A Conversation with Charlotte Everitt

Charlotte took over from previous Chair Jill Johnson last year. We talk to Charlotte about why she's taken on the role of Chair, what the organisation means to her, and what drives her.

What made you decide to take on the role of Chair? It wasn’t exactly my plan, but when the opportunity came up, I couldn’t ignore it. I joined the Executive Committee as one of the Manchester and District representatives in 2014. My first meeting was in York and as soon as I walked in, then-Secretary Helen White said “I wondered if it was you! How would you feel about being Secretary?” She was coming to the end of her term and needed a replacement, so within a couple of months I was on the Board. By the time Jill decided to stand down, I’d been on the Board for a number of years and felt pretty enmeshed within the fabric of the organisation. I’ve been involved in many of our decisions over the last few years – I’ve learnt about our history and why we do things the way we do – and I’ve contributed to the actions we’ve taken. So it didn’t feel like a massive leap to say that I would have a go.

How do you see your role as Chair – what's your biggest challenge? The biggest challenge I see is that across our membership we are all individuals, and, in many ways, very different people. What brings us together is Iyengar yoga, but that doesn’t mean we all think the same way about yoga, let alone anything else. Trying to ensure that we are making the right decisions – that represent our membership and reflect our values, but also allow us to develop and grow – that can be a tricky balance. On a personal level, finding time is my biggest challenge. I think the trick is to be able to have boundaries, and to prioritise. Once I understood that I was never going to get to the bottom of my to-do list, I was able to tackle the most important and urgent things with a lot more energy!

What does IY(UK) mean to you? My motivation very much comes from looking at our senior teachers, who have created and driven our association; I feel very strongly that we need to honour their work by continuing it. They have put so much into it, we have benefitted so much from it, that to not carry it on would be the height of ingratitude. IY(UK) provides me with support on two levels. One is the high-level support I get as a member and teacher – certifying teachers, monitoring ability and competence, teacher training and development, managing complaints and concerns, running the annual convention, supporting local events, providing information and connections, offering the link to RIMYI. The other is the day-to-day support I get as a person – the network and community, the friends I have made, the wisdom others have shared with me; maybe I would have got those things without IY(UK), but probably not to the extent that I have.

How can we improve as an organisation? No organisation will ever be perfect! We’re always going to be improving. I really appreciate the ethos by which we are all equal members and all able to participate in managing and running the organisation – that is very important to me, we’re not driven by the top-down. I like the sense of community that we create, the ability to find common ground between ourselves. And I value the sense of lineage we have, being able to trace back to our beginnings, I feel a real sense of solidity and robustness because of that. The things I find difficult are trying to get everyone onto the same page so that we can move forward (excuse the mixed metaphors). Every one of us is passionate about our own vision, and that is an amazing thing; but we don’t all have the same vision, which means we pull in different directions. I would like us to be more able to embrace and adapt to change – we do generally get there but it seems like that sometimes needs a lot of time and effort. I’d like us to do more to bring new members in and grow, but also have more members actively involved in our committees and working groups.

Have you been to Pune, and if so, what impact did it have on you? I have been incredibly fortunate to visit Pune three times (so far?) and had some fantastic experiences, with some amazing people. My first visit was in 2013, so I got to see Guruji in the flesh; my second was in 2016, when Geetaji was recovering from her illness – and was a delight to be around as she was clearly so pleased to be teaching again – and then in 2018, a couple of months before Geetaji passed. Mostly I learned that I can do (some) things that seem impossible. But I also learned Indian food is my favourite type of food…

How can we conserve the work of our founders without getting too backwards-looking? That’s the trick, isn’t it?! We are who we are because of our founders – Guruji and his family, our Indian teachers, and our UK and Ireland teachers who have done so much to drive Iyengar yoga in this country. It’s imperative that we continue to work with Prashant and Abhijata as we evolve and develop; they themselves recognise the need to develop and build, we can see that from the recent changes to certification levels. We need to have the discrimination to be able to distinguish between what’s a fundamental part of who and what we are, what’s beneficial to keep, and what we need to let go of in order to progress.

What would you like the legacy of your leadership of the organisation to be? My ideal would be to have an organisation which encompasses and includes all our students and practitioners across the country. It feels like we have a number of challenges facing us, all of which could be risks or could be opportunities. We have the recent shift to online yoga, as a result of the pandemic; we have the massive social movement around inclusion and diversity, especially around anti-racism but also other marginalised groups such as those with disabilities; we have ongoing difficulties around getting our members involved in our organisation, at both a local grassroots level and at the national level; we have the growth and success of more and more yoga studios which sit alongside our Member Groups as a means of bringing new members in; we have the explosion of social media and influencers promoting all sorts of yoga and wellness strands. I would like to leave the organisation in a position to grow and thrive, through ensuring that everyone can access and feel welcome in Iyengar yoga; understanding how we can not only address the challenges but go further and use them to create opportunities and advancements. We know what we have to offer, and we have all experienced the benefits in our own lives. I would like to leave a template for how we can offer more of those benefits to more people, in a sustainable way that ensures we can continue to grow and evolve over the coming decades.

What has yoga brought to your life on a personal level? I would say a sense of balance; the ability to step away; and a sense of direction. Also, a large drawer full of t-shirts. 