Offer An Incredibly Clear Plan Of How Time Will Be Spent
This helps show that you know what you’re doing on the front end, and helps people know if the event will be for them in terms of how they prefer to learn and how they are comfortable spending their time.
It avoids mismatches in style and offers you a very clear checklist of what to do to meet attendee expectations.
Here’s a sample schedule that we use for very small retreats that combine group sessions with one-on-one coaching:
Friday:Afternoon: Optional additional coaching time or free time to work in the house or make use of the library.5:00 pm: Guests arrive, tour the property and amenities reception with cocktails and snacks.8:00 pm: Dinner, introductions. Module 1.
Saturday:
10:00 am: Second round of one-on-ones12:30 pm: Lunch2:45 pm: Coffee and bathroom break3:00 pm: Module 84:00 pm: Departure for guests not staying for additional retreat days
Lesson #: Have An Evaluation Process
Private yoga sessions are not the same as your regular classes. As a teacher who offers individualized instruction, its a disservice to both you and your clients to teach one-on-one lessons in the same way you would teach a group. Private yoga teachers should perform an evaluation process at the start of each potential client relationship. This sets the tone for the work that lies ahead. Whether you evaluate clients with a range of motion assessment move them through a set sequence of yoga poses or have a lengthy conversation about their health history, goals, and personal background , you want to implement an evaluation process that outlines how youll customize your instruction for your clients’ individual needs.
How To Become A Yoga Teacher
As the saying goes: If you love your job, youll never have to work a day in your life. While some days might be better than others, this is an excellent mantra to have when youre deciding whether to become a yoga instructor or not.
If you love yoga, pursue that passion.
Once your mindset is ready, its time to get down to business and figure out what you need to do on the certification side to make teaching yoga a reality. First off, to receive a yoga certification, its recommended that you enroll in a 200-hour training course. This way youll be a certified yoga instructor and youll be able to become a private yoga instructor for adults.
But, before you rush off and enroll in a lengthy yoga teacher training program, theres a loophole to this: You dont actually have to get certified to teach yoga. While its a wise idea, if you are skilled in other areas of fitness and have taken other courses, you may be able to start offering yoga classes privately based upon your own knowledge and training. For example, perhaps youre a physical therapist who can also teach yoga, or maybe youre a childrens yoga instructor who is also a preschool teacher. If you want to teach yoga to kids, well then, bingo: You may not need to become a registered 200-hour yoga instructor.
The positive side to this is that you can get started teaching yoga right away, but the downside is that you may have a harder time finding potential adult clients if you havent taken a 200-hour training.
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Yoga Teacher Training: Getting Clients
Lets face it, its hard getting more yoga clients.
In most cases, new teachers spend thousands on a yoga teacher training course, just to hope someone shows up for your classes.
Or, you get some jobs teaching yoga, and you end up running to 10 different studios a week for $30 per class.
Youll spend more on petrol.
But, it doesnt have to be like that. Here are my top 5 tips on getting more yoga clients .
Why Yoga Teachers May Want To Take Their Business Online
- Location independence live wherever you want and work remotely!
- Reach a wider market with your message its a global market!
- Assist with marketing your premium offerings like retreats and workshops!
- Increase income with another revenue stream who wouldnt want another revenue stream?
Its no secret that technology plays a major role in our society and the way we live our lives. Nearly all professions are able to take some aspect of their business virtual. Some do it to reach more clients, save/make money, and some go online so they can work remotely. There are endless reasons to take some or all of your business online, and were here to share with you how to do it in your yoga business.
At The Yoga Nomads, we want every yoga teacher to create a sustainable career delivering yoga to their tribe. Over the years of working with countless yogis all over the world, weve noticed that all successful yoga teachers share these 3 things in common which we call The Secret Sauce.
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Understand The Core Of Yoga
Yoga is not about extreme flexibility or contorting your muscles and spine into fancy shapes.
It’s about breathing, finding inner strength through meditation, and creating freedom in the body with basic yoga poses.
It’s truly that simple.
So dont worry about losing weight or bending over backwards . Instead, understand that yoga is a process and a lifestyle. The physical practice is only one of the eight limbs of yoga.
Know Your Major Competitors In The Industry
In every industry, there are usually brands that stand out and the yoga and Pilates industry is no different. Even though the yoga industry is one that is highly fragmented, there are still well known brands in the industry and their popularity is due to the fact that they have good yoga instructors, aggressive marketing and publicity campaigns, how long they have been in the industry and the kinds of yoga they offer to their customers.
