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One secret to reporting that you dont hear much about is the role of dumb luck.

In July, I began to report an article about touch and consent in yoga. The idea was to learn more about the egregious conduct of Krishna Pattabhi Jois, the guru who made Ashtanga and vinyasa yoga popular before his death in 2009 at 93.

But I also wanted to look at the contemporary yoga world. As a devoted yogi myself, I know the yoga studio remains a place where some teachers, even well-intentioned ones, think they have permission to touch you with impunity just because you have walked in the door and unrolled a mat.

Under the guise of adjustments the term for using hands to help a student get into a pose or to show support some teachers are (often unwittingly) triggering confusion, anxiety and even real emotional trauma for students.

I hoped to tap into the conversation that is just starting to take place among yogis about what is and isnt acceptable and what changes they wish for.

Since my reporting was also going to be featured in an episode of The Weekly, I knew I would need visually interesting alternatives to just making dozens of calls from my desk.

Watch The Weekly, The Timess New TV Show, on FX and Hulu

The hands-on teaching practices of some of yogas most celebrated gurus raise questions about consent.

I proposed that we attend a class at a yoga festival, where we could avail ourselves of a large pool of students and teachers.

Poking around the internet, I quickly spotted the Asheville Yoga Festival in North Carolina. The mid-July timing was perfect for our production schedule. The southeastern location would add geographic diversity to my reporting.

On the festivals schedule, I saw a four-hour workshop called Inversions and Adjustments. Adjustments were becoming a focal point of my story, and the workshop would be led by a well-known teacher named Jonny Kest. It was a no-brainer.

I had never taken a class taught by Mr. Kest before, but I had practiced at his studio in Birmingham, Mich., half a dozen times over the years when visiting relatives in Michigan. And while I knew he had a hard-core following who liked his hands-on approach to teaching, I didnt really know what that meant.

As I took part in his workshop with a producer, camerawoman and sound engineer from The Weekly looking on I quickly learned. Mr. Kest was demonstrating the most hands-on adjustments I had ever seen.

One that particularly raised my eyebrow was performed on a woman doing a pose commonly known as Triangle. Mr. Kest lunged one leg around the womans leg and wrapped an arm around her from behind, placing his palm between her collar bone and breast.

You want to be careful of the spots that you want to stay away from, he said and then moved his hand a few inches.

I almost couldnt believe what I was witnessing, and I certainly couldnt believe a camera from The New York Timess television show was recording it. But I wasnt sure how it would translate to a viewer. Without context, someone unfamiliar with yoga could think that this is a standard way for a yoga teacher to touch a student, which it was not.

But before the yoga session ended, something took place that was unlike anything I have experienced in my 20 years as a reporter: My story came to life right in front of my eyes, right in front of my notebook, right in front of the television camera for The Weekly.

Mr. Kest demonstrated another adjustment. This one involved him placing a womans behind on his lap, spreading her legs apart and wrapping them around his waist.

After he showed how to do this, he asked the class participants to practice the adjustment with a partner. Thats when Catherine Derrow, a yoga teacher from Columbus, Ohio, approached Mr. Kest and quietly told him that she would be upset if a teacher touched her in such a way, especially without telling her what he was going to do and asking her permission. I would be very surprised, she said.

Mr. Kest encouraged Ms. Derrow to share her concerns with the whole class. She did so and what ensued was a spirited conversation among Mr. Kest and many students in the class about their preferred ways of being asked for consent before being adjusted in yoga classes. I dont do any of that, Mr. Kest told them.

After the workshop concluded, I met with Jamila Wignot, my producer, and we asked each other several times, dumbstruck, Did that actually just happen?

Some yoga teachers like to say the most important part of your practice is simply showing up on the mat. In this case, that was true for journalism, too.

Follow the @ReaderCenter on Twitter for more coverage highlighting your perspectives and experiences and for insight into how we work.

Read more from the original source:
How Did I Get That Yoga Story? You Really Had to Be There - The New York Times

Netflix's documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator explores the dark side of Bikram yoga (or hot yoga) founder Bikram Choudhury. The doc comes from Academy Award-winning director Eva Orner, who shines the spotlight on the women who toppled Choudhury's empire, as well as the dilemma practitioners of hot yoga face as they weigh the benefits of the exercise against the actions of the man who popularized the practice in the United States. Before Netflix's documentary, Choudhury was the subject of a five-part podcast from ESPN's 30 for 30 series.

