. “Whether you are a yogi on a spiritual journey, practicing yoga to enhance your physical and mental health, or new to yoga and looking for a way to lead a more peaceful, happy, healthy life, our intention is to ensure everyone has the resources and information they need to welcome yoga into their lives and hearts.”
Lipsius has been an RYT since 2006 and has studied and practiced yoga for nearly 20 years. He is certified to teach Hatha Yoga (Iyengar influenced), Kundalini Tantra in the Bihar tradition, and Kripalu Yoga as practiced in its original form by Kripalvananda. He received his first 500 hours of teacher training at 7 Centers Yoga Arts in Sedona, Arizona.
“I feel a deep connection to the Yoga Alliance mission, in part because I trained under the influence of teachers connected to Rama Jyoti Vernon, one of the early pioneers of Western yoga who helped create Yoga Alliance in an effort to inspire unity in yoga. As nonprofit institutions that promote and support the integrity and diversity of the teaching of yoga, Yoga Alliance and Yoga Alliance Registry are uniquely positioned to facilitate true unity, connection, collaboration and non-judgmental relationships among yoga students, teachers, schools, traditions and lineages,” Lipsius added.
While at NBC and NBC Universal, Lipsius held leadership positions including Vice President of Creative Services for NBC News Marketing & Communications and Vice President of Operations for The NBC Agency, a unit of NBC Entertainment. Previously, he served as an Emmy-nominated producer and director of on-air advertising for “Today,” “NBC Nightly News,” “Meet the Press,” “Dateline,” and other NBC programs. At Kripalu, he led the development of a five-year strategic plan resulting in record enrollment for Kripalu’s educational programs, expanded the Kripalu School of Yoga to include a 1,000-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT), championed the first Spanish language YTT in the U.S. and other significant inclusion and diversity efforts, and created a new evidence-based yoga program based on 10 years of scientific yoga research conducted by the Institute for Extraordinary Living. He earned a Doctor of Law (JD) degree from Brooklyn Law School in New York.
David shared, “This is a remarkable time for yoga education in America and around the world. Yoga Alliance and its Board of Directors are committed to serving the expanding yoga community in ways that are even more meaningful, impactful and collaborative than ever before, and I am thrilled to join this vibrant and deeply committed team at this exciting time in yoga’s history.”
About Yoga Alliance and Yoga Alliance Registry
Yoga Alliance is the largest international nonprofit association promoting and supporting the diversity and integrity of the teaching of yoga. Yoga Alliance Registry is a public charity that sets voluntary standards for yoga teacher training programs and credentials trained yoga teachers, and, through Yoga Alliance Foundation, supports educational and development activities and awards scholarships to students and yoga schools. Currently, more than 76,000 Registered Yoga Teachers and 5,000 Registered Yoga Schools are registered with Yoga Alliance Registry and are members of Yoga Alliance. The organizations' efforts also educate the public about yoga and contribute to the worldwide growth of yoga through education and community.