The Business of Yoga: Staff

Beverley Murphy – Owner and director Beverley Murphy began her teaching career over eleven years ago at Yoga Zone in New York City. Within six months, she was supporting herself so successfully, with classes and a flourishing private practice, that she left a Columbia  University PhD program to focus on yoga full-time.  As one of their senior teachers, she was featured on the Yoga Zone TV show and the line of Yoga Zone Videos.  In 2001, together with Yoga Zone founder and ISHTA Yoga creator Alan Finger, husband Bob Murphy and fellow senior teacher Jean Koerner, Beverley bought three Yoga Zone studios in New York City and Westchester County and changed the name to Be Yoga.  Beverley laughs when she says, "As a new mother, I thought running a yoga studio would be a nice part time job"!   Part-time became 24/7 and the trio learned the hard way how to create a successful yoga business -- by making a lot of mistakes!  Learning through experience, and implementing Beverley’s background in media and advertising as a former media planner at Young & Rubicam, over the next four years the Be Yoga studios grew three-fold to become one of the largest yoga schools in New York City, growing a committed student base of 2,000 students per week in spite of 9/11 and one of the worst recessions in New York City history.  In 2002, Be Yoga added a fourth studio on the Upper East Side; it broke even six weeks after opening its doors. Under Beverley’s direction, the Be Yoga Teacher Training program grew to be one of the largest and most successful Teacher Training programs in the country, training 200 teachers annually from around the world. With a Master’s degree in Health Sciences from Johns Hopkins University and four years of doctoral-level work in preventive and complementary medicine at Columbia University School of Public Health, Beverley brought a unique synthesis of a Western academic approach and a traditional yogic practice to her teaching and the structure of the Be Yoga program. As one of the premiere studios and Teacher Training programs in the country, in 2004 Be Yoga studios were targeted and acquired by the national yoga company Yoga Works. The success of the Be Yoga Teacher Training program, from the structure, content and curriculum, to the marketing and branding, was the driving force behind the Yoga Works purchase.  Many of the concepts and much of the curriculum from this training now appear in multiple markets across the country and around the world!   Beverley remained as Head of NY Teacher Training and Teacher Management for Yoga Works before leaving, always an entrepreneur at heart, to pursue her own business in 2005.  Wanting to share the wisdom of her experience (and mistakes!) with others, Beverley is now a consultant to yoga studios, businesses and teachers, as well as running a successful retreat business (her March 2007 retreat is already nearly sold out).  In addition to consulting, as Director of MindBody University Beverley designs, curates and leads wellness business conferences for MindBody Online clients from all over the world.  She continues to teach workshops and classes in New York City and East Hampton, Long Island, where she lives with her husband and daughter and pursues her passion for organic gardening and land conservation.   Julie Blumenthal – Administration, content and technological support A yoga teacher with a background in fiction, PR, journalism and the arts, Julie loves providing “yogi support” as a means of staying connected in the yoga community and helping teachers and studios marry yoga practice with successful business and more easeful living. The former Administrative Director of Teacher Training and Event Programming at Be Yoga, Julie is skilled in all aspects of event and training administration, from marketing, booking and registration to scheduling, content and Yoga Alliance accreditation.  Combined with her expertise as a yoga teacher and a writer, this background gives her a comprehensive approach to all aspects of yoga business, from concept to creation of curriculum and materials to execution and implementation.  Julie’s previous incarnations include professional theater work as a writer, director, producer, stage manager and reviewer; international marketing; music publishing and training in classical voice. 500-hour RYT certified through Be Yoga, Julie has been a part of Yoga Path from its inception, and continues to work and teach in the New York City area. She is very happy to be working with Beverley. When not on her mat or her computer, Julie practices kirtan, studies with favorite teachers including Beverley, Alan Finger, Glenn Black, Kofi Busia, Sarah Powers and Angela Farmer and pursues her loves in theater, music, biology, world religion and philosophy.   Bob Murphy – Consulting, marketing and technological support Currently the Executive Vice President and CMO/CFO of MindBody Online, Bob owned and oversaw Be Yoga for four years with Alan Finger and his wife, Beverley Murphy.  Bob holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Boston University and brings strong entrepreneurial skills to every task, having created a real estate company and an online commercial real estate database company that became the second largest online data provider, and subsequently sold during the dot-com era.  Prior to joining MindBody in 2005, Bob was Director of New York Operations at Yoga Works. Bob enjoys his yoga practice (especially Beverley’s classes), golf games, and spending time with his three children. For Teachers | For Studios | Teacher Trainings and Specialty Events  | Who We Are