Journalist and former Bikram Studio manager Julia Lowrie Henderson's goal for the podcast was not only to shed light on the six women who have come forward with allegations of rape and sexual assault against Choudhury, but also to look at the hot yoga community as a whole. The fall of their guru has affected members worldwide in contrasting ways as those who are devoted to the brand of yoga that he popularized either try to distance themselves and their businesses from the Bikram name, or reconcile how a man who went to such a dark place also brought a healing exercise into their lives.

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The podcast does a brilliant job of covering every aspect of the story from the allegations against Choudhury to the experiences of actors, teachers, and students who practice Bikram yoga. Henderson traveled from coast to coast and across the world to put together a comprehensive story, and as the episode breakdown below shows, it's well worth a listen if you want to fully understand the intricacies of Choudhury's disturbing story and the thousands of lives his actions have affected.

In the first episode of the series, Henderson focuses on Choudhury's early years. From his days as a child in Calcutta, to his arrival in Los Angeles, this episode is essential if you want to see how the yogi gained influence in the 1970s. By befriending actors like Shirley MacLaine and Raquel Welch, he was able to grow his business quickly, while also attracting famous clients who helped spread the word about the healing affects of his particular brand of yoga.

Read the transcript.

Part two of the podcast breaks down how Choudhury began to transform himself from a spiritual guru to the stars into a celebrity in his own right. By the 2000s, he discovered a way to bring hot yoga to the masses. He began teaching courses to students who would go on to open their own studios that would operate under his strict guidelines. In the process, he ensured that Bikram yoga would become a phenomenon that put him front and center.

Read the transcript.

As his business grew, so did Choudhury's power. In this installment, Henderson explains how the yogi would employ people to check out studios operating under his name and report back any inconsistencies. Owners could then be threatened with legal action or excommunicated from the Bikram family. She also speaks with one of Bikram's former students, Jenelle Leat, who revealed that Choudhury's alleged requests for female students to give him massages or join him alone in his room were an open secret among the people who helped run his expensive nine-week certification courses.

Read the transcript.

This part of the series focuses on the six women who came forward to accuse Choudhury of rape and sexual assault: Jill Lawler, Sarah Baughn, Larissa Anderson, Maggie Genthner, Dana McLellan, and one woman who goes by Jane Doe #3. Lawler and Baughn described in graphic detail their allegations against the yogi, and the pressure they felt to stay quiet in order to preserve their place in the community (as well as their livelihoods).

Read the transcript.

In the final part of the series, Henderson shares how five of the six women took small settlements in civil suits in order to gain some sense of closure after the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles District Attorney declined to file charges against Choudhury. Only one woman, Choudhury's former lawyer Micki Jafa-Bodden, won a judgment against the yogi for sexual harassment and wrongful termination. Through the courts, she gained control of his intellectual property and what was left of the company.

Meanwhile, Choudhury continues to teach classes outside the United States as those who practice hot yoga are left to weigh the positive impact it has had on their lives verses the lives Choudhury allegedly destroyed.

Read the transcript.

30 for 30's deep dive into Choudhury, the allegations against him, and the world of Bikram yoga is not to be missed.

Continue reading here:
Before You Watch Netflix's Doc About Bikram Choudury, Listen to the Shocking Podcast - POPSUGAR

Yoga for the Inflexible Male, out Nov. 19, was inspired by local yoga classes

The progression from yoga novice to writing a yoga book has been natural for Roy Parvin, Cloverdale resident and writer of the upcoming Yoga for the Inflexible Male.

Starting in 2017, a succession of events Cloverdale getting a yoga studio, the studio starting a class geared toward men who may be hesitant to start practicing yoga, Parvin penning an article about the class led to the creation of the book, which serves as a level-headed guide to different yoga poses.

After hearing about Yoga on Center opening a Cloverdale location, Parvin pitched the idea of them hosting a class specifically geared toward men like him, who had always wanted to do yoga, but were too proud to do it in front of a woman, he said. Were inflexible, we have sports injuries, the whole sense of yoga is really oppositional to a man because we really like to be competitive and yoga isnt competitive.

Im not a yoga guy, Parvin said. I got into yoga in the first place because I had a hellaciously bad sleep problem when medicine seemed to fail, yoga prevailed and was one of the only things that dealt with the fallout of not sleeping.

