Yoga Teacher Training: How to Open Your Own Business
After completing yoga teacher training, some yogis may have visions of spare wooden floors lined with rubber mats, students stretching into deep warrior poses and gently burning incense. Opening your own business can be a rewarding way to share a love of yoga with your community while engaging in a satisfying, profitable enterprise. In most cases, opening your own yoga business means first establishing a yoga studio. Later, you can offer your own yoga teacher training classes to paying students.
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Things You'll Need
- Business license
- Liability insurance
- Schedule
- Pricing scale
- Location
- Mats
- Yoga straps
- Eye pillows
- Music equipment
- Website
- Grand opening
Instructions
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Scout the competition and local demographics. It may sound strange to consider "competition" in the light of yoga, but businesses must offer something different or desirable in order to survive. If a number of fitness-focused yoga studios have already been established in the community, consider offering yoga instruction that includes meditative or spiritual components. On the other hand, if holier-than-thou yoga businesses abound, try offering something more accessible. Find a niche, such as prenatal yoga, surgery-recovery classes or partner yoga.
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Complete legal forms. Most yoga studios operate as sole proprietorships, but research and select your legal structure before filing paperwork. Yogis unfamiliar with the process may want to consult with professionals. You'll also need to apply for a business license and purchase liability insurance.
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Develop class schedules and pricing scales. Yoga businesses commonly stack classes during morning and evening time slots so that students can attend class before or after work, but busy studios also offer afternoon classes. Consider offering yoga classes of different types--for example, Ashtanga, Iyengar or Vinyasa--to appeal to numerous students.
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Market the yoga business. Hold a grand opening, offering free introductory yoga classes to community members and opportunities for students to intermingle with teachers. Websites promote upcoming events, including kirtan sessions, teacher trainings or meditation workshops. Offer to lecture area businesses, doctors' offices or schools on the positive effects of regular yoga practice.
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Tips & Warnings
No nationally recognized "certification" for yoga instruction is in place as of 2010-- instead, teachers may file with a national registry of yoga instructors after completing a minimum of 200 hours of training. But you should require any teachers hired to demonstrate competency or registration status in their chosen format. Hold auditions to get a better understanding of teaching style and philosophy.
When searching for a location, choose spots that offer ample parking for students. Make sure that outside traffic or noise won't interfere with class instruction; install soundproofing to build quiet practice spaces for students.
Take care to install simple, discreet payment options for students to avoid long lines at the front door. Your yoga teachers may feel uncomfortable pressing students for payment, given the sometimes-spiritual relationship between them. Hire a front desk receptionist, or require students to buy class passes online to avoid numerous cash transactions at the door.
Ask yoga teachers to inquire about student injuries or limitations before beginning class instruction to prevent accidents or further injury.
References
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