What Class Is Right For Me
There are many styles of yoga classes taught today. Some are very physically challenging and will leave you sweating others are gentle and restorative. Some teachers play music in class others dont. Some classes include references to yoga philosophy and spirituality others dont.
Here are a few types of classes your yoga studio or gym may offer:
Hatha: Most yoga styles being taught in America today are a form of hatha yoga, which is a general term that refers to the physical part of yoga, rather than yoga philosophy or meditation. A Hatha yoga class is likely to be a combination of poses and breathing exercises, but its hard to know whether it will be challenging or gentle. Check with the school or the teacher to find more about the level of classes that are described only as Hatha yoga.
Ashtanga Yoga: This is a challenging style of yoga that is centered around a progressive series of yoga sequences that, traditionally, students practice on their own under the guidance of a teacher. If you think that yoga is not a workout, you havent tried an Ashtanga class. Classes include advanced poses such as arm balances and inversions including headstands and shoulder stands. Beginner students are strongly advised to study with an experienced teacher. Ashtanga classes will also often include teachings in yoga philosophy.
Note: Its a good idea to try several yoga classes. How much you enjoy any class will come down to how much you like the teacher, not how its labeled.
Physical Benefits Of Yoga
The most common misconception of yoga is that it’s all about stretching. While working deeper into the length of ligaments and muscles can be an aspect of yoga, there is an equal emphasis on strength and agility, Rebecca tells us. This strength-building aspect is so important as it helps your body maintain the various poses in the practice.
Yoga is a form of strength training, that can have huge benefits particularly for women over 50. As you age, you naturally lose bone density and muscle, by practicing yoga you can build strength and reduce your risk of osteoporosis. Youll feel strong and powerful as you move through the yoga poses which can also be a big confidence booster.
The mindful practice can also help you with how to breathe better, says Rebecca. Regular practice allows you to breath deeper, strengthen the diaphragm, and allows the lungs to work more efficiently, she adds.
A lesser-known benefit of yoga is it can actually reduce bloating and aid digestion. The gut-brain axis refers to how the gut can be affected by psychological stress. By practicing yoga and reducing stress, some people believe you can actually improve gut health and increase circulation through movement. Research even shows that yoga is an effective complementary treatment for those with Inflammatory bowel disease because of its stress-reducing abilities.
Best Yoga Poses For Weight Loss
If you’re new to yoga, a good way to start is to reach out to a local studio or hire a yoga instructor.
“With a few lessons from a private instructor, one can learn to perform common breathing exercises and postures, and learn a little more about the history and philosophy of yoga,” Johnson says. “An experienced instructor can guide an individual on the proper alignment of the body in the postures based on the individual’s unique ability and experience.”
If you’re already active, but want to incorporate yoga as part of a weight loss plan, try working it in a couple of days per week as a supplement to your other workouts, Cheswoeth says.
Quick tip: If you feel intimidated by the idea of yoga or you don’t have a local studio available to you, you can check out online resources, many of which are free and offer yoga for all types of levels.
Some poses you can start with at home include:
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The Ultimate Guide To Opening A Yoga Studio
Ashtanga, hot, power, laughter, yoga classes are more popular and unique than ever before. According to a survey on 2,000 Americans on their yoga habits, 64% want to practice more in 2019 than they did in 2018. Yogas popularity continues to skyrocket with a whole new generation of yogis willing to spend a lot of money on it.
Yoga is big business in the U.S with revenue expected to reach $11.6 billion by 2020, a considerable jump from the 2012 figure of $7 billion. Taking the steps from a yoga teacher to a yoga studio owner is a huge task. As a first-time business owner, there is a lot that you need to consider. To help you on your business journey, here is the ultimate guide to opening a yoga studio.
S To Start A Yoga Teacher Training Program
There are many benefits associated with hosting your own yoga teacher training program, including a significant increase in revenue and a new pool of talented teachers to teach at your studio. In the past, weve gone through some critical considerations forholding a YTT program in hopes of helping you make the decision whether or not to do it. Today, were covering the steps you need to take to start a YTT program at your school.
To start, youll want to decide if youre going to register your program with the Yoga Alliance and be aRegistered Yoga School . This is a big decision, and what you decide impacts just about everything else that follows.
If you do work with the Yoga Alliance to become an RYS, they will require you to submit your training materials for approval. You must also set up your program per their requirements in terms of who is eligible to teach your YTT classes and what must be taught in them.
