How To Gain Exposure As A New Yoga Teacher

Becoming a yoga teacher is one of the most exciting and fulfilling things that I have ever done, and I’m certain that I’m not alone in feeling this way about this career choice! Although there is much to consider as you are getting started, advertising yoga classes as a new teacher should be one of your biggest priorities!

The teacher training chapter of your yoga journey is a time where you are given a great deal of new knowledge about yoga. It is also a time when you get to experience this spiritual practice in new and creative ways. However, what your teacher training course may not necessarily totally equip you for, is how to make the seamless transition from student to teacher.

Upon graduation of your teacher training course, it can then be quite daunting to begin thinking about building your yoga business. In our modern age of technology, you could be forgiven for thinking that the only way to go about advertising yourself as a yoga teacher is to get online.

Although certain social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, are undoubtedly great platforms to showcase yourself and your services, there are definitely other avenues that you will need to consider.

Today I want to show you what worked for me in the very early days of my career, and the things that still continue to work for me as a yoga teacher today!

Build Your Local Community

One of the very first things I did when I qualified as a yoga teacher was to put leaflets up absolutely everywhere in the area that I lived.

As I didn’t have a studio to teach in, I would rent the local church hall and hold classes there – which was then also a great place to advertise with my flyers.

I would go around to local coffee shops, supermarkets, and even the local schools, to ask if I could put a flyer up or leave some to be taken by their customers. Almost always my requests were met with positivity and encouragement, and this was also an amazing way for me to get out into my community and make new connections.

It took a lot of time, effort, and persistence to make this work – and my classes certainly didn’t sell out immediately. In fact, sometimes nobody came at all. Initially I was disheartened when this happened, especially as I had already rented the space and had prepared myself to teach. I then started to use these empty classes as an opportunity to practice yoga on my own, or to take this time to meditate on my goals, intentions, and ambitions for my yoga business.

Share Your CV

As I mentioned, I began teaching yoga in rented church hall space, but this was never going to be my long term plan! I always wanted to work out of a studio, but understood that I had to make my own opportunities whilst I was working on finding a more solid teaching position.

I spent a lot of time during those first few months taking my CV to different yoga studios in the area, as well as yoga studios further afield.

Whilst dropping my CV at these places, I would always make the time to find out more about the studio and the yogis who already taught there. I would ask:

• What kind of yoga are they teaching?
• What is the message of this studio?
• Does this studio fit in with my ethos?
• Can I truly see myself teaching here?

Eventually I was invited to assist more experienced yoga teachers in their classes, and I was then able to build my CV and get to know the students at the studios. From here I became a cover teacher, and would be invited to teach classes on my own if the usual teacher was unable to make it. This was a pivotal step in my journey to getting my very own classes, and I absolutely couldn’t have gotten to where I am today without taking this slow and steady journey.

When you are writing your CV as a yoga teacher, there is a lot to consider, and this also might not be something that was discussed extensively in your teacher training course.

In my Mandala and Mentoring Training, which will begin on Thursday the 18th of October in London this year, will show you how to build the very best CV to enhance your prospects. This 30 hour course is available to anyone who wants to bring more creativity into their practice, and to build a stronger yoga business.

Don’t Be Discouraged

Even if yoga is your only passion and your life-long dream, there will still be moments when you question whether you are making the right decision. It’s easy to be discouraged if nobody shows up to your classes, or you don’t hear back from the studios that you want to work at.

When you are feeling low, or you are beginning to contemplate if you are getting it all wrong, then try to take some time to reset your attitude and inspire yourself again.

Remind yourself why you wanted to become a yoga teacher in the first instance, remind yourself of those who have encouraged you to follow your dream, and remind yourself of the goals and milestones that you have already achieved.

It is normal to have doubts – about absolutely anything in life – but you have the power to push this self-doubt away and to choose to persist with positivity instead.

Additional Advertising

As I mentioned earlier, distributing flyers was one of the main ways that I advertised myself as a yoga teacher – admittedly before the social media surge that we have today. Although I would advocate establishing a strong social media presence, you should still make the extra effort to advertise in additional ways.

Putting adverts in the local paper, or on local community websites, can be a simple but effective way to draw new students in.

You can also try to build connections with other business owners in the area in order to reciprocally promote each other. For example, you might offer an exclusive discount on your classes to customers of another business, and you can share a similar offer for the services of the business in question.

Focus on Progression

Even though we have become yoga teachers, we never really stop being students! There is an endless amount to learn, and it is important as you build your yoga business that you do not lose sight of this.

For any yoga teachers out there who are looking for an extra boost with building their brand, I have a new training coming this October in London!

To find out more about Mandala Sequencing and about how to build your yoga brand, click to check out my upcoming yoga training: Mandala and Mentoring.

In this YACEP training course, I not only teach you a selection of amazing sequences that will bring more creativity into your classes but I’ll also give you the tools you need to help grow your yoga brand and business! Click here to learn more!