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Are you already teaching yoga classes?
If you can't answer the next 3 questions you need to read this article!

Here's the questions:

  1. What income did you generate from your yoga teaching last month?

  2. What profit did you actually make, once you had deducted any and all of your costs?

  3. Do you think you have a handle on the money side of your yoga teaching?

If you don't know the answer to questions 1 and 2, even  if you have time to go away and check your records (or you're thinking "what records?"), and you answered "No" to question 3, then perhaps this article is a useful one for you.

The truth is, if you don't have a handle on the money side of your teaching, you will NEVER have a business that sustains you.

What you'll have is an expensive hobby or a charitable act!

Here are some of the mistakes I see yoga teachers make:

MISTAKE 1: Have no idea what your costs are!

What are the TRUE costs of you doing your current teaching? Do you actually have any idea? Or is it a rough guess?

Do you buy incidentals like candles or incense, but find yourself not keeping receipts or saying things like: "Well it's just a couple of pound." Doesn't matter if it's not in my accounts.

Do you teach solely in other studios or gyms - so you don't really count your travel costs or your insurances when you calculate how much you're actually making for your teaching time and commitment? 

Do you teach your own classes, but not really keep receipts or check your accounts regularly? 

Do you find yourself feeling a little resentful - then feel "bad" becasue you're a yoga teacher - and this is about giving and being a caring person - so somehow the money side makes you feel uncomfortable?

KNOWING THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT YOUR YOGA FINANCES ARE DOES MATTER!
Because chances are, if you're not counting all those little things - as well as the more obvious bigger things, those little things add up! And you could be horrified to learn you are actually paying for the privilege of teaching your students!

Now if you're in teaching with NO aspiration to make any money from it - then that's fine. Presumably you have some other way of surviving and paying your bills - and this is your "give back" activity.

But if you were hoping this new found skill and passion, for which you are likely to have invested thousands in training,  would help Yyou to transition you to a new career, which could sustain you AND your students - then you REALLY need to get a grip on the maths!

Here's some of the things I've seen yoga teachers discount:
  • Their insurance
  • Yoga magazine or other subscriptions such as your membership for a recognised body.
  • Your petrol/travel costs!
  • Your props - and material costs - right down to the tea bags!
  • Your printing costs - paper/office materials you need 
  • Any software you need to run your business - for your mailing lists; booking students onto classes etc;
  • Your bank charges
  • Further training
  • Telephone charges
  • Advertising costs
  • Music license

 

MISTAKE 2: Have no proper accounting system (which you check monthly at a minimum if you're running your own classes) 

One yoga studio I helped hadn't done their accounts for the whole of their first year!

They had not set up even a basic paper set of books - no-one had been checking their receipts and their bills were all over the place - and I can only imagine their accountant would charge a fairly hefty amount to try to sort all that out into the basic figures they'd need to submit for their end of year accounts.

And they were also missing out on understanding exactly what was happening in their business - how many students did they have enrolling for full memberships? How long did they stay? Which classes were more popular? Who took up offers? This lack of anlysis of what was actually going on in their business meant they couldn't even plan effectively - what to keep doing - what to stop. Crazy!

If you kept your own personal finances with no idea of how much was coming in and going out might you be heading for trouble?

I've been there - ignoring money until it turned round to bite me on the bum because I was in debt I needed to fix! It's not pleasant.

And whether you're teaching yoga to be charitable or not - if your teaching takes away from your ability to be able to respect and support your own living needs then you're not going to be able to give for much longer. 

We are in a better position to help others, when we are strong and stable ourselves. I call it self care - not self-ish.

I call it "respecting" our own needs - as well as those of others.

I've learned if I don't master money - it masters me - and  thats' why getting this right is SO important.

So get a proper accounting system!

Paper based if you're not aspiring to anything other than "pocket money" - a proper system such as Quick books or Sage if you would like to make this more of a career.

