Yogis everywhere are enrolling in teacher training, quitting their day jobs and pursuing a career in yoga. 

Leaving everything behind to become a full-time yoga teacher seems like a dream come true, right? I definitely thought so. 🙂

The reality is… Building a career as a yoga professional isn’t as glamorous as it sounds. In fact, it’s challenging, exhausting and full of ups and downs you wouldn’t foresee.

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The good news is: It’s totally worth it!

…It’s worth it assuming you put in a considerable amount of time working on the “business side” of yoga.

This means adopting an entrepreneurial mindset, building a yoga website, learning how to market yourself, etc.

If you are here because you want a fulfilling career in the yoga industry, this post is for you. You’ll learn 7 business tips to ensure you have a flourishing yoga career!

Let’s get after it!

1) Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset

If you’re hoping to make a sustainable long-term career teaching yoga, adopting an entrepreneurial mindset will set you up for success. After all, yoga teachers and entrepreneurs are one in the same. (Say whaaat?)

Most yoga professionals don’t realize this at the time of becoming certified. It’s easy to push aside the heavy lifting of owning your own business while spinning your wheels indefinitely while you “try to make it.” In turn, this leads to frustration, lack of motivation and burnout. No bueno.

Owning and operating your own business takes sincere effort, hard-work and time. It’s not for the faint of heart – as riding the ups and downs can be difficult on your own. As an entrepreneur, you will “wear many hats” – meaning you’ll be in charge of marketing, accounting, social media, sales… while teaching yoga. 

If this sounds daunting right now, that’s OK!

Here are a couple ways to “adopt an entrepreneurial mindset”

• Learn new skills – don’t know how to create a website? Find a resource to help
• You’re responsible for your business – no excuses, no one to blame. Take action!
• Diversify your income – yoga teachers cannot survive by studio classes alone. Find other ways to increase your income

2) Be Specific and Find your Niche

We can’t be everything to everyone. In the same vain, your yoga business can’t satisfy the needs of every kind of yogi. 

Figuring out who you’re meant to serve will help you stand out amongst the crowd.

Competition exists in all industries, but with the popularity of yoga skyrocketing in recent years, the need to stand out is not only important, it’s crucial.

Having a well defined yoga niche will help you:

• Stand out more against competition
• Prevent “burnout” – you’ll be more fulfilled “doing your thing
• Improve your marketing – easier to find “your people”
• You will attract the “right students” who deeply connect with your style
• Attract more authenticity in your life – while remaining authentic yourself

Your yoga niche doesn’t have to be the only thing setting you apart from the rest. Consider other aspects of your business where you could stand out; customer service, a beautiful website, or your weekly newsletter goodies.

3) Build Your Network

No one ever built a successful business in isolation! Although entrepreneurs most often start out solo, the support from your network will keep you afloat. The more widespread your network, the more access you’ll have to potential clients, future partnerships, and perhaps most importantly – advice.

Creating a network of strategic partnerships is what will move your business in the right direction. You can use your social platforms to expand your network, but keep in mind that etiquette and types of people you’ll find will vary from platform to platform.

For instance, who and how you interact with on a Facebook group for yoga teachers is much different than Linkedin. That being said, don’t be shy about engaging in a conversation in social media groups to meet new people who could be beneficial for the growth of your business. This group activity and conversation is also where you can learn a lot not only about your potential target market, but about running a business in general!

4) Learn to Market Yourself (and your business!)

Marketing is arguably the most important aspect of your business, and it’s where most yoga teachers and businesses get stuck. Without a good marketing strategy, there is no way for anyone to know about you or what you’re offering. Intelligent marketing will help you build your personal brand, promote classes, workshops, courses, retreats, and events.

As you already know, the yoga industry is becoming more saturated by the day. Being able to stand out in the crowd will help you reach potential clients and grow your presence in the industry.

One of the most important business marketing tips as a yoga professional is finding your niche (see above!). Once you discover what your niche is, you can better focus your marketing efforts to the right audience. Building an online community is another way to help market yourself and your offering. Create a private Facebook group, or coin your own hashtag for Instagram. Social media allows for a greater reach of people, which will only help you as you continue to marketing.

If you’ve already built your website, consider guest posting for other sites in the industry to help reach more people.

5) Fully Commit

Entrepreneurship is no joke. It’s a serious commitment. It’s full of hard work but can unlock tremendous freedom in your life. It’s a mindset. A lifestyle. A way of life. And it’s definitely not for everyone.

In order to have a fulfilling career as a yoga professional, you must be ALL in. Ask yourself… is creating a yoga business (and life of my dreams) one of the most important goals in my life right now? Or is this just something I’m playing around with?

It’s a great idea to test things out… but know that if you want to make this whole yoga business think work, you have to be all in.

Contents

• 0.1 “When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”–Kenneth Blanchard
• 1 Let’s wrap up
• 2 PS: Did you enjoy this article? Pin me!
  • 2.1 Was this helpful?

“When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”
–Kenneth Blanchard

Fully commit. Be ALL there. Work hard, play hard. It sounds so simple and easy, when it really takes an honest commitment, pure intentions and lots and lots of dedication to your owning your craft.

6) Diversify Your Offerings

Teaching at the studio is a great way to build your following, perfect your craft, and test out new ideas… but is it a good income source?

Here’s the reality. Teaching group yoga classes in the studio is not a very effective way to earn a living. It’s very expensive to own/operate a yoga studio which means yoga teachers don’t get paid very much per class.

Also, almost all full-time yoga teachers experience burnout at some point or another. If your only income came from studio classes, you’re pretty vulnerable to burnout, injury, etc.

So what can we do about it? Diversify your offerings!

“Successful” yoga teachers know this and earn income from many sources! Retreats, Trainings, Online Revenue, Events, etc.

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7) Never Stop Learning

The most successful people never stop learning. We live in an information rich world, and technology makes accessing that information so easy.

Remaining curious in life will serve you well in your business endeavors. Even if your entire world revolves around yoga, there is always something more to learn. Stay educated by going to workshops, checking out new classes/teachers, online courses, books, videos, etc. Stretching your mind in new and unfamiliar ways, will help you become a more flexible and adaptable business owner. 

Let’s wrap up

If you’re passionate about making your dream a reality and creating a sustainable and fulfilling career in yoga, implementing these tips will get you started in the right direction.

Here a quick recap:

1. Adopt an entrepreneurial mindset
2. Find your niche
3. Build your network
4. Learn to market yourself (and your business)
5. Fully commit
6. Diversify your offerings
7. Never stop learning

Namaste,
Anne

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