Below are some of the leading yoga studios in the United States of America
- Shakti Yoga and Living Arts
- Bikram Yoga Manhattan
- CorePower Yoga Inc
Economic Analysis
The strong growth that has been experienced by the yoga industry is majorly due to four factors such as continued geographic expansion, an aging population, increased awareness as regards the different types of yoga, as well as the increase in awareness of the health benefits of yoga for everyone regardless of their ages.
Also, according to reports, more than 44 percent of Americans considered themselves as those that will develop an interest for yoga, which has made the yoga industry become very attractive to investors. The yoga industry has been regarded by buyers and investors to be recession proof which therefore means that the industry will continue to grow in the next ten years despite the state of the economy.
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Lesson #: Know Thy Ideal Clients
Understanding who you want to work with and what obstacles you are able to assist them in navigating is key for a private yoga teacher. When you are able to highlight the demographic that you gravitate toward teaching and are most passionate about helping, a sense of alignment enters each of your efforts. You are able to speak clearly about the benefits of your one-on-one sessions, and you can focus on targeted marketing efforts that speak to and attract your ideal clients. To help you uncover who you want to work with, start by bringing to mind the clients and students you enjoy working with right now, and ask yourself why you enjoy working with them. When I started teaching private yoga lessons, I gravitated toward working with triathletes because I was a swimming coach, so working with people who were training to swim competitively was intriguing for me. After working with athletes individually, helping them to refine their yoga practices through private sessions, I realized that my true passion was to teach people how to create their own home practice. I began to market my private sessions that way, and as a result attracted clients whose primary interests were developing home practices. As I got clearer about my “why,” my “who” evolved. Starting with my natural interests and passions paved the way for my ideal client to emerge and for me to piece together my niche. That will be a great starting place!
Develop Strategies To Boost Brand Awareness And Create A Corporate Identity
Every entrepreneurs dream is to have a business that not only generates revenue but also has amassed the right sort of publicity in the region where it is operating from. Publicity therefore is very vital to a business both new and already existing, which is why companies do not mind spending huge amounts of money to promote their business.
As a business, it is necessary that you develop strategies that will enable you to boost the awareness of your brand whilst creating a corporate identity for your company. The internet and also technology has made it very possible for companies to be able to reach more of their target market effectively but also cheap too.
Boosting the brand awareness of your yoga studio will help project your business to be recognized beyond the region it is operating from. Below therefore are some of the platforms that you can use in boosting the brand of your yoga studio, whilst also creating a corporate identity
- Use your social media platform such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google Plus to be interactive with your audience
- Visit popular blogs and give out tips and advice, thereby building your suggestions from there
- Create a dynamic website and use this to build an audience
- Encourage your loyal clients to help spread the word about your business
- Conduct different special classes for your paying clients
- Create a unique logo and have a popular slogan as well
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Be Ok With Networking
Thought youd escaped corporate culture by choosing to teach yoga? Maybe but networking is still essential in yogaits all about unity after all, isnt it? So it makes sense that developing the right connections can be key to a successful yoga career. Partnering with with companies selling products, other teachers, and other professionals, as well as your students can be a powerful way to grow your business. The goal is to create a network of people and businesses you align with that can also help increase your visibility.
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Ending Thoughts On How To Start A Yoga Business
A successful yoga studio is a place where people come together to work on their health, inside and out. Your business helps the community as people teach their bodies and minds to be healthy. Teaching yoga is a time-consuming but rewarding experience.
Starting a yoga business and becoming a success involves a lot of hard work. It is a journey of self-discovery and perseverance. So, use the principles in this article to plan and prepare for the emotional and financial investment of starting your yoga business.
If you enjoyed reading this article on how to start a yoga business, you should check out this one with yoga websites.
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Can I Teach Yoga Without Being Certified
The simple answer here is: Yes you can. There is no rule saying that you have to be certified in order to teach yoga or start a private yoga business. However, being a certified yoga instructor does make you look more professional to clients and businesses. Oftentimes this will allow you to charge higher rates based as well.
Something else to consider: If you have a niche, consider diving in and taking certification courses in that particular specialty. A niche will set you apart from other yoga teachers and help you build your business.