If you're teaching solely for other studios etc - then at the VERY least, keep track of everything you spend which is yoga related. Everything!

And at the end of a month - or 3 months at a stretch, take an hour or so to work out what you've earned, minus your costs - and work out your hourly rate of pay - because that's what it boils down to. 

I've had some teachers tell me they could earn more at McDonalds per hour than as a yoga teacher.

Again - you might be happy with that - you just love teaching yoga.  And that's fine.

But isn't it better to know - and then choose if that's what you want or not?

.MISTAKE 3: Hoping the experience will get you on the ladder....

My own business mentor calls this a "spray and pray" type of approach.

You try out working for a few gyms/studios - to build your confidence, (which is fine for a short period) hoping this will lead to more and then you'll grow.

Hope doesn't build a career in anything. Careers need planning. They need a strategy. They need you to think about how what you're doing is helping build you up for the next step.

There is nothing more honest than the numbers. Numbers no only don't lie - if you know how to read them right, and what numbers to focus on - you can build something worthwhile, which is sustainable and helps hundreds of students in the process.

There's nothing more disheartening than seeing a good yoga teacher end up giving up because they end up feeling they just can't make any kind of living from what theyre doing.

Not only do they lose out - but the hundreds of students they would have taught - who would have benefited from their teaching.

Don't let that happen to you.

Get on top of your numbers!

 

 

 


  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5 tips to help ensure you are on the right track with your yoga teaching career:

Have you ever watched Dragon's Den?

Ever watched some hopeful entrepeneur come in all passionate, with an idea for their business, wanting financial support from the dragons only to be told their idea is not workable? Sometimes the Dragons are totally ruthless in their comments, telling the would be entrepeneur to go home, stop investing their time, energy and money and forget their idea. (Sometimes when they've already invested serious time, money and energy already.)

But the truth is, some ideas are not good ideas business wise.
Some business models aren't workable OR sustainable - don't flog a dead horse! Move on!  

And whilst the Dragons aren't always right, they're dragons for a reason: they understand good business strategy. Theres a common saying that insanity is doing the same things over and over - and expecting different results. 

Getting good at understanding when to quit and when to change track will be REALLY helpful as you decide how to move forward with your yoga teaching career or business.

Here's 5 tips to help you get it right more of the time, and quit when you need to:
  1. TEST EVERY IDEA BEFORE YOU INVEST TOO MUCH TIME, ENERGY OR MONEY

    Whatever idea you have for your yoga teaching, test EVERYTHING in a small way FIRST.
    Research the gyms and studios where you might like to work if you want to teach for others. Find out how much they pay. Sit and really think through how this fits with your lifestyle/other commitments. Teach a couple of classes first - then build up.

    Dreaming of teaching your own students? Work on starting small - couple of classes and get those full of loyal students: check whether your model works first - then build it up.

    Dreaming of opening a studio? Boy do you need to do your due diligence for this one! (This deserves a few blog posts cevoted to the topic - so watch for these!) bUt for now, just know that doing your research and knowing your numbers is going to be absolutely critical to get a studio functioning profitably.

    Testing ensures you keep your sanity - AND your precious resources!

  2. IF WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO SEEMS TOO HARD - STOP!

    And do the following 3 things:

    a) Ask yourself, "What could I tweak to make this easier?"
    b) Test! (See point 1!)
    c) Get help fomr someone who can do it quicker and better than you!!
    d) If it still doesn't work - DON'T FLOG A DEAD HORSE!! It's tempting to keep going because your brain feels a failure so you just try harder - but sometimes it's time to let go, or find an alternative strategy.

  3. DEVELOP A THICK SKIN!
    Set backs hurt! Our brains immediately throw us into feeling as though we've "failed" - and for some this is such an awful, overwhelming feeling it knocks our confidence for days before we get back on the bike. Learn to solicit honest feedback from people who you trust (and who know a thing or two about building a business!! DON'T ask friends or family! They typically have no clue!!)