Advocates for the Yoga Alliance and RYS programs say the RYS distinction lends credibility and reputability. Many teacher training candidates want to register with the Yoga Alliance once they complete their YTT program, but they wont be able to unless your school is an RYS.
Build or Buy a Manual and Curriculum
Set Your Training Schedule
Consider Protecting Your Intellectual Property
Figure Out the Financials
Set Expectations with a Contract
Plan Your Instructor Schedule
Set Up Registration in Your Software
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Yoga Helps With Stress And Relaxation
Another key benefit of yoga is that it helps with stress. Accumulation of stress can cause your nervous system to be constantly in overdrive, making it difficult to unwind, focus, and sleep. The breathing exercises you practice during yoga can help lower your heart rate and shift your nervous system into a more relaxed state. It also promotes better sleep and increased focus.
For people with a more spiritual background, the effects of practice start to be felt beyond the physical body and off the mat. Yoga can help connect you more deeply to your sense of purpose and awareness of living in the present. As you start your journey, what you get out of the practice can also change based on your needs.
Takeaway
Practicing yoga can help with body awareness, flexibility, strength, mobility, and balance. It also requires you to shift into a more relaxed state, which can help decrease stress, increase focus, and promote a stronger connection with yourself.
Start An Online Yoga Studio
Yoga is unlike conventional gym exercises that require equipment of different sizes. A yoga mat and a quiet space devoid of distraction are all that you need to be able to practise it. As a new yoga instructor, setting up an online yoga studio and getting an online following is no doubt easier and less expensive to do than building a physical studio from the ground up.
Once you have created an account on a video hosting site like YouTube, you can start uploading your videos and sharing them on your social media accounts. Internet users couldn’t get enough of how-to videos, so posting a new sequence of yoga poses regularly will grow your online community in no time. Soon, your followers will want to know where else they can see you besides the internet.
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Mindfulness And Meditation Exercises
Both mindfulness and meditation are integral parts of the yoga practice. As mentioned earlier, physical yoga practices aim to prepare the body and mind for meditation.
There are two simple elements that define mindfulness:
Below is a simple, mindful counting meditation that you can practice at home:
Meditation technique
Scope Out The Competition
The next consideration when choosing a suitable location is checking out the local competition. How many other yoga studios are in that area? Is the area saturated?
It doesnt mean you shouldnt open your yoga business in that space, but it does mean youll need to bring a better product to the market.
Check the competition out. See what their customer experience is like. Explore what the quality of teaching is like and what offerings they have. How busy are the classes at peak and off-peak times? Youll soon get a sense if theres space for more.
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Getting Started With Yoga
, a Yoga Medicine instructor based in London. You can follow her journey at alicelouiseyoga.com.
Yoga isnt one-size-fits-all, but its one of the few exercises that actually offers different sizes for people to try. If youre new, its worth trying different styles to find which best resonates with you. Heres a summary of the main types of yoga:
Iyengar This type is a combination of standing and seated postures using props for people who want to focus on alignment, posture, and gain increased muscular power and range of motion.
Viniyoga A class thats focused on breathing and meditation for people with limited mobility or who want to work from the inside out, to experience relaxation, body awareness, and better posture.
Jivanmukti A set sequence that incorporates meditation, compassion, chanting, and deep listening, for people whowant to incorporate spiritual elements and ancient teachings of yoga in their practice while gaining body awareness, learning Sanskrit, and improving relationships.
Hatha This type uses yoga poses and breathing techniques to align and calm the body, mind, and spirit in preparation for meditation. Classes are slower paced, but holding the poses can be more physically demanding.
Vinyasa This dynamic type synchronizes movement with breath and may be referred to as a flow class. Expect to move faster than in a traditional Hatha class.
Spending Too Much Money On The Wrong Location
Finding a suitable location within your budget in the right place will be one of the biggest challenges you face. Are there enough people in the area that can visit your studio easily, and is it easy to reach? If theres a problem with parking or no transport links, then the location isnt ideal. The location will be one of the most expensive parts of your business. Whether you buy it or rent, if the area isnt right, it could lead to a problem very early on in your business.
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Fire Up A Business Plan
Writing a business plan sounds scarier than it is. Its really just a time to get creative and think through your business goals. All those great ideas you have for your business and how youll succeed? Nows the time to write em down!
- Summary: What is your business and what will you do?
- Objectives: What are your goals for your business?
- Offerings: What types of classes will you offer? WIll you sell products, too? Are you charging per class, a monthly subscription, packs of classes or all three?
