Hey fam! As you may already know, Ashley, our Editorial Director and Social Media Manager, is a graduate of our first Namaslay® Yoga Teacher Training in Thailand, and since our training, she has taught a variety of yoga classes from regular studio spots to pop ups and community classes. I asked her to share some of her insights for new yoga teachers struggling to find their way, and hope her tips will get some creative juices flowing for you! If you have any questions for her, drop them in the comments, or you can pick both our brains at the Namaslay® Business and Marketing Intensive and Namaslay® YTT Refresher at Namaslay® Studios in January. For anyone who hasn’t received their 200 hour training yet, but would like to serve their community with yoga, our next 200 hour intensive Namaslay® YTT is in Santorini in April! xo - Candace
As a new yoga teacher fresh out of training, I was eager to start a regular class or find some opportunities to practice with my community on a consistent basis. Before Namaslay® YTT in Thailand, I practiced four or five times a week at a local studio, Red Dawg Hot Yoga, but figured I shouldn’t hang my hopes on joining their team of experienced teachers just yet. The Business and Marketing modules included in our training got me thinking creatively about all the ways I could offer yoga classes, and I wanted to stay true to my strengths in pursuing an outlet for service. The first and most important aspect of a great yoga teacher, I’d learned from Candace and our other teachers in Thailand, is authenticity. I knew honing in on my unique gifts and experience would lead me to opportunity, so I took stock of what I had in my toolbox.
In 2013, I received a Master of Public Service and Administration degree from Texas A&M University, with concentrations in state and local government and non-profit management. Going to graduate school remains one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, but after graduation, I dabbled in local government relations and public works contracts before landing in public education. Teaching was a perfect fit for me at the time, but my MPSA was sitting on the shelf collecting dust while I made student loan payments, and it frustrated me to think I invested so much into an education that wasn’t serving me in my career. Cut to August 2018, when I returned to Texas from traveling abroad and completing Namaslay® YTT, and my perspective shifted dramatically. Even though I wasn't writing grants anymore or sitting on a public service committee, the skills I built in community relations and outreach, the critical thinking strategies, and the understanding of organizational structure I learned in graduate school absolutely served me in other settings. Suddenly dreams of using yoga to promote worthy causes, mission-driven organizations, fundraising efforts, and community growth began dancing in my head.
A friend of mine was opening a new business in town, a space for artists and makers to come together and work outside their homes, network and stoke their creative fires, so we started chatting about ways to get people in the door. I hosted my first yoga class as a pop up event in a dusty warehouse and invited the owner of Red Dawg to come practice with me. To my surprise, she came! And to my even greater surprise, she loved my class and invited me to start teaching at her studio. Holy crap! This playing to my strengths thing really worked!
Since then, I’ve taught community classes for the teachers and staff in my local school district. I’ve partnered with lululemon for a community class on International Yoga Day. I’ve worked with non-profit organizations and support groups to teach yoga at their events, and I’ve even built my real estate business with pop up classes around town. From these community partnerships, I’ve received studio offers, clients for private sessions, and retreat collaborations. I list these things not to toot my own horn (but hey, toot, toot!), but to encourage any yoga teacher struggling to find a place for themselves to think outside the box. Here are a few ways you can start offering yoga classes outside of a yoga studio, and build partnerships to promote wellness in your community:
Reach out to your local government.
Health and wellness is a priority for most city governments and not just for their citizens. They pay healthcare and insurance costs for their employees and get can get discounts for implementing wellness programs. Approach them with an offer to teach yoga to their first responders, or offer a city wide community class, and see what happens! Even if they don’t need your services, they will likely be able to send you to someone who does.
Chat with local business owners.
The entrepreneurial spirit usually means a willingness to think outside the box (this podcast has some great inspo on this note) when it comes to getting people in the door. Find a few businesses you know and love, ones that align with your vibe, and see what pop-up events you might be able to coordinate together. Beer and Yoga is a widespread phenomenon these days, and I can imagine retail shops, restaurants, co-working spaces, tattoos parlors - you name it, someone will hop on board. You can also pitch the workplace wellness movement as a way to save on healthcare costs for their employees.
Check with your local schools, churches, non-profits.
These organizations have high need and low budgets, so you may need to get creative when it comes to getting paid for your services. They may have a budget to compensate you, or there are tons of grants out there to support wellness programs for public and non-profit entities. You can even structure a donation based class, and depending on the turnout, you might accept a flat fee and donate the rest of the proceeds to your partner organization. Get creative!
I truly believe when we all come together to practice, to bring awareness to our thoughts and feelings and empower ourselves to make choices that serve us, the whole world benefits. Building relationships with the businesses and agencies in your community is a great way to build a following, get your name out there, and most importantly, serve the people around you. You never know what opportunities will arise from you asking for what you want and being willing to step up and do the work. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments or find me on Instagram, or to get in touch with your own unique gifts and take stock of your toolbox, join us at Namaslay® Studios in January for the next Namaslay® Business and Marketing Intensive.