    Sit down and talk things through with a mentor - and work out an alternative approach to what you're trying to achieve.

  4. DON'T LET IT BE PERSONAL.
    When you do get constructive feedback - wherever that's from, don't take it personally. Instead, look for the lesson in the feedback. what can you apply/do differently, which might get a better result?

  5. SEEK PEOPLE YOU TRUST WHO YOU THINK WILL BE HONEST WITH YOU. (YOU WANT NAYSAYERS WHO UNDERSTAND BUSINESS AND WILL TELL IT AS IT IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR!)

    Following on from tip 3, find at least one person who already knows a thing or two about business and solicit their opinions/perspectives. People you KNOW will tell you how they see it - even if it's not what you want to hear. However, they don't just tell you when they think you're making a mistake - they understand your goals,  want to help, and get you thinking about potentially more effective ways of getting what you want.

    They're also really useful for two other things!!

    They help you develop the thick skin you need. (See point 4!)
    They help you craft answers for people who think your idea is silly!

Follow these general principles and you won't stop making mistakes - but you  ARE more likely to recover from these more quickly and more importantly, learn how to move faster to something which DOES work better for you, your sanity and your lifestyle!

 

 

 

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Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Which is better if you want to build a yoga career or business?

Just before the dot-com bubble burst in the 1990's, Alan Greenspan, the then Federal Reserve Board chairman, called the optimism about the dot.com market "irrational exuberance", which was interpreted as a warning that the market might be somewhat overvalued.

Of course, we all know what happened - the bubble burst, and hundreds of entrepeneurs and businesses lost millions when the market crashed.

But it can happen anywhere - even in aspiring yoga teachers!

Irrational exuberance is the over excitement you feel when you sign up for a yoga teacher training programme thinking it's the start of changing your life (for the better, naturally!)

Fired up with your passion for yoga you start to dream about how life could be if you did what your yoga teacher did.

How chilled you'd be.

How you'll give up the job which is getting you down/boring you/stressing you out - and leave the rat race for a different sort of life, where you glide, swan like into your yoga classes, full of students eager to learn from you. Where the income you need to sustain you and any partner or family will come from doing what you love.

Whoah! You glossed over the word "irrational"!
You're having so much fun being exuberant and optimistic you forgot being rational!

Of course youll need exuberance, passion, energy and enthusiasm to build your yoga business and career. Building ANY business or career takes time, energy, money and levels of commitment you may not realise or believe if you've never given the world of the entrepeneur a go.

But.....

 You also need your feet firmly planted on the floor.

Think warrior!

Think Tadasana.

Heck - just STOP AND THINK!

That's not pessimism - that's seeing things how they are, not with rose coloured glasses!

I know this is a drum I keep banging - but I can't over-emphasise how important it is to have a good dose of "seeing things as they are, and acting accordingly."

Because irrational exuberance usually ends in tears, frustration and a huge sense of failure which can feel very painful.

Trust me - I've been there!

And I don't want that for you.

Which is why, doing your research, knowing your strengths, working out how you can best use your own unique blend of yoga skills (and other talents) and having a sharp eye on the business maths can be the best thing you can do to assure your success.

I'd call that RATIONAL exuberance!

Here's to having BUCKETS of that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What Tim Ferris taught me about overcoming fear.

Have you ever read the book by Tim Ferris: "The four hour work week"?

It caused a sensation when it was first released - and it's certainly worth checking out if you haven't read it. Successful author, entrepeneur and at just about everything he turns his hand to, this guy has a really fascinating  approach to what he does which quite clearly makes him so successful.

In a recent interview a couple of things he said really resonated for me. Because when the interviewer asked him what he thought  made him so successful he said 2 things:

Tim Ferris said:

"I treat everything I do as an experiment."

"I don't risk anything I'm not prepared to lose."

Whoah!

Simple - but powerful mindset or what?!

Because, once you see something as an "experiment" - something shifts inside.

