How do I stand out as a newly qualified Yoga Teacher?

So you’re qualified - now what?

Once you’ve completed your Yoga Teacher training and begin your journey as a qualified teacher, promoting yourself and your classes is part of your new job description, but this can be tricky. How do you stand out in such a saturated market, and what could you possibly offer as a brand new teacher that’s different from the other teachers in your area, that have been teaching for years!

What makes a good yoga teacher?

You are the only one, and this is a huge selling point if you’re starting out and trying to stand out as a yoga teacher. All you need to do is realise the different elements of what makes you unique as a teacher and then find a way to express this through your teaching style. This can involve considerable self-awareness and an understanding of who you are and why you’ve chosen this path, but it will ultimately be crucial to giving you the tools you need to create the career that you want to have.

Your personality will have a big impact on people resonating with you and your classes, so for example if you’re someone who is always full of energy you may develop a teaching style that is energetic and exciting. This could also be a way for you to help others to develop tools to cope with a personality that is similarly high energy and constantly seeking physical exertion. You’ll need to bear the needs of your students in mind when planning classes – allowing them to grow and push through boundaries – but a consistent teaching style will also help you to stand out as a teacher.

Being authentic in your approach here as a newly qualified teacher is vital, if people can see that you’re a committed teacher striving to give great classes, the rest will take care of itself. Planning and writing a class is one thing, but being able to deliver it authentically and with personality is where the real magic happens - remember your vibe really will attract your tribe!

We’re in a fortunate position nowadays that yoga is popular, and we have a variety of teachers, classes and studios quite literally at our fingertips, with the option of live classes available online daily for students unable to physically attend. If you’re going to be a choice for someone it’s important you’re able to promote your unique offering, so you can live your dream as a full or part-time yoga teacher.

Understanding your niche within the yoga world will help you do this, it will also help you to feel fulfilled in your teaching. If you’re offering a style to your students that truly resonates with you, you will naturally be more passionate about delivering that class and just this alone can make you really stand out as a new teacher on the block!

Why should students choose my yoga classes?

This is one of the key questions to answer when you’re looking at how to stand out as a yoga teacher. You don’t need to add gimmicks or extras to your classes (such as giving away drinks after class) this is more about what you as a person can add to a student’s experience of yoga. It may be that you’re keen to bring a spiritual dimension with a little yoga philosophy or show students how to break down and tackle the hardest poses. If you can understand for yourself why students might choose you then you’ll find it much easier to get your message across.

Being a great yoga teacher means understanding what you, as an individual, can bring to the mat and how this could change the experience that others have.

Today, many people choose the path of yoga teaching. As with any business where you are the main product, it’s important to find a way to be distinctive and to stand out. In the context of yoga, more often than not that means defining your message and finding a way to get it across to the people that you want to teach.

How do I promote myself as a newly qualified yoga teacher?

There can be a bit of a stigma associated with self-promotion, that you can come across as “salesy” and perhaps disingenuous. For those of us who hold yoga in our hearts as a spiritual practice, doing this can sometimes not feel very ‘yogic’ but does come with the territory of a modern day yoga teacher.

Having a mission statement or marketing mantra to your brand as a teacher can be really helpful, this doesn’t have to be something you share in its raw state with people, but just something to keep in mind as a constant when promoting your services as a teacher …something that will build connections with students.

Essentially what do you want to be known for, why would a student want to come to your class and what is it you’re offering that’s different.

In the main, it comes down to knowing your audience and advertising appropriately. Social media is an absolute force, and a free one, so it's usually the best place to start. Although your chosen audience may not be social media savvy, their children or grandchildren might be, so don’t disregard this as a tool, social media has a massive reach and will be really important to your business.

Driving engagement on social media platforms is the goal, and nowadays there are so many different ways you can do this. Offering snippets of free content, quiz’s, asking for opinions via polls, asking people to share your posts - these are all ways to spread your name far and wide, and to engage with current followers keeping them interested in you by sharing fun and informative posts. Another really great way to engage with people is to share every day, the things that people will resonate with, the things that makeup you and your life - you are the product that people are buying in after all!

Increasing your marketing reach from there could be via your own website, if you’re teaching at a studio, a standout bio about you is worthwhile doing. You can also write blogs like this one, or even a weekly e-newsletter to engage regularly with people. 

Not all of your marketing has to be online. There are lots of options still available, such as adverts within local newspapers, posters within the community and word of mouth. All are great ways to build your reputation and presence as the new yoga teacher! 

Something you might also consider once you’re more established is promoting yourself during classes, remembering if you choose to do this that people are coming to class to practice yoga - being mindful of this, keep your promotion short and sweet at the end of a class, it can be a really useful tool to reach a group of people all at once that enjoy what you offer. 

Want to know more?

We have business modules on both our 200hr Yoga Teacher Training and 300hr Yoga Teacher Training, both covered also in the 500hr Yoga Teacher Training. To learn more please visit the courses section of our website www.yogacourse.com or email info@yogacourse.com