In honour of the United Nations’ International Year of Cooperatives, we’re spotlighting a number of Québec cooperatives throughout the year. This sixth mini-interview in this series is devoted to La Coop de Yoga, founded in Québec City in 2021. We interviewed Élie, one of the co-op’s members.
Why did you choose the cooperative model (and the specific type of cooperative you chose, e.g., solidarity, worker, producer, user, etc.)?
We originally chose to found La Coop de Yoga as a worker cooperative because that model reflected our values and seemed very appropriate in our context as a studio with a physical location. Once we pivoted to a mobile formula and closed our studio, we changed to become a producer cooperative.
We wanted to reclaim power over our working conditions; share income fairly; and build an environment that valued quality of life, solidarity, and transparency. Unlike a private company where profits go to outside shareholders, our producer cooperative enables us to manage our resources collectively, invest in our professional development, and offer good conditions to our members and the best of ourselves to our clients.
This model also fosters horizontal governance, in which every voice counts. Together, we are shaping a space that feels like us and that truly corresponds to the needs of our members, who work in the yoga sector in situations that are often precarious or isolated. For us, the cooperative is a tool for emancipation, stability, and mutual support.
As producers, we wanted to come together to pool our resources and knowledge; share our skills; and give ourselves the means to develop a diversified, high-quality service offering. Rather than acting on our own, the cooperative allows us to structure our work, coordinate our schedules, develop joint projects, and have more momentum to further our ambitions together.
What has been the biggest challenge in the process of starting and/or running the cooperative?
The biggest challenge for us was to get through the impact of the pandemic and the recession, which profoundly weakened our community. We started La Coop de Yoga during the pandemic. Like many yoga studios, we had to temporarily close our premises during the successive confinements, resulting in a significant loss of clientele and revenue.
Faced with the impossibility of maintaining a stable physical space due to the economic situation, we had to completely rethink our business model to keep La Coop de Yoga alive. This led to the idea of transforming ourselves into a mobile cooperative. We now travel to guide yoga classes in businesses, community organizations, hotels, and more. We also organize one-off events such as retreats, workshops, and group classes open to all.
This change of direction required a great deal of resilience and creativity. We had to rally members around a new vision, review our governance, adjust our ways of working, and find new ways to reach our clients. We were also saddened to lose our studio clientele, with whom we had created a strong and precious bond.
Despite everything, this ordeal has strengthened us: it has enabled us to adapt to the real needs of our members and to reinforce the solidarity between us, giving us a collective structure that is more viable for our members and more resilient for the future.
What is the best advice you received or the advice you would give someone else who is considering starting a cooperative?
The best advice we’d like to pass on is to take the time to get informed and surround yourself with the right people from the outset. Creating a cooperative is a wonderful project, but it requires a good understanding of the legal, financial, and—above all—human aspects of collective governance. Ideally, you shouldn’t hesitate to look for support: training courses, mentors, support networks, and resources specialized in the social economy.
You also have to accept that not everything can be decided alone. Learning to listen, to share power, to have healthy debate, and to find consensus is essential if the cooperative is to last over time.
Most of all, it’s necessary to have the flexibility to adapt the model to reality. You have to see the cooperative as a living thing and question yourselves often to stay aligned with the mission you want to cultivate.
What are you most proud of about your cooperative?
Our greatest pride is to have proved to ourselves that together, even in the face of adversity, we can create a sustainable, humane, and inspiring project. Over the years, we’ve seen the bond that customers have developed with La Coop de Yoga, and it’s touching for us to see how much good that yoga and our project do for people. We’re proud to have been able to develop knowledge we didn’t have initially, to keep our project alive and growing.
The theme of this year is Cooperatives Build a Better World, and we believe this change starts in our communities. How does your cooperative make your community a better place to be?
By offering yoga classes and workshops in different locations (e.g., community centres, parks, businesses, events), we meet people where they are and make the practice more inclusive. We take care to adapt our classes to all kinds of realities so that everyone feels welcome. Our mission is to make yoga as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.
We create spaces to break isolation, promote mental and physical health, and strengthen social ties. We collaborate with community organizations and sometimes offer free or solidarity-priced activities to reach audiences who might not otherwise have access to these services. By putting people, caring, and participation at the heart of our mission, we are helping to build a stronger, more balanced, and resilient community.
Curious to learn more?
To learn more about La Coop de Yoga, please check out their website, their Instagram page, and their Facebook page.