You know lots of experiments don't work out. (Took Eddison thousands of attempts to make the light bulb for heavens sake - and don't get me onto how man learned to fly!)

It's not only OK for an experiment not to work out - it's kind of expected!

You never start an experiment without having done some research into a specific area - and a theory about what might work - and you ALWAYS realise you're going to have to test things - maybe try a few different approaches, before you make your experiment work.

How would it be if you "experiment" with a few approaches to building your yoga career or business?

Might that seem a less frightening thought?

And it kind of links to the second piece really doesn't it? Because if you're going to experiment, you're oging to need to invest something - time, energy, money - maybe all three - but invest you must.

Deciding up front how much time, energy and money you're prepared to put into a new venture before you start helps you answer the question: "What's the worst that could happen?"

Because YOU set the boundaries.

YOU have control.

But more importantly, somehow, it reduces the fear of failing -
which so often stops us from even starting in the first place.

So - whatever it is you've been thinking of doing with your yoga teaching skills - try seeing it as an "experiment."

Do your research. Set up a theory about what might work - based on good "due diligence" (see my blog on this subject - surely it makes sense to set up the experiment to succeed rather than  not work out?!) - and then test your theory out!

Build your yoga career or business - one "experiment" at a time!

 

 

 

 

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I HATE failing!

I've lost count of the number of times I've failed! And never as much as when I started trying to build a business. I've had more metaphorical bruised knees (replace with ego!) than you can count salute to the suns I've done! (And believe me I've done a few!!)

But somehow, I keep getting back up and soldiering on.

And this quote, placed strategically above my desk, stares me in the face when I look up. It's a constant reminder that quitters NEVER win - and that if my dream of making a sustainable income from yoga is ever to be realised, I must learn from my mistakes, tweak what I do, and keep on keeping on.

When we make changes to our lives in order to create changes in our lifestyles, it's inevitable we're going to step out of our comfort zone and make mistakes.

If you're a parent, do you chastise your child for making a mistake, tell them they're useless and to give up?

Here's hoping the answer to that is a resounding "NO!"

So why do it to yourself?

If you want to build a yoga business or career get used to falling down - just don't stay there!

 

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Truth?

This title comes from a quote I have above my desk - which isn't mine.

It's a quote from one of my business coaches - and it actually reads:

"Most succcessful entrepeneurs do what other people won't - so they can live like other people can't."

I used it a lot building my coaching business and it's still there, staring down at me from my desk today.

Every time I find myself wobbling; procrastinating; beating myself up or facing a set back I look at that quote - remind myself WHY I wanted to be a yoga teacher; what kind of lifestyle I wanted to create for myself - and the fact that as an employee I would never have that option - and I start over.

As a passionate yogi you've already created a discipline
which sets you apart from a LOT of other people.

You regularly hit the mat.

You regularly focus  your mind as you move into each posture.

You calm the chattering, jttery mind as you become more mindful or meditate.

You've already learned some key skills you're going to need
if you're going to be a successful yoga teacher.

Don't underestimate your ability. And know this: the sad fact is, most people WON'T do what it takes to create the dream they talk about. They'll talk a lot - but they won't do what it takes.

Which means you've a lot less competition than you think!
So stick with it!

 

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One of my recent Yoginior blog posts was about the importance of doing your research (or "due diligence") before you invest a penny in building a yoga career. (If you've not read it - I seriously suggest you do!)

It's the first step ANY serious yogi should take before they do anything - and whilst it may take a little time, down the line it will save you time, energy and money.

One piece of research you'll almost certainly do is to find out what other yoga teachers are doing, both locally, and elsewhere.

There's NO doubt thats a good idea.

You can suss out websites; get ideas; find out what others charge and get a feel for their approach - all of which can help you think about how you position yourself in the marketplace.

But researching what other yoga teachers are doing should come with a health warning which reads:
"Doing this will mess with your self-confidence!"

Because the likelihood is - it will!