Following the start of the class, Parvin penned an article for the Reveille about the class under the pseudonym Yoga Matt the same name that Yoga for the Inflexible Male is being published under.

Soon after the class began, it gained in popularity, filling up among community members.

Every week all these guys who look like theyre going to go to the grocery store to pick up a quart of milk show up. Not yoga guys, Parvin said. We have this great camaraderie in this class, so I got an idea pretty quickly that there was something to this class.

From there, Parvin started kicking around the idea of writing a book and his wife, Janet Vail (referred to in the book as Beth Matt), wrote the proposal that would eventually land the Yoga Matt persona a book deal from Random Houses Ten Speed Press imprint.

Writing as Yoga Matt is a step away from Parvins normal writing tone, which usually leans more somber, he said.

Each yoga pose is split into three varied poses the good, the not-so-good and the ugly and is meant to serve as an introduction to the craft.

The Yoga Matt character serves as a microphone for introducing the poses, and Parvin is careful to note that his narrative isnt meant to be an authority on yoga. Rather, Parvin enlisted Yoga on Centers yoga for men class instructor Jerry Sinclair to advise on best practices for yoga.

I use a lot of humor in the book and its to sort of coax guys into doing yoga, Parvin said. I noticed that at the end of class everybody would brag about who was the worst and it was all about being embarrassed about being there. We would all try to take this low ground that we were the worst and it was a way of dealing with the fact that we were doing something we were uncomfortable with. I thought that that would be a nice hand-hold for people in there, that theres a lot of different variations no matter how limber you are.

The book as a whole has community woven through it. Cloverdale resident and local artist Richard Sheppard provided the illustrations of each of the yoga pose, 120 in total. One of the illustrated characters in the book is based on Sinclair. Yoga on Center co-owner Jenn Russo penned the books introduction, too.

In a very online age, we did this very locally, Parvin said. I think its about embracing a new neighbor meaning the yoga studio, and embracing my idea, he said.

Following the positive response to the class starting in Cloverdale, a Healdsburg counterpart was added to Yoga on Centers Healdsburg location.

Both classes continue weekly and are very popular with our male students, Russo said. We have offered Yoga for Men in the past and never seen the interest that we have seen since Jerry started teaching the classes. He is an inspirational teacher and makes the students feel comfortable the moment they walk in the door.

In celebration of the books release on Nov. 18, Parvin will be rebranding Cloverdale as Yogadale, with a Welcome to Yogadale home of Yoga Matt sign on the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerces Highway 101 announcement board.

Russo said that Yoga on Centers Healdsburg location will be hosting a book release and signing with Parvin on Monday, Nov. 18. Sinclair will start the event by teaching a yoga class from 4 to 4:30 p.m., followed by a brief talk with Parvin about the book. A Cloverdale counterpart to the release will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 19, with the yoga class starting at 5 p.m.

Free yoga classes will be held at Yoga on Center in Cloverdale on Saturday, Nov. 23 in conjunction with a 2 p.m. book signing that Parvin is having at The Trading Post.

Its a book signing party, but people dont have to buy books, Parvin said. I want to thank everybody in town and were going to try to do the largest flash mob pose of Warrior 2 in all of Yogadale history in the parking lot out back.

Originally posted here:
New yoga book bends to attitudes of inflexible men - Sonoma West

If youre anything like me, todays episode of The Ezra Klein Show will make you think about the way you shop, learn, eat, parent, and exercise in a whole new way.

My guest is Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, a professor of public policy at the University of Southern California whose most recent book, The Sum of Small Things: A Theory of the Aspirational Class documents the rise of a new, unprecedented elite class in the United States. Previously, the elite classes differentiated themselves from the rest by purchasing expensive material goods like flashy clothes and expensive cars. But, for reasons we get into, todays elite is different: We signify our class position by reading the New Yorker, acquiring elite college degrees, buying organic food, breastfeeding our children, and, of course, listening to podcasts like this one.

These activities may seem completely innocent perhaps even enlightened. Yet, as we discuss here, they simultaneously shore up inequality, erode social mobility, and create an ever-more stratified society all without most of us noticing. This is a conversation that implicates us all, and, for that very reason, it is well worth addressing.