You Actually Have To Advertise
In my experience, yoga teachers are really well intentioned people who love to take care of themselves and take care of others. However, almost every yoga teacher I have ever met is not a business minded person, and has zero understanding of marketing and sales. This is an unfortunate reality, because unless you are very happy working as an underpaid employee at multiple studios the entire success of your career depends on your ability to become an effective freelancer. Freelancers of any kind must in some way advertise.
Advertising can feel uncomfortable. It means you have to put yourself out there. It might mean hanging your name and photograph somewhere public, where people will see it. It might mean communicating to your community that yes, you are really serious about your yoga career. It demands your commitment. Its scary! I squirmed and threw tantrums during the process of getting over this. After I landed my first private client paying $150/hour through advertising, I fell in love with the process of advertising and did it constantly.
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Prepare A Student Information Form
If you find a job teaching in a studio, it will likely keep student information forms and waivers on file. If youre teaching independently, its a good idea to create your own file. The form should include relevant information about each student, such as whether hes practiced yoga before, what other physical activities or sports she pursues, and any medical or physical conditions, including chronic or previous injuries. The waiver for students to sign should say, in essence, I agree to take full responsibility for not exceeding my limits in the practice of yoga and for any injury or discomfort I might experience. Names, phone numbers, and email addresses are helpful in case you need to reach students in an emergency. You can also ask permission to add students to your mailing list for future classes and workshops.
How To Get More Yoga Students: What Else Can I Do
As well as some of the tips above, there are plenty of other ways of marketing your business in general which will ultimately help you to get more private yoga clients!
In the long-term, developing a website and starting a yoga blog is one way that can really help to build your brand, which will ultimately help you to get more enquiries.
If you want to start to see the benefits of blogging for your yoga business, then find out how to start a successful fitness blog here.
Outside of marketing, dont forget the best way to build a good reputation and have people wanting to come to you for private yoga lessons, is to be good at what you do!
Want to know how you can be the best in the business? Do some research into what makes a good yoga teacher for some inspiration!
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Promise A Clear Deliverable
This is where I see a lot of retreats and intimate conferences get it wrong and then scramble to fill seats. Even top online marketers consistently get this wrong.
Conferences with 300 or 500 people and five tracks can attempt to cover a topic like everything going on in X industry right now that you need to know! but we all know that its pretty easy to leave those without having learned anything or even being sure you attended the right sessions.
When youre offing a small event, you must zero in on something that is achievable. In a weekend.
Since attendees need time to work to ensure theyve actually accomplished something! I recommend thinking of this as something you could cover completely in four to six hours of teaching. This gives you have time to cover your material while incorporating plentiful exercises to give people an opportunity to practice implementing what theyve learned, coming up with new questions and roadblocks, and getting those addressed so they are 100% ready to go when they get home.
Think of it like a promise you might make on a sales webinar, but that you will be including fundamental background, case studies, and guaranteed finishing on site about. Its great it if also speaks to people’s dreams for themselves. Operating on the power of daydreams of something better to pull one through the bland days leading up to departure is what powers most travel booking of any kind.
Create A Marketing Plan
Its not shameless self-promotion. People cant find you if they dont know you exist. Drawing on your message and market research, a marketing plan paints the big picture of your niche and/or brand and how youll connect with your audience. Its a plan of action for in-person outreach and building your online presence. Think about how you will reach people. What lines of communication will you use, and what will you say to them? Consistency is imperative.
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Yoga How To Open A Yoga Studio
As a yoga practitioner, you may have dreamt about opening a Yoga Studio. It sounds exciting, but it can be a nightmare for people who have never owned their own business. Some people assume that if they know how to teach yoga, they know how to run a yoga business simply because they understand the technical aspects of teaching yoga. However, the technicalities of a business and the teaching of yoga are two different things!
Here are several steps to follow:
1- Create a business plan. Write a winning business plan, even if you arent looking for investors. Having a dream to be a business owner is worthy, but its advanced planning that will turn that dream into a reality. After all, if you dont understand what your expenses are going to be, it makes no sense to get started at all. A business plan will help you to select the right space, hire an appropriate number of employees, and determine how much risk you are able to take.
Because leasing and building out a space will be your biggest startup cost, it is imperative that you decide how much space you will need per student and where, exactly, it makes the most sense to open your doors. A good rule is to figure on needing roughly 21 square feet for every practitioner. This estimate takes into account a two-by-six-foot mat and still allows for one to two extra feet per person.
3- Choosing your location and target market. Here you have some options as follows:
4- Name your studio.
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