We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Fiji McAl;ine. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Fiji below.

Fiji, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

I feel really lucky in my work with doyogawithme.com because we started with a vision and a purpose instead of a business and a product. We are really the little engine that could kind of company that has been moving our way forward fuelled by love and inspired by and idea we still believe in today. I feel that being guided by the dream is what has allowed our platform to create an offering that is very different from the new standard model for an online yoga provider.

What sets us apart is that we started as a place to find free, high quality, on demand yoga classes. The vision we are bringing into reality is making yoga more accessible to everyone around the world. I think anyone who practices yoga would agree, that the more people in the world doing yoga, the better the world will be. If the goal is to get more people on the mat, then the steps to getting there involve looking at what would draw people to the mat, and also what is preventing them from practicing yoga.

We started out in 2009, so standing out as an online platform was a bit easier as we were one of the only ones, but since covid brought forward a plethora of online yoga standing out can be more challenging. We are a small tight night business, so we won’t be able to compete with the Hollywood Style corporate backed sites as far as marketing goes. What we can do is stay true to our vision which is where we still stand out, and stand up for all those who still have yet to experience the benefits of yoga. We continue to focus on removing the barriers to yoga such as cost with free content for those who need it to be, on demand classes so you can do yoga at any time it works for you, a variety of styles, teachers, and levels so there are classes for every body. We also have incredibly skilled, experienced, and relatable teachers that resonate with people on a heart level.

We have grown a great deal in the past 15 years and this is has been made possible because of our sustaining members. These are devoted individuals who choose to pay a small annual subscription that allows the company to grow in size and quality of product, but most importantly it allows us to continue to offer a big portion of our content free. Essentially it is our team of incredible yogis who are paying it forward, and joining us in our mission and vision.

The stories we have heard over the years bring tears of joy and gratitude on a regular basis. People writing in and sharing that our site was the only way there were able to practice yoga, and that being able to do so helped them navigate through difficult times. What is always touching to me, it to have the opportunity to meet these people in person at a conference or retreat and get to meet and hug these people who have been growing with us for the past decade.

It really is incredible to see how giving from the heart, brings back so much appreciation in return.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I came to the mat in my early 20s when I was recovering from a back injury and looking for some pain relief. The practice did much more than help heal my back of course, which is how the magic of yoga works. I was struggling with anxiety and a significant eating disorder, and over the next few years yoga helped my to once again feel my body, and begin to love and appreciated it.

I am a living example of how you can grow into yourself through this practice, I really feel it is healing by revealing the true nature of who you are. Because of my own experience and journey I feel drawn to share this with others and have been teaching yoga for over 20 years now. When I met David Procyshyn (Founder of DoYogaWithMe) in 2009 I was immediately onboard with his vision to create an online platform sharing yoga with everyone everywhere. At that time in my life I wanted to scream from the mountain top “Do yoga, it will transform you into the best version of yourself!!” He kind of gave me the ability to do that, as my first big yoga video, connection to core, was filmed on top of a mountain!

Those first days of filming with David were so fun, hard and pretty hilarious! He did all the filming with one camera which would take hours for a 45 minute class, then doing voice overs in the basement, waiting months for one video to be edited, and finally it would be posted online. Somehow we plugged along over the next few years and started to build out the offering, other teachers started to join in, and we grew into a real online community. Followers were enthusiastic and loyal, and our reach organically spread from person to person, town to town, country to country. It is hard to believe that I have hundreds of classes on the site, as do other devoted teachers. There are classes to meet everyone’s needs and it feels good to know that classes yoga is accessible for those who might not be able to practice due to money, time, or location.

Now we have over 300,000 active users on the site, we lead international retreats each year, and have an ongoing Yoga Teacher Training Program! I get to work infant of the camera and behind the scenes in some very meaningful ways and can truly saying I am living my purpose, and making a positive impact in the world by sharing what I can.

I hope to be doing this the rest of my life, and to watch the ripples positive impact roll out into the world.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think yoga has been a journey of pivoting repeatedly back towards myself and simple truths that have always been there. It has been a slow shift towards accepting my purpose, and being brave enough to listen to my internal compass rather than external expectations.

I have taught yoga for the past 20 years, and been a teacher for doyogawithme.com for 15. That being said, I did not “let” myself believe I could have a career in wellness until about 5 years ago. I always had a “real job” and did yoga as my souls work on the side, something that sustained me and gave me such a feeling of meaning. I had the opportunity to challenge my limited beliefs when I went through a divorce, and had to choose how I would step back into the workplace as a single parent. It was the choice of play it safe, or shoot for the stars.

These moments in life where we have to pivot or choose a different path, often seem like obstacles in the moment, but are sometime big legs up into the life we are meant to be leading. I took the leap, stepped fully onto my path, and stoped walking the path that others thought I should. Once I made the choice the path became clear and opportunities appeared. I have been able to step into a full time role with doyogawithme.com and wake up everyday excited to work, and inspired and supported by the small team I work with. My work feels appreciated and impactful which brings such a sense of contentment and renews my desire to do even more.

I can’t believe how quickly everything changed once I changed my perception and expanded what I believed was possible.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met David Procyshyn in 2009 when the two of us started teaching yoga at a studio in Victoria, BC. This was the sweetest little neighbourhood studio that became a hub for the community and a launching point for many people in their wellness journey.

Shortly after meeting David he told me about his vision for doyogawithme.com, free online yoga classes for the world. Now that might seem mainstream today, but back then it seemed a bit out there for many people, but not me! I thought it was an incredible idea and was so excited to be part of it, I was surprised that others who were being asked about it didn’t see what potential it had to grow into something big.

In the beginning it really was just him and I, plus his partner at the time Anastasia. To be honest we were all doing it because we loved yoga, and because David is genuinely one of the most incredible humans on the planet. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but really it is the truth of how I feel. David is one of the most grounded, kind, and authentic people I know and I have learned so much from him about living your yoga over the years.

We have developed a great friendship over the years, growing the business and our families along side it. Funny enough, because we teach so much together and have been there since the start, many people think we are married! While we are defiantly not married, I do consider David to be part of my family and has played a meaningful role in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: doyoagwithme.com and fijimcalpine.com
• Instagram: doyogawithme and fijimcalpine
• Facebook: doyogawithme
• Youtube: doyogawithme

Image Credits

DemiMarie Photography