You can listen to this conversation and others by subscribing to The Ezra Klein Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

Elizabeth Currid-Halketts book recommendations:

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Art Worlds by Howard S. Becker

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like:

When meritocracy wins, everybody loses

Work as identity, burnout as lifestyle

What a smarter Trumpism would sound like

Read the original here:
How Whole Foods, yoga, and NPR became the hallmarks of the modern elite - Vox.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. A full room of yogis sit quietly on their mats, focusing on their breath and meditating before a yoga class. Then, out of the silence, one kitten pounces on another. The moment is broken by laughter. This is cat yoga.

My favorite thing is probably the laughter, yoga instructor Eva Mathieu said. Teaching other yoga classes without cats in it can be sometimes people come in with an expectation that maybe you have to be flexible or you have to be good at yoga or maybe theres gonna be judgments or something like that. Being here, the wall is already broken.

Mathieu has worked at Charlottes Mac Tabby Cat Caf in NoDa since February. Shes been doing yoga for years and teaching for two, so about a month after joining the cat caf team, she started teaching the cat yoga class.

RELATED: More than 80 cats adopted from Charlotte cat cafe

The cats roam around the room the entire time, often lying on yoga mats or running around the room playing with one another.

It makes my job easier to teach and let people have a fun time and fun experience when theyre already in a good mood, Mathieu said.

Every Monday, cat lovers and newcomers gather to stretch, relax and play with cats. Mathieu described the class as a good beginner class, making it accessible for anyone to join in.

I like to keep it simple and very relaxed and focused on the cats and a little bit more connecting with yourself and your soul and the cats as well, Mathieu said.

The way they kick off the class sure helps -- Mathieu goes around and sprinkles a little bit of catnip on each mat.

The biggest tip I could give you is bring a mat that you dont mind getting a couple little claw marks in, Mathieu said.

She said the cats dont usually need the extra boost, but it makes it even more fun. Every meditation without fail, Mathieu said, the cats will act up. She said one time a cat ran out and jumped on her head just after she told everyone to inhale.

Participants at cat yoga are sure to be entertained. All of the cats at the cat caf are available for adoption, so if a yogi falls in love with the cat on their mat, they are able to apply through a Charlotte foster network.

If youre not a cat person, this will probably convert you, Mathieu said.

Mathieu recommends anyone interested in attending a class sign up ahead of time, as they have filled up before, and doors lock promptly at 7:30 p.m. each Monday.

Despite how energetic the cats are at the beginning of the class, they tend to tucker themselves out by the end of the class. After playing nonstop, most of the cats are lying down on the floor or on yoga mats as the hour wraps up.

Its just a really good place to get to know cats and their personality, Mathieu said.

To close out the class and transition to 30 minutes of cat time, Mac Tabby tradition is to gather for a loud om in unison -- one that always wakes the cats and alerts them its time to play again.

Then just as they were before the class, all the cats scurry around, ready for someone to play with and pet them. Mathieu encouraged people to come see the cats and try their hand at yoga, especially if its their first time.

We will welcome you with open arms and open paws, Mathieu said.

Original post:
Cats on the mats: Charlotte's Mac Tabby Cat Caf hosts weekly cat yoga - WCNC.com

Please RSVP at: https://www.innerengineering.com/ieo-new/free-sessions/?state=njHow successful you are in life simply depends on how well you can use your mind and body. This session offers simple, but powerful yoga postures to bring stability and balance.- Can improve memory, concentration, and mental clarity- Can relieve stress and anxiety- Strengthens the spine- Takes only 5-10 minutes to practice daily Designed by Sadhguru, a self- realized yogi and foremost authority in he field of yoga. This session will be conducted by a trained Isha facilitator, after which ongoing online support will also be available.Free and Open to All (Age 7 & up).This session is brought to you by Isha foundation, an international non-profit aimed to bring well-being to everyone through yoga and meditation. What to bring Please bring a yoga mat & a towel and arrive on an empty stomach condition i.e. approx 1.5 hrs after a light meal.

Excerpt from:
Yoga For Success - (Free and Open to All) - Patch.com

RSVP : https://www.innerengineering.com/ieo-new/free-sessions/?state=njThis session offers simple and powerful yoga postures to bring stability and balance. Enjoy simple, easy to practice yet potent tools to enhance health, joy, peace, love, success and inner exploration which help one cope with the hectic pace of modern life and realize your full potential in all spheres of life.No physical agility or prior yoga experience needed. Please bring a yogamat & a towel and arrive on an empty stomach condition i.e. approx 1.5 hrs after a light meal.BENEFITS- Can relieve chronic ailments- Can relieve back pain, stress, anxiety and tension- Strengthens the spine- Can improve memory, concentration and productivityDesigned by Sadhguru, a realized yogi and a foremost authority in the field of yoga. This session will be conducted by a trained Isha facilitator. Ongoing online support will be availableFor ages 7 and aboveThis session is brought to you by Isha Foundation, an international non-profit aimed to bring well-being to everyone through yoga and meditation.

