How to Develop a Successful Yoga Business

What does it take to develop a successful yoga business? In this post, I will share my four-step method to creating more impact and earning more income as a yoga teacher. Even at a time when there are more yoga teachers than ever before (and new yoga students graduating every day), these four tips will ensure that you stand out from the crowd as a yoga teacher, business owner and spiritual leader.

How do I start a successful yoga business?

The first step to becoming a successful yoga teacher and business owner is to find your niche. You may have heard this common piece of advice before, but it is absolutely essential. Simply put, a niche is an area of expertise.

Out of the entire universe of yoga, you need to figure out one aspect to focus on. This might be yoga for seniors with mobility issues or yoga mantras or teaching advanced yoga poses (asana). Your niche is what sets you apart from the pack. Whatever you choose, commit to learning as much as you can on this topic.

Then, begin to promote yourself as a yoga teacher and business owner who has this area of expertise. That brings us to another question and my focus point for step two…

How do I find students as a yoga teacher?

Once you have your niche, it’s time for step two: start finding your tribe. Your tribe includes potential yoga students, other yoga teachers whom you can learn from and help grow, and anyone else who needs and wants your services. Finding yoga students is easy when you know where to look.

Social media is the best way to start getting the word out about who you are, what your area of expertise is, and what services you provide. It’s also a wonderful place to connect with potential students and make new friends in the yoga community—particularly in the spaces where your niche is celebrated and sought after.

As you begin to post consistently on social media, by engaging with people and sharing messages about your niche, you will begin to draw in and connect with the people who want to use your services. It’s important to be specific. In order to find and grow your tribe, you need to be very clear about what you’re all about. This will help to naturally weed out the people who aren’t your people. After you create your social accounts you might start to wonder what to do next. That brings us to another question and step three…

How do I grow my yoga teaching business?

Creating your social media accounts is an important step toward yoga teaching success, but this isn’t the sort of thing that you can set and forget. Social media requires time and effort. Your students want to have a means of getting to know and learn from you off the mat. Potential yoga clients, on the other hand, want to see what you’re all about before they spend their hard-earned cash on your services.

To win at social media and continue growing your yoga business, you need to do step three: create valuable content. In this case, you’ll want to create yoga content that centers on your niche. If your yoga specialization and expertise is providing accessible yoga classes for seniors with mobility issues, for example, you might create posts that share information about how to gradually increase range of motion or simple modifications for common yoga poses.

Whatever your niche is, you can find ways to create content that your students and potential clients will find valuable. The more you can position yourself as an expert, the more likely it is that people will seek out your classes. And when they arrive on the mat, they will know exactly the type of class they’re going to get.

One other thing to note is that while you don’t want to give away everything you know for free on social media, it’s OK to be generous with your knowledge. You want people to be able to trust you and trust that you know what you’re talking about. If they feel that you’re being open with them, they are more likely to support your yoga business.

Growing your yoga business by creating valuable online content is a huge step, but there’s still one more to go. Social media is a great way to call your people in. The next step, however, is necessary for growing your income and being able to make a living doing what you love. I’m going to anticipate your final question right here…

How do I make money as a yoga teacher?

Sure, the life of a yoga business owner sounds very glamorous, but if you’ve spent any amount of time running all over town to teach dozens of classes per week, you know that making money as a yoga teacher is easier said than done. That’s why it’s important to follow step four in the process and create an offer.

Whether your yoga business is online like mine or focuses primarily on in-person yoga classes, you’ll need to develop an offer for your services. Again, this can mean a number of things. Let’s return to the example of a yoga teacher with a niche that centers on helping seniors with mobility issues. The offer might be a hands-on workshop where the students learn to modify any vinyasa class to meet their needs. Another offer might be a monthly class package or a series of online videos that help people increase their range of motion at home.

Whatever your offer is, you’ll want to be confident in what you’re providing. From there, promote the offer widely, and have a means of receiving payment and delivering the offer. It’s pretty simple. Keep in mind, however, that creating your offer may bring up a lot of feelings for you. It can be the hardest part of the four-step process to develop a successful yoga business.

I have a theory about why. Some yoga teachers get caught up in the idea that they shouldn’t profit from their work. And I get it. Money can be a tricky topic in the yoga world. But you owe it to your students to be able to share your gifts, and that means extraordinary yoga teachers (like you and me) need to make money and a sustainable living.

For more information about the four steps to developing a successful yoga business, check out my YouTube video on the topic here. Be sure to like and subscribe to the channel, so you never miss a video!

Want to learn more?

• Click here to find out everything you need to know about becoming a yoga teacher.
• Check out the Upward Facing Business Academy to learn about branding, marketing and more to build your online yoga business.
• Looking for teachers to help you on your yoga teacher journey? Check out these tips.
• Tune in to my free webinar to discover: 3 Steps to More Time, More Freedom & a Path to Make Money 24/7 as a Highly Influential Yoga Teacher