Take me for example.

I've just spent 10 hours researching what comes up for certain keywords on google searches - and spent quite a bit of that time investigating websites of other yoga teachers or yoga teacher support sites........and ended up thinking I'm useless!

Because when you start looking at others - you start comparing yourself with them.

And so many of them seem so much further on than you.

Your heart sinks. Fear rises.

Next thing you know - boom! You're feeling completely rubbish; intimidated and overwhelmed by how far behind it seems you are.

These teachers are so good! They've got their act together. How on earth can you compete with that?

Stop right there! Tame that gremlin!

For a start, remember every single one of those  yoga teachers started where you are right now - with nothing but a passion  for yoga and a yoga teaching certificate!

The ONLY difference between those yoga teachers and you is:

  1. They developed a clarity of vision about how they wanted to bring their own style and skills to their yoga teaching.
    (And you can bet your life it took some soul searching, some research and a LOT of thought to get to where they are now. And if you spoke to them, they'll tell you it was a tricky journey.)

  2. They were willing to hone their marketing skills
    They realised, as you will, that if you really want to do anything sustainable with your yoga teaching in future you WILL  have to embrace marketing. Without it - I don't care how brilliant a yoga teacher you are - you're probably better than me - and those teachers you're seeing in your research - but if the students you need to reach don't know that - how can they find you?

  3. They were able to tame their own inner gremlin.
    The truth is, if you want people to know about your great teaching skils you HAVE to get over yourself! Put your head above the parapet.
    Get used to people saying "no" or not being interested in your vision or your classes (And know that if they're not, they weren't the right students for you anyhow)
    Be you.
    Your students will appreciate that.

    But most of all know you need to start where you are; with what you've got
    And just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

And one day - you'll be where they are - or further!

Do your research - but don't let it stop you from moving forward to your ideal yoga career or business.

 

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Is yoga simply an "expensive hobby?

How many yoga teachers do you know who are making anything like a decent living from their yoga?

Recently, I've been trying to build relationships with other yoga teachers in my area. I wanted to link up with other teachers who might cover my classes for me (and vice versa) when I needed it, but I also wanted to network, to look at how we might collaborate on projects and support one another. (My observance of the Yamas" I guess.)

One lovely yoga teacher I met 13 years ago when I was starting my coaching and training business, I found had opened up a yoga studio in Doncaster - which looked beautiful and I imagined was really successful.

We first spoke on the phone, then met - and, whilst her passion for the studio vision was clear, she talked of it being "an expensive hobby". She is holding down a full time job, a mother of two young children, teaching 5 nights a week (still at other gyms as well as her own studio!) and feeling a little "weary" about the whole thing. The studio is struggling; and they are only just managing to pay the expensive rent - with little, if any money for their actual teaching.

They're teaching for the love of it - that's all.

I see numerous parallels between the coaching industy and yoga teaching.

Like yoga teacher training, coach training schools - especially 13 years ago when I was a student, were BIG business.

Coaching schools attracted  literally thousands of people - all naturally caring individuals who loved the thought of helping others, who were not very happy in their own current jobs - and who were looking to find another way of generating income which they'd enjoy more.

Those courses cost hundreds, if not thousands of pounds - but whilst there are no accurate statistics one piece of research suggested that the average coach makes less than £12000 a year from coaching. I knew LOADS of coaches like that - and many of them couldn't survive - so they went back to their old jobs.

I didn't.

I realised early on, that no matter how much I knew about coaching, no matter how many courses I went on to get better at my coaching - if no-one knew about me, or actually wanted to pay money for how I could help them - then I'd have to go back to my old job too.

Unfortunately, you can be the best coach , yoga teacher or yoga studio in the world - but the truth is, if you can't systematically get and keep enough students - you don't have an income - and you don't have a business or career.

Period.

So that means you HAVE to learn about how to get and keep students/clients - call them what you will.

