Are you a yoga teacher aching to stand out and distinguish yourself and your class? Here are my top 3 tips that have not only helped me build my yoga classes, but also a yoga studio in New York City.
1. Learn Names And Use Them
Students are blown away when you remember their names; it shows that you care and that you are invested in them as individuals. Not only will people be impressed with your memory, more importantly it will make them feel good.
People won’t remember that you forgot Warrior III on the second side, but they will remember that you made them feel supported by recognizing their presence in the room. If you do nothing else, this will bring people back time and time again.
2. Practice What You Teach
When a teacher teaches an asana sequence or principle that’s foreign to them, it’s obvious. Practice what you teach means teach the way you practice. If it’s foreign to you and your body, don’t teach it to your students. Great teachers walk the walk, talk the talk, and understand what they teach in the subtlest layers of their soul.
When you teach what you know to be true, you cannot go wrong. If you teach what you think to be creative and exciting, you will feel disconnected and your students will leave feeling incomplete. The best teachers often teach the same sequence many times over because it works; they are connected to it and therefore, the students respond.
3. Stay In Touch
The first two tips will help you connect with the individuals attending your classes, but now you have to keep them engaged. Start an email newsletter and share your schedule as well as any blog posts, playlists, or yoga-related musings that your students will enjoy. This overwhelms many teachers, but it doesn’t have to be weekly or even monthly, send something each season, but make it consistent and thoughtful.
The best way to stay in touch is via email, and students who want more from you will sign up. Make it easy for them: have a notebook and a pen with you after class, you might even sweeten the offer to join your community with a free audio class download, copy of your playlist, or entry to win a free private session.
Bonus Tip: Be Yourself!
If you’re loud and boisterous, be loud and boisterous. If you’re soft and vulnerable, be soft and vulnerable. If you’re funny, be funny. Students will only connect with what’s genuine and real, if you are putting on a persona they will know. Great teachers don’t hide behind masks; they let their hearts shine.