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Yoga for Beginners for Health, Peace and Joy (Free and open to al - Patch.com

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season approaching, many will look for a way to relax their mind or body. Yoga may be the answer.

There are different styles of yoga and Brittany Holtz, founder of Studio B Power Yoga, says there is something for everyone.

We were all beginners at one point, says Holtz. Be compassionate to yourself and open to learning.

At Studio B, Holtz offers power vinyasa and yin yoga. She describes power vinyasa flow as a more athletic style while yin yoga is more of a deep stretch for relaxation.

Youre going to build strength, see increased flexibility and get a cardiovascular workout in a power yoga class but theres also mental health benefits, she explains. It really becomes a moving meditation where we do lots of breathwork and the focus is connecting your breath with your movement.

The physical health benefits include increased balance, flexibility and strength, but there are mental health benefits, too.

What Ive found is that what keeps people coming back is the mental health benefits. They feel calmer, more connected with themselves, they feel more grounded and thats shocking sometimes to some people, says Holtz.

While all levels of ability are welcome in every class, Holtz offers a beginner series for those new to yoga. The next session starts in January.

Here is the original post:
Healthy Living: The benefits of yoga - ABC27

On the day I moved into Vassar, my family and I grabbed a cup of coffee at the Crafted Kup. My mom, whos been a yoga instructor for seven years, saw a sign over the coffee shops storefront for Stone Wave Yoga, which had just opened over the summer. She thought that having access to yoga could help in my transition to college, so she encouraged me to visit the studio. Halfway into the semester, I unexpectedly found myself following her advice. I didnt go for class, though, but instead to talk to studio owner Liz Glover Wilson. I wanted to learn more about her business as a component of the Arlington community, but also hear her insights on yoga as a method of self-care.

I found a sandwich board on the corner of Raymond and Lagrange Avenues which directed me to the second floor of an office building. Signs for the studio led me down a carpeted hallway until I found a door bearing Glover Wilsons definition of a stone wave: a place of beauty, strength, and fluidity. I visited on a Friday, one of the days on which Stone Wave offers Bikram yoga and pilates classes in a heated studio, so the room was still warm from an earlier class. Glover Wilson and I sat on the floor in front of the mirrored studio wall to talk, and she was happy to share her passion for the practice that has helped her find peace.

When she was in her early 20s, Glover Wilson started taking Bikram yoga classes in New York City. Initially, the practice mainly appealed to her because of its physical benefits. Later, she began to explore other aspects of yoga, developing an interest in breathing methods, meditation and the selfcare involved in the practice. By her late 30s, she was practicing yoga while working in a corporate job and living in the East Village. Then her younger sister Esther died in a car accident at age 37, and Glover Wilsons outlook changed. I was numb for a while, but then I started to wake up,she recounted. I felt really strongly that I had no more time to waste and I had to do the things that I felt [I should] do.

Her shift in perspective eventually led her to move to the Hudson Valley and pursue her passion. She opened her first Stone Wave Yoga studio in Gardiner and has since expanded her reach. Throughout our conversation, she cited intuition as a force driving her decisions, at one point telling me that this force would eventually help me pick a major. This instinct also led her to open up her studio in Arlington. One night early in 2019, she went for a walk around the area while waiting to pick up a pizza on Collegeview Avenue. She saw a storefront for rent and called the real estate company on the spot. She didnt end up renting that space, but the company referred her to a rental around the corner. After only three weeks she signed a contract for the space that would become her new studio. The studio has been open since July, and so far Glover Wilson feels her instincts have steered her right: She loves the new branch and is working to integrate it into the Arlington community.

When discussing her goal for her practice, Glover Wilson emphasized inclusion. Coming from the city, shed left a culture where yoga students were often boxed into a model-like body type and lifestyle, and she didnt want to propagate this expectation for her students. Yoga is not actually about the aesthetics, she said. Its actually not about the poses, its about your journey when youre in the poses. Yoga, Glover Wilson believes, should be a space in which people can be totally themselves, no matter their level of fitness or experience. Her studio offers a variety of walk-in classes each week in different styles to appeal to a broad audience of potential students.