If you don't - not only do you lose out on your dream of helping others - but all those people you could have helped miss out on your teaching and skill too.

And that is tragic.

Because I'd love to see more trained yoga teachers out there - having fun teaching, whilst being fairly recompensed for their skill and knowledge.

Understanding that a systematic approach to sales and marketing is the ONLY way to build a sustainable income from your yoga business or career is best learned early on in your yoga teaching journey - or you're at risk of it becoming an "expensive hobby" for you too.

The alternative is to teach part time for other studios or gyms - and this might be the best option for you if the whole idea of sales or marketing makes you shiver!

Are you considering investing in yoga teacher training? Not sure having read this if it's right for you?

Take a look at an earlier article which gives you 3 simple questions you really would benefit from answering before you invest a penny in yoga teacher training.

For some of you reading this - it might be the best thing you could do!

 3 questions to ask yourself before investing in yoga teacher training

Let me know what you think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'm BIG on ANY aspiring yoga teacher doing what I call "due diligence."

What do I mean by that?

I mean DON'T jump into developing your yoga career without giving it some serious thought and ALWAYS do the following 3 things:

  • START WITH THE END IN MIND. GET CLARITY SO YOU CAN FOCUS!

    First step is having at least some kind of idea about what you'd like to do with your yoga - at least for the next 12 months or so - and maybe even longer.

    Here's some of the things I really do advise you to start knowing some answers to which will help you build some clarity into your thinking:

    a) Who do you most want to teach? (Students or prospective/existing yoga teachers? And what type of students?
        Please don't say you'll teach anyone! No time to go into this in detail here - but just believe me - when you try to  attract everyone -  you attract no-one!)

    b) Where are you willing to teach? Do you just want to rock up and teach at someone else's gym or studio or do you  hanker after building a following and some classes of your own?

    c) How many classes a week can you realistically fit into your schedule right now? Think this through. As a yoga teacher you know the damage over-stretching your body can do - it's no different if you over-stretch your energy and work life balance!

    d) Ball park - you don't have to pin this down just yet - but honestly - do you want to make a little extra money from your yoga? Do you hanker after changing your work-life balance so you do more  yoga? Do you wish you could reduce full time work to part time by generating income from yoga teaching? Or do you dream of making yoga a full time career and business?  Be honest with yourself. Ideal scenario - what would you want?

    Seriously! Fail to answer these 4 questions - and there's a high probability that 12 months from now you won't be where you hoped you'd be. And that's a shame - because there's a lot of people out there who would benefit from your skill and knowledge and passion for yoga.

  • DO YOUR RESEARCH!

    In the words of my own business mentor THIS IS NO PLACE TO SKIMP.

    But your research should be led by your answer to  question 1.

    Want to teach at gyms or studios? Research which ones you'd like to work at. Draw up your "ideal wish list" - then prepare to approach them!

    Want to set up classes of your own/run workshops or retreats? Research venues/costs/other retreats and offerings out there.

    Want to target a specific market/demographic? Research where your target students hang out/live/work. Research who else sells to these people - could you collaborate? Get to know everything you can about your target market. (Watch out for another blog post on this one - it's absolutely critical to getting, and keeping your students.)

    You get the picture. Obvious huh? You'd be surprised how few people do this diligently. (Me included when I started my first business!) But this will make the next steps SO much easier.

  • Work out your numbers! DON'T play ostrich!

    Perhaps the most imortant step of all.

    I've met too many yoga teachers now, and read too many articles where yoga teachers say their yoga teaching is an "expensive hobby."

    If you want to earn money from yoga - you HAVE to know your numbers. I know, I know. Talking money doesn't seem very "yogic".

    But the truth is - many yoga business models mean that yoga teachers are either earning little or no income from their teaching or worse, they are paying for the privilege of teaching! Whoah! That's a recipe for frustration and resentment - don't go there. You'll give up.

    So - what numbers do you need to start getting clear about?

