If you’re struggling with making a living as a yoga teacher, you’re not alone. Most people are not able to feed and clothes themselves teaching yoga for many years (if ever). The exceptions to this are often people who teach specialized yoga classes.
Mary was determined to make a living teaching yoga, but was frustrated at the amount of competition in our small town. She did not feel ready to teach studio yoga classes where you get paid per person and have to build your student base from the ground up. “I thought it was a market that I would be good at and I thought there was a need for this. People are often stressed at work and yoga helps you relax at the same time heals your body”. So she created a niche for herself by catering to businesses for on-site yoga classes. She designed herself a logo, a brochure, and a website. To the business card and brochure she added a bio, testimonials from her students, studies showing the benefits of yoga in the workplace, and a cover letter to create a professional packet of information. Then she asked everyone she knew for contacts in the corporate world who might be amenable to yoga and made cold calls as well. She now teaches at corporations for an average of $100 per class.
Brooke loves yoga, but in the highly competitive market of Los Angeles knew that it might be years before she could even get hired by a yoga studio. With a degree in drama and education and extensive experience with children, Brooke created hybrid yoga/drama classes for children that immediately appealed to the entertainment industry target market. Within months of her children’s yoga certification, Brooke was teaching 10 classes a week and paying most of her bills through teaching.
Look for a need in your community and then fill it.
- Does your area have a lot of retirees with expendable income? Consider teaching yoga for seniors.
- If you’re a parent and it seems like everyone you know these days is too, you might want to teach kids yoga.
- Some people just adore being around pregnant moms and babies. If it seems like there is a baby boom going on, think about creating a business around pre and post natal yoga.
- If you’re retiring from the corporate world, why not put your contacts to good use by teaching yoga at corporations and businesses.
- If you come from a fitness background or have another mind-body specialty, create your own yoga-fusion classes
Search your soul
If you choose a niche, make sure it is one that you feel called to. Having a market for yoga fusion classes is not enough if you soul feels called to a more traditional practice.
Do your research.
Find out if there is anyone else in your specialty in the area. If so, try to determine if there is enough work for you as well. Go ahead and talk to anyone else who is teaching the same specialty classes you are considering. Most yogi’s won’t mind sharing their knowledge with you. (If they’re not willing to talk to you, they may need to revisit their yamas and niyamas.) If they tell you that they have more work than they can handle, thats a good sign to go ahead. But even if they are not getting as much work as they would like, you may be able to do better. If they don’t have a marketing plan, a website, and nice looking business cards and brochures, they may be expecting the work to fall into their lap. You know better. You’re willing to go out and do the legwork and make the initial investment in yourself, so you may be able to succeed where they are only surviving.
Invest in professional looking marketing materials. It may seem like a big investment at first, but your marketing materials are an important way to show your clients that you are a professional.
Post comments below about your unique yoga niche!
I am interested in becoming an instructor for those with some limitations due to health conditions. I have practiced various forms of Yoga myself and believe whole heartedly in the healing effects physically, emotionally, and spiritually of Yoga. I would like to gear my training and teaching for those with similar limitations. A more gentle approach. Which would you recommend, and where should I look into this?
Hi Michelle – I would look for a yoga therapy or therapeutic yoga teacher training. You could check out the international association of yoga therapists website. Once you narrow it down online, call them up and tell them what you are interested in. Good luck!
I have just begun teaching evening yoga classes (starting around 7:30 and ending before 9) that are centered on strength and long holds with an emphasis on being restorative. I love helping people release and begin to shut down for the night. Regarding yoga, there is nothing else happening this late in my little college town of Eugene, OR so it has been neat to start teaching this class.
Hi, I would love to choose a niche but really can’t decide which one.. I am having a really hard time with this since I feel passionate about both.. My first is per and post natal yoga. Myself I gave birth to 4 lovely sons. I loved being pregnant and giving birth in a very relaxt way, (in water).. Would love to teach woman and at the end other yogateachers how enjoy, Carry and give birth in a very relaxt and natural way. After that I would love to teach parents to see their child as a divine being and treat it and themselves like that with massages and lots and lots of love and care.
BUT on the other hand, I LOVE talking to people I know and don’t know about how to make the best of your life, that anything is possible, that there are ways if your will is strong enough.. I get so exited about this, telling people the essence of The Secret. Tell them about we are so much more than working eating and sleeping people who want a new car, but learn them to see the big picture, that we all come from source and we can create anything we wish.. And beside that I would love to teach them yoga and meditate (silence) because in silence we find our true essence.
How can I define this last way of yoga I described? How can I choose? I feel passionate about both! I would love to teach man as well and if I choose for per and post natal yoga I exclude them.. Help!!!
I can relate! Choosing a niche and sticking to it is very difficult. First of all, there is no law that says you have to choose a niche. While trying to do too many different things may drain your energy, forcing yourself into a niche may drain your passion.
There are many factors involved in making this kind of selection such as your personal passions, your strengths, the market where you live, how many other yoga teachers live there and what styles dominate.
If you are a newer teacher, dipping your toes in several niches for several years will help you clarify what your strengths and passions are. If you have been teaching at least 5 years and are seriously trying to make teaching your career then I advise you to find a small business mentor or coach who can help you choose a niche. Often community colleges or universities will offer help for small businesses in the form of mentorships – that might be a good place to look. You may also have a friend or family member who is well versed in business and even if they know nothing about yoga could offer valuable insights from a business perspective.
Good luck! And please come back and let me know how things develop for you.
I am a busy mom who loves yoga and many of my friends are as well. Like me they struggle to find time to practice. I am very interested in teaching yoga and think that a class for busy moms would be huge in my town. Is is possible to get a “complete” session in say 30 minutes vs. the usual 1 to 1 1/2 hours that most yoga classes offer?
I guess that depends on your definition of a “complete session”. When designing a class, the first step is to determine the purpose/goals. So the question becomes: what are these busy moms looking for? A workout? De-stresssing? Therapeutic movement? Meditation?
A lot of people like yoga because they feel like they are multitasking – getting more than one benefit at the same time. In a 30 minute class you would need to be very focused and efficient. I think it is do-able if you know exactly what you are offering and stick to one thing.
On the other hand, getting to class is the hardest part. It might be difficult to convince people to drive & change just for 30 min. I know that for me, once I’ve gotten there and changed my clothes, the class might as well be 2 hours ’cause I made it there!
You could get around this by offering it at a place where people already are & maybe already dressed right – like a gym after their other workout.
Good luck & please come back & let me know how it goes if you decide to try a 30 min class.