- Operations Plan: How will you meet your goals? Who will manage your studio? Who will be your instructors? How will you structure your class schedule?
There are even some great resources out there, so you can kind of fill in the blanks for all the business plan steps you need to take.
How Do I Get Clients For Yoga
Here are our top five recommendations for attracting more yoga clients .
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Types Of Yoga Explained
Rocket, Dynamic Vinyasa and Ashtanga are all high-energy flow, including Insta-worthy moves like arm balances and backbends .
Mandala is pretty dynamic too, moving 360 around the mat, with classes themed around the elements and their corresponding target areas in the body: Water , Fire , Earth and Air .
Jivamukti is also flow, and has a different philosophical or ethical focus each month.
Kundalini aims to stimulate specific mental energy through meditation, mantras, chanting, breathing and movement.
Iyengar is form and alignment focused, using lots of props, and is great for injury rehabilitation.
Hatha, in Sanskrit, is the overarching word for all physical yoga practice but in the Western world it generally refers to a more gentle, accessible flow class.
Yin-Yang follows a similar theme, leading on to Yin, which targets the deep connective tissue between muscles with long-hold poses , to increase circulation to the joints and instil calm.
Nidra goes one further, dropping you into a state of conscious sleep for the ultimate, meditative relaxation .
Hot, and Pregnancy, do what they say on the tin.
And Qi Jong is a lovely offshoot, similar to Tai Chi, which aims for deep restoration via gentle moving meditation and breathing.
How Do You Keep Yourself Motivated
The logistics of setting up your home yoga space are simple. The hardest part for most people is simply finding the motivation we can help with that too.
Thankfully, there are a handful of different ways that you can foster a positive yoga environment without leaving the comfort of your home. Here are three tips to help encourage a consistent yoga schedule:
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Get Ready To Market Your Yoga Studio
Once you start developing your yoga studio, you need to get the word out there. Before the grand opening of your studio, your marketing efforts will go towards hosting a busy event with plenty of buzz around your new space. Yoga is a highly saturated market with studios popping up regularly. To make sure your studio is noticed and stands out from the competition, you need a solid marketing plan.
Thanks to the internet, getting the word out there has never been easier. A good marketing plan includes social media marketing, your website, content marketing, and events. Weve put together a guide on effective marketing tips to take your yoga studio to the next level.
Here are some excellent marketing inspiration reads from thought leaders:
- 11 Seconds to Success: The Queen of Snapchat on Living Your Dreams and Ruling Social Media by Cyrene Quiamco this book is a fantastic place to start for beginners new to snapchat. Find out more about storytelling through snapchat.
- Future Marketing: Winning in the Prosumer Age by Jon Wuebben Content Launch co-founder shows how technological and cultural changes that are currently happening will affect marketing.
Risks And Side Effects
Many types of yoga are relatively mild and therefore safe for people when a well-trained instructor is guiding the practice.
It is rare to incur a serious injury when doing yoga. The most common injuries among people practicing yoga are sprains and strains.
However, people may wish to consider a few risk factors before starting a yoga practice.
A person who is pregnant or has an ongoing medical condition, such as bone loss, glaucoma, or sciatica, should consult a healthcare professional, if possible, before taking up yoga.
Some people may need to modify or avoid some yoga poses that could be risky given their specific condition.
Beginners should avoid advanced poses and difficult techniques, such as Headstand, Lotus Pose, and forceful breathing.
When managing a condition, people should not replace conventional medical care with yoga or postpone seeing a healthcare professional about pain or any other medical problem.
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Your Budget For Practicing Yoga
Low budget:
Its possible to do yoga entirely for free! Follow online videos and use household items as props. Wear comfortable clothing you already own and that you can move easily in.
But remember, for every great yoga video on YouTube, there are hundreds or thousands that arent so great. Choose wisely by looking at reviews, views, and into the background of the trainer featured in the video. Check out our top picks for yoga videos to get you started.
Moderate budget:
Purchase a yoga mat and attend classes at your gym, community center, or through an online yoga subscription site. If your cash flow allows it, you can purchase a multi-class package or a membership at a yoga studio to maximize the bang for your buck. Consider making a purchase of two or three pieces of clothing designated for yoga practice.
Large budget:
Purchase a yoga mat, two blocks, a strap, and a bolster for your home practice. Schedule private sessions with a highly recommended teacher , then begin to layer on group classes. Consider becoming a member at your favorite studio. Invest in a yoga wardrobe that moves with you and brings you joy!