    Well, there's a few  you need to know, review and monitor on a regular basis if you're serious about making a consistent income from yoga - but for now, let's start with the 2 most basic ones:

    What's my ideal target income I'd like to earn from yoga teaching in the next 12 months?
    (The temptation here is to pluck some figure out of the air which is neither realistic nor sensible!

    Sit down, take a good look at your finances, and work out a figure which you feel comfortable with. Is this income to help you pay bills? Which bills? Is it for little luxuries - such as holidays or other adventures? Is it to replace  an existing, or part of an existing income source?

    Work out as near as you can what you'd ideally like - and write that figure down.

    What would you need to do in terms of yoga teaching in order to generate that income?
    Ask yourself the following:

    - How many classes would I need to teach to generate that income I said I wanted?
    - If I'm to run my own classes, how many students would I need every week or month to generate that income?
    - How many students would be needed to make a workshop viable?
    - How many students would I need to  make a retreat viable?
    - How many retreats or workshops would I need to run to generate that income?
    - How else could I generate income from my yoga skills?


    It's tempting to avoid answering these questions - because they may make for uncomfortable reading. The higher your figure - the more uncomfortable you're likely to feel.  You might suddenly realise, to earn the figure you set you're going to need to teach 20 classes a week: honestly? That's unsustainable - even if you had the time!

    But isn't it better to work that out now - so you can make more robust decisions about what steps to take next? The risk if you don't is that you invest a lot of time, energy - and  money, but don't achieve what you'd hoped.

    Don't leave this to chance. Don't "play it by ear" or "see how it goes."
    Doing your "due diligence" now - will save you money - and make you more money in the long run.

    Actions you could take right now!


  • Join our Facebook group - if you;'re not already a member then this is a great place to ask further questions about what you've been reading; share a little of your own experiences and get further support.

  • Download an essential free guide which will help you work through these first key steps to developing your own, thriving yoga career. The truth is, if you actually take these actions, you'll be in the top 3% of qualified yoga teachers out there!

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A great quote from Mike Dooley's Universe quotes:

"You chose your dreams for the journeys they'd make possible, and you knew when you chose them there'd be obstacles, crises, and young souls who'd stand in your way. They exist by design. To tempt you, lure you, test you. So that you can come back, prevail, rise above, and rock on. And ultimately to convince you of your awesomeness. They're part of the plan. There've been no mistakes. All is supremely well.

These are the days, mid-adventure, that will mean the most to you.

Enjoy the journey."

 

Even the yogic calm gets tested! One step in front of the other! The dream is worth it!

 

 

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FACT: Yoga teacher training is a significant investment!
Costs tend to average around £2500 or $4500 mark - NOT including any travel costs and sometimes not even including the required reading list!

Despite this, more and more enthusiastic yogis are paying this significant amount of money to become registered yoga teachers.

Investing in ANY kind of learning is valuable. I know. I’ve invested thousands myself.

But would you spend thousands of pounds without at least doing some homework first?

Hopefully, at the very least, you’ll be researching a number of providers - just like you would universities you might like to study at. 

But even more important in my experience, is being clear about what you want to DO with those qualifications at the end of it - so you can work out if yoga teacher training is actually the best way to help you achieve your goals.

It makes sense, if you are even thinking of investing what is a significant amount of money in yoga teacher training, to ask yourself some direct, sometimes tough questions first.

Seriously. Keep your credit card in your pocket - and do this first!

Don’t just read this. Grab a coffee - a pen and paper - and write down your answers. Then leave for a couple of days to mull over and see if anything else occurs to you. As a coach, I find this process is great for “seeding” our brains with important questions. You’ll find other things pop into your head over the next couple of days which are important for you. It’s useful reflection! And once you’ve done that you’ll feel more confident about getting out that credit card - or not, as the case may be!

3 key questions to ask yourself before investing in yoga teacher training:

  1. 1.What is your PRIME reason for wanting to take a yoga teacher training course?

