With your yoga teacher training out of the way, you may have been inspired to embark on a teaching career. Of course, teaching is just one side of it, and the business of yoga another. Both are equally challenging parts of the journey to building a successful career.

Not only do you have to be dedicated to your craft as a teacher, but you also have to know about business or surround yourself with people who understand it. Most importantly, you have to be ready to fail, learn, and grow. With an open mind and heart, you can achieve what you set out to accomplish.

Starting a career can be especially challenging when you are newly qualified. With this mind, we have put some tips together to help you build the foundation for a successful teaching career, regardless of the path you choose.

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The Business of Yoga: Tips To Help You In Your Teaching Career

Define Your Reason For Being

There are many expectations on you as a yoga teacher. It is your responsibility to guide your students through their learning journey in a way that will impact their lives meaningfully.

This can be a lot to live up to and if you haven’t figured out your own reason for coming back to your mat daily, how can you inspire others to do the same?

So before you jump right into guiding practices, take a minute to figure out what yoga means to you. With a raison d’etre forefront in your mind, you will be much better prepared to lead your students and inspire them on their learning journey.

Nurture Your Own Practice

This is singularly the most important tip we can give to you. That is to keep up and nurture your own yoga practice regularly.

Not only will you be able to explore the depths of your mat to find inspiration for your teaching, but it will help you to stay grounded and empowered in your career.

The more you practice, the better you will be at teaching, and the more balanced you will feel personally.

Focus Your Vision

In the same way that you set an intention in your class, set one for your business. Call it a business plan if you may.

By now you engage in regular yoga practice yourself and have an idea of what you would like to focus on eventually and have in mind for the future.

Are you going to open your own studio or drop in at the one where you practice now? Will you teach group or private classes, workshops, retreats? What style of yoga resonates with you most? Are you going to do this in a studio, online, or perhaps become a traveling yoga teacher?

Because it is a challenging industry to get into, it is best to start to focus your interests early on. By answering the sort of questions we have just put to you, you can align yourself as an expert in the niche that resonates with you the most.

Create A Website and Social Profiles

Now to the admin side of the business of yoga. As a teacher, it is important to set up a website and social profiles to let students know who you are and where to find you. Everyone is online, so you need to be present there to get a share of the business.

Use your profiles to describe who you are as a teacher and what your business is all about. You are building a brand for yourself and creating your business identity, so it is important to put these together with intention.

After all, you want to draw in the right students who you will enjoy nurturing along the way.

Connect With Your Community

For any new teacher, it is beneficial to pick up some experience and confidence by teaching yoga classes at a studio first before moving onto leading more intensive retreats or workshops.

One way to start this process with the support of people you know is to connect with your own community first. If you have been keeping up your own practice, you either have a teacher yourself, or you frequent a studio where there are other yogis to connect with.

Engage with these people, and put the word out that you are looking for teaching opportunities. It may turn out that someone in your community knows of an available teaching position that might be a fit for you, or your studio has a few extra classes available for you to pick up and teach.

Consider Your Progression

With a bit of teaching experience under your belt, the vision for your yoga business will come into better focus.

For most people, teaching classes in a studio is the stepping stone to offering private classes, then moving onto leading retreats, or owning a studio.

This is because the income streams are generally better here, and if you are planning on making a career out of your teaching, you need to be able to support yourself.

Don’t Be Afraid To Hire A Great Team

If you are organizing retreats or even considering opening up a studio, there are certain key people who you should consider adding to your business.

These positions will be determined by what you branch into, but at the end of the day, having a qualified team who can do what they do best to support your dream, will give you more time to do what you do best. That is to teach!

The business of yoga is like all others, the most successful are backed by a great team. And while you learn how to be a teacher on your YTT, you do not necessarily learn how to keep accounts or market a business. Pick your battles wisely!

Be Present

Through it all, building a successful teaching career is an exciting time of your life. You can expect to grow personally, professionally, and spiritually on this journey so remember to be present at all times and take each day and lesson as it comes.