Creating right livelihood as a yoga teacher

More than 16.5 million people practiced yoga in the United States last year, yet yoga teachers continue to struggle financially. If we are to change lives by teaching yoga, then we must be able to make a living as yoga teachers.

Do what you love and the money will follow, right? So, yoga teacher, how do you make a living doing what you love?

Working for yourself versus teaching at a studio
Consider the advantages and challenges of working for yourself versus working for someone else, entrepreneur versus contractor or employee. Do you want to work full-time or part-time? How much support will you receive from partner, family, and friends? How much time and follow-through are you willing to put into growing and marketing a business? Can you organize your time and business to encourage energy management and avoid burnout?

Consider the benefits and challenges of each teaching situation. Studio teachers benefit from the reputation of the studio; props, equipment and music provided by the studio; marketing, registration, and expenses paid by the studio; mentoring and possibly training; ambience and shared environment; and potentially steady pay. Studio teachers may be limited to the studio pay scale which usually acknowledges the teacher's level of training and experience. Established studios may offer different pay and benefits than newer studios.

Independent community-based teachers who share multi-use spaces take on many of the responsibilities of a studio owner. They must create a studio ambience wherever they teach. This may include moving furniture, sweeping floors, and cleaning. These teachers are also responsible for all aspects of operating their small business, including expenses related to advertising, insurance, rent, and taxes as well as props, music and equipment. Independent yoga teachers must make adminstrative time for marketing, registering and keeping regular contact with students, finding and negotiating space, publicity and networking, and establishing policies.

How often you teach and how much you charge
How often you teach depends on how much you need to earn and how much you're getting paid. But to be an effective and joyful yoga teacher, you can only teach so many classes and so many students at one time. Thus, creating income means not just adding classes to your schedule but also earning more for the work you do. When setting your rates, consider the unpaid work required in addition to teaching the class: arriving 30 minutes early, moving furniture, sweeping and cleaning before class, marketing and advertising, registration and student contact. Think about the time it takes to get to and from a class and the time you spend answering students' questions. Consider the class size—larger classes mean more work and more responsibility.

Guaranteed weekly income may warrant a compromise. For example, the corporate fitness class that you've been trying to get pays $45 but you want $50. Be willing to negotiate a lower rate if you really want the class and it's a deal maker. Be sure that this is a fee you can live with for a few years or build through an annual increase.

Competition for students
With yoga studios and classes popping up everywhere, how do you attract students to your classes? One way is to offer something different. Kripalu Yoga is unique in itself, but if you're surrounded by Kripalu Yoga teachers, consider what else you can offer.

Is your vision of yourself as a yoga teacher big enough to encompass all the potential students in your geographical area? Do the times and locations that you teach meet the needs of your market? Are you waiting for students to come to you or do you actively seek them out? Are you teaching special needs or underserved populations? There may be many outreach opportunities in your community, including senior housing facilities, retirement communities, on-site classes at schools for teachers or students, on-site classes at banks, law firms, or hospitals, on-site prenatal classes at OB/GYN offices. Explore the business section of your local paper and the Yellow Pages for ideas.

Tax deductions
If you're self-employed, you probably work from home, and have a space in your house—a desk or office—where you plan classes, make phone calls, and do administrative tasks. Your home office space may qualify for business deductions on your income tax. You may even be able to deduct a percentage of your expenses for heat, rent, plowing, phone, and Internet access.

Marketing your business, classes, and workshops
Marketing must be ongoing and neverending. I once worked for a company whose slogan was "Make it happen!" When it comes to the business of yoga many of us prefer "Let it happen" or "The universe will provide." While I believe this is true, I also know that the more energy I put into all aspects of teaching yoga, the more the universe does provide. There are many simple and inexpensive ways to reach students.

E-mail. Invite students and potential students to join your e-mail list, and send e-mail announcements or newsletters once a month with upcoming class and workshop information, practice tips, and resources. (Send the e-mail to yourself and use the "blind copy" feature to hide the recipients' e-mail addresses.) Print a limited supply of your announcements and newsletters for students who don't have e-mail, and post the newsletter on your website. Many KYTA members use Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com) to manage their e-mail lists and newsletters.

Flyers. Hand them out to students and post them on bulletin boards, typically four to eight weeks prior to the event.

Postcards. KYTA has created a high-end, professional quality postcard for KYTA members, perfect for marketing specific classes and workshops or your quarterly calendar (see page 10).

Direct mail. It can be expensive, but targeted mailing can be great for recruiting new students. Use the Kripalu mailing list available to KYTA members (see page 10).

Networking. Maintain a list of contact information for other teachers, massage therapists, naturopaths, psychotherapists, and holistic practitioners. Mail flyers and cards for them to post, and send them e-mail announcements to forward to their lists. Do the same for them by making their materials available to your students.

Website. This is a terrific and inexpensive way to let people know who you are and what you offer. Post your class schedule and locations, workshops and events, links to other sites, online shopping, and general information about yoga. You can even take online class and workshop registration through mail or paypal.com. Check out Webflexor.com, a great website and business resource that offers templates, business cards, e-mail, and more, available to KYTA members at a discounted rate (visit www.kyta.org and click on Benefits).>/P>

Recognizing and honoring your students
My father once told me that the most important thing that you can do for a person is to remember his or her name. Create a personal relationship with each student. Know all your students' names and something about them, especially health concerns. Survey your students periodically to find out what works for them and what doesn't.

I keep a binder for each class, in which I file a health form/registration/disclosure form for each student, to be updated annually or if the student's health condition changes. I create an attendance form for each class, and file the health forms behind the attendance sheet so that I have important student information at hand. The binder is updated with each new session.

Recognize students for their progress and commitment to yoga with rewards for 100% attendance or for referring a new student who signs up for a session—a personal card or bookmark or a token yoga item. Also reward students who come back session after session, year after year. Their consistent attendance contributes to the "personality" of the class and supports the teacher or studio.

Provide tools for deeper practice, including handouts and tips for a personal practice. Research yoga solutions for students' health concerns. Give students feedback about their progress. Support their causes with donations. Advertise their achievements by listing their local businesses in your newsletter, offering their flyers at your classes, or announcing special events they're organizing.

When I notice that a student has missed two or more classes, I call to make sure everything's okay. This often brings them back to class, or I learn what's going on in their lives that's keeping them away. They know they'll be welcomed back when they're ready to return.

Karen O'Donnell Clarke has 10 years' experience teaching weekly yoga classes for park and recreation programs, at senior centers, in corporate and hospital settings, and for special-needs youth and adults. Featured on the June KYTA CD, Interview with a Nomad, Karen derives her primary source of income from teaching yoga to more than 200 students weekly. She will offer the workshop Yoga on the Move: Strategies for Teaching in Your Community, at KYTA Conference 2006, October 19 to 22. www.yogahealsus.com