    This is important. Some US research (Yoga in America study) shows that almost 80% of students on yoga teacher training do not particularly want to teach - or at least it’s not the primary reason they booked on the programme. I find that a little odd - never mind disturbing.

    You may simply want to deepen your own practice or just immerse yourself more in the whole field of yoga and to learn more about the philosophy and wider teachings. You may just want the experience of going deeper with other, like-minded souls. You may be at a crossroads in your life - and sense that time away in an intense yoga teacher training, will help you get a little clearer about the next steps for you.

    Whatever the PRIME reason is for you- write it down.
  2. 2.Is yoga teacher training actually the most appropriate solution to help me achieve my answer to Q1?
    How else might I achieve that objective instead?

    If your prime reason is NOT that you want to teach, hold back your credit card!!!
    Take some time to reflect!

    Yoga teacher training does exactly what it says on the tin: it teaches you how to teach!

    It’s focus is ALL about how you teach postures, meditation, modifications etc for others. PLUS you have what is for some, the rather scary experience of having to demonstrate your own teaching and an exam/assessment at the end - which you either pass or fail.
    When I re-did my own RYT last December, for the last 5 days of training there was a lot of anxiety about the assessments.

    Why put yourself through this if you’ve no intention, or only a “vague idea” that you actually want to teach?

    Believe me, I’ve been a coach for over 13 years now and I KNOW that vague dreaming about   something you “fancy” doing - rarely turns into reality. It remains a pipe dream!

    Because here’s the truth: turning ANY dream of making any kind of income from teaching yoga into reality will take a fair bit of work and courage in equal measure.
    There are SO many ways in which we can deepen or extend our own personal practice - without doing teacher training, and which are much less expensive and time consuming and which won’t subject you to the anxiety of being assessed.

    So, do yourself a favour. If your prime reason is NOT that you want to teach - consider the other options open to you first! There’s some fab yoga holidays; retreats; ashrams; local Buddhist centres where you can learn meditation/attend weekend retreats - the list goes on! Make your own list - research those! And try those first.

    Nothing is wasted. No decision is final.

    If at a later date you ever find your answer to question 1 is a resounding “I want to teach” as your prime reason - believe me - the yoga schools will still be there - only this time - you’ll be more ready to make the most of the experience!

  3. What do I want to do with my yoga teaching certificate?

    Truthfully, I know I’m really just helping you think through the first 2 answers more deeply here - but bear with me because it’s still time well spent!

    If your prime reason for attending yoga teacher training was not to teach - then, honestly - what will you do with your certificate? (I hope this reinforces it’s worth looking at the alternatives!) Storing it in a cupboard somewhere - never to see the light of day again is NOT a good reason to spend thousands of pounds on yoga teacher training.


Finally, if - having answered those questions you realise  you still want to teach - then you're ready to embark on a journey.

I don't know what type of work you do now - but it's likely when you first began you had a lot to learn, you may have studied at university or some other learning institution before hand - and then you had to slowly find your way on your chosen career at that time.

Becoming a yoga teacher is no different. 

There is no magic bullet to success - but it's highly unlikely making anything a successful career just "happens." It happens because you are clear what you want; you take the right steps to help you move down that path - and you stay focused. 

And if you're ready to take that journey, then you can shorten the time it takes to get there, and be more effective if you follow some guiding principles and steps - and that's what Yoginiors is all about.

Actions you can take:

  • Join our Face-book community  - where you can ask questions, and be part of a like minded community; supporting one another and encouraging you each step of the way. Are you thinking of taking yoga teacher training? Have you already attended a yoga teacher training? Did you achieve what you hoped for? Post your stories and experiences in this group.
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  • Explore some of the growing articles/resources on this site.

  • Read (and act upon!) this essential and practical guide for ANY new or aspiring yoga teacher: "Develop a successful career teaching yoga: 3 steps to finding your own voice as a yoga teacher and developing a thriving career in 12 months or less, without quitting your current job."