Running a yoga business involves juggling all sorts of things at once, but your yoga studio should always be a focus. It's important not to forget the simple aspects of your yoga space, and what you can do to improve the health of your yoga studio itself, whether it's at home or on retreat. Your love of yoga may be apparent through your teaching, but reflecting it in your yoga space and taking some easy steps to improve your studio will help your business to be the best it can be.

Your love of yoga may be apparent through your teaching, but reflecting it in your yoga space and taking some easy steps to improve your studio will help your business to be the best it can be.

Think about the studio decor

The decor of your yoga space is one of the first things your students will notice. There's plenty of simple things you can do to improve the decor of your own yoga studio, or even the yoga space you're using on retreat.

When it comes to the yoga studio itself, good flooring should form the basis. It may not be in your control to change it, but make sure you test it out, especially when you're choosing a retreat location. Some people love big mirrors to help them improve their poses, and others would prefer to look at the surroundings, so keep that in mind too.

Natural light is the best for relaxation, so open those blinds! If it’s your own studio, think about painting the walls a color that will reflect the light to make it brighter, rather than darken the room.

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One of the keys to organizing a successful yoga retreat is to choose the right location and making sure the yoga space is right should be one of your priorities. If the basis of the yoga space, like the flooring and lighting is good, then you can still look for ways to improve the studio and add your own touches.

Music is an important element for some instructors and students and a good sound system will really help. If you have to, bring your own speaker system when you go away on retreat.

Declutter the yoga space and choose accessories carefully. A few pieces of simple artwork or some candles can add a calming touch, and these are things you can adjust whether the yoga studio is owned by you or not.

Get branded goods

People love swag, and if it's done well then they'll want to show it off. Consider branded clothing or accessories, like canvas bags, for your yoga business. A memento to take away from a yoga retreat, or something that can be taken away on retreat, could help to spread the word about your business.

Use social media

Using social media for your yoga business, whether it’s a studio or on retreat, will help to improve your visibility and marketing reach. You can use social media to keep people up to date with what’s happening in the yoga realm and with your studio or retreat and try and attract new followers who might then become customers.

Great photos are key, so if you’re not confident in your abilities hire a professional to help you advertise your yoga studio, or ask the retreat center to provide you with photos for marketing purposes.

Build an epic playlist

Music can completely change the mood of a yoga class, so think carefully about what you want to play. Will your yoga playlist make students be relaxed or energized? Teaching different types of yoga will require you to change things up, so make a few go-to playlists!

Host special classes and events

Offering a different sort of class or hosting a special event is a great way to improve your yoga studio or help your retreat stand out from the crowd. Have you ever thought running a class or retreat specifically for couples or families? Retreats don’t have to be multi-day, or away on some tropical island. You can host a “retreat” close to home or in your own yoga studio too!

Simplify your pricing

Pricing your retreat is one of the challenges of organizing a yoga experience, but pricing your normal yoga classes can be too. Simplified pricing is the best way to go, with the common structure showing prices for one class, 10 classes or unlimited classes.

Offer private classes

Offering private classes in your yoga studio or retreat space is a fantastic way to help you cover costs and improve the finances of your yoga studio. Some students may be self-conscious or just want more one-to-one help to improve their yoga practice, so make yourself available.

On retreat, attendees might be in the mood to make the most of their experience and improve as much as possible in a short time, so offer private classes as an extra option.

Clarify your finances

Running a yoga business is the same as any other, and keeping on top of your finances should be a priority. Think about outsourcing your accounts and using some of the great business tools available, like the WeTravel payment system, to keep on top of collecting funds for your retreat and promoting it at the same time. It's easy and free to create a trip on WeTravel so if you're planning a retreat at your studio or away then it's a great place to start.

WeTravel loves helping yoga instructors to improve their yoga business, so check out how it works and our retreat leader resources to turn your yoga business dreams into a reality!