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Over the years I’ve received a lot of feedback, both good and bad, from yoga teachers who have attended teacher training programs across the country.  Most people love their teacher training programs, and praise how much the training has deepened their understanding of yoga, their personal practice, and their understanding of the human body. However, I consistently hear negative feedback from folks who are looking to become  yoga professionals, who state that their yoga teacher training didn’t prepare them to become full time yoga teachers.  A large part of running a yoga business, or how to pursue teaching as a full time career isn’t addressed.  Teachers even lament that the few teacher training programs that offer a workshop, barely scratch the surface. To address a number of teacher related issues, I decided to address some of what is missing in these teacher training programs in a 3 part post for

You know you need a website for clients to find you, and look up the services you offer.  While you’d love to hire a web designer to create one for you, a well designed website can cost you at least $2000.  So if you’re just getting your business off the ground then you might want to DIY (do-it-yourself).  There are a lot of great tools out there to use to build a website quickly. We’ve taken a look at some of the DIY platforms available, which can save you lots of time and money, and chosen ones where novices or those who are less than tech savvy can feel comfortable and make progress!  Here are a few of them: moonfruit jimdo squarespace weebly   If you’d like to have a logo designed check out 99 Designs.  You can also add some imagery to your site by using professional quality stock

Getting started At yoga teacher training class we discussed the importance of having a professional online presence. This is a “quick start guide” because it’s a starting point – numerous resources available online go deeper in each of these topics. This is also just one perspective that applies across professions – your instructors definitely know a lot more about this, so reach out to them with questions. I use the term “online presence” in contrast to a specific tool like “website” –  there are a variety of online tools out there and it’s the sum or combination of them that comprise your full “online presence.” The questions below emphasize the word “unique” because each person will have a unique set of goals and thus a unique mix of online tools that would help achieve those. Why create an professional online presence? Your students, prospective employers, and peers are increasingly interacting with

You’ve determined what mix of online tools best fits your needs in building your online professional presence, and you’ve gotten your feet wet setting up your website and Facebook page. You’re interested in creating your own yoga teaching opportunities outside of studios and gyms, such as donation-based yoga and yoga in unique venues such as parks, art galleries, and rooftops. The next step is to explore a few useful non-website but online tools to grow your classes and workshops. Your instructors  definitely know a lot more about this, so reach out to them with questions. Disclaimer: These recommendations come from my own experience using or encountering these products. I am not being incentivized by any party to recommend them, and I have often included competitive services. In a previous role at Google have worked with some of these companies on partnership programs. Let’s dive right in… Stay top of mind 1.

You pour a ton of love and thoughtfulness into your studio. Do you give the same amount of attention to your web presence? From the perspective of a practitioner, your web presence can be a powerful way to help new students choose your studio, engage students as part of your studio community, and be a helpful resource to support ongoing attendance. Help me choose your studio When I moved to San Francisco, my search for a yoga studio began with a quick online search to see which studios are near my residence or workplace. There were many more yoga studios in SF than I had expected. As I checked out the websites of nearby studios, I implicitly assumed that a yoga studio’s website was a reflection of the yoga experience it provided. Here are a few things I was looking for: Does the studio’s website reflect what I’m currently looking