She hopes that Vassar students will explore the practice for themselves, both for the physical and mental benefits. Glover Wilson compares yoga to an oasis, and hopes that more community members will discover these moments of peace for themselves. I know for myself when I was in university the pranayama, the breathwork, the importance of the time alone on the mat, is really important to the success of your college experience, she told me. She hopes that yoga will provide her students with a peaceful place to decompress and find moments of rest.

Original post:
Stone Wave Yoga provides an oasis of self-care in Arlington - Miscellany News

A Provo charter school acclaimed for its unusual academic approach of teaching kids lessons based on nature, yoga and Love and Logic has filed for bankruptcy less than three years after it opened.

Treeside Charter School submitted a federal claim Tuesday, outlining the nearly half a million dollars it owes to debtors. That includes an unpaid loan from the state for $180,000 and state property taxes for $87,000, according to accounts submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Utah.

The schools director, its founder and its board president did not return calls Wednesday or Thursday.

The director of the school spoke at a Utah State Charter School Board meeting Thursday. He reiterated that the board intends to reorganize not close and that all debts will be paid.

Certainly, [the filing] happened very quickly," said Benjamin Johnson, who has been with Treeside for a year. "But our board is very proactive and taking care of our interests. ... This school and what it stands for will be here for a long time.

Treesides school board President April Clawson added: We had no choice but to do what we did.

Treeside Charter, located just east of Utah Lake, opened in August 2017 and teaches kindergarten through sixth grade. It practices the Waldorf education model, focusing on the child as a whole and educating on core subjects through art, music, movement and the outdoors. Students are expected to study plants, practice mindfulness and start learning another language at age 6.

The hope is that by learning through head, heart and hands, kids will be more creative and confident.

She left the charter in March to pursue other ventures and has been involved with starting schools for 15 years. Lundgreen said she wants to preserve the beauties of childhood, The Herald reported.

Treeside Charter has struggled, though, to gain footing academically. In its annual report card from the state issued last year, Treeside fell below almost every benchmark, including developing for test scores and in critical needs for both growth and the progress of its English language learners.

Kristin Elinkowski, president of the state charter school board, said during the boards monthly meeting Thursday, We have been aware of the circumstances of this.

It had issued a notice of concern to Treeside about two months ago. Members of the charters school board read it aloud, in full, at their September meeting, according to audio and minutes.

The notice talked about fears from the state over financial viability, the cost of its facility and the setup and safety of its open campus. If improvements are not made, SCSB will consider action to protect students, it read.

One school board member responded: We have tried to honor and use wisely state tax money. We are doing our best to mitigate what this letter says. As a result, we have some hard decisions to make.

As of a September financial update, payments for the building space the school uses were consuming 25% of revenues, which is unusually high. It costs about $375,000 a year to lease.

The notice from the state charter school board noted that expense and suggested, Paying such a high rate on the lease may not be a good use of taxpayer funds and takes away what should be going to students in the classroom.

Treeside has been fighting with its landlord since its onset and is in the middle of trying to settle a lawsuit with the owners over lease disagreements and who has access to the property. That was filed this April.

Meanwhile, the financial update also noted that the school has seen an increase of $280,000 in expenses, lost an expected $200,000 based on low enrollment and has a resulting projected balance thats in a deficit by about $300,000.

The Salt Lake Tribune reached out to the attorney representing Treeside in its bankruptcy filing but did not get a response. The school is contracted to pay the attorney another $50,000 on top of its existing debts.

The filings Tuesday outline that Treeside owes roughly $474,000 to its top 20 creditors, but there are others and it likely owes between $1 million and $10 million total.

Charter schools were meant to be educations disrupters. But some in the community fear that they waste money and set up alternative programs that dont educate students well.

Unlike the Utah Board of Education, the state charter board is an unelected group whose members are appointed by the governor. The two boards have disagreed for years over who can regulate and control charters, including how to manage their money and potential closures.

State business documents show the school has lapsed on its renewal. It was considered delinquent as of Oct. 15.

Link:
Utah charter school where students focused on nature, yoga, 'Love and Logic' files for bankruptcy - Salt Lake Tribune