The doors will fly open on January 2nd with enthusiastic mobs of
Yoga students. What can you do to prepare for the busiest
stretch of the year? How can you keep their interest all year
long?
If there was ever a time to clean up your Yoga studio or health
club, now is the time. Depending on where you live, most of your
Yoga students may be out Christmas shopping right now. This
season is like the "eye of a hurricane." It is a temporary slow
spell before the busiest season for Yoga and fitness.
Bear in mind, there is a "second wind" in spring, when many Yoga
students are preparing for "bathing suit season." If you need a
fresh coat of paint, or the rugs need to be shampooed, take
advantage of this brief respite.
You should also have a game plan for keeping Yoga students'
interest. Do not get too far off the track, but spice up your
schedule with special workshops or "pilot" classes. Yoga classes
are much like spice; too many flavors can ruin your dish, or in
this case, your class.
Keeping student interest has always been a challenge for
teachers of any subject. With fitness or Yoga, it is easy to get
flocks of students during January, in North America, with a
little help from cold weather, and New Year's resolutions. The
big question is: How to keep the enthusiasm going all year long?
Therefore, open a special event class to "test the waters" for
student interest. There is no sense in starting another Yoga
class without researching, if there is a demand. If the crowd
loves the class, you will have no problem getting sign-ups. Be
certain that your sign-ups make, at least, a down payment on a
class package.
It is very easy for people to sign up for a yoga class and never
show up again. This is the culture of Attention Deficit Disorder
(ADD), and people move on to other things -like butterflies on
flowers. So, you have to capture their attention and keep it.
Below are some examples of workshops and classes to try in your
yoga studio.
Mommy and Me Yoga Classes: This requires special patience on the
part of the Yoga teacher, and female teachers will usually fare
much better, especially, if the Yoga teacher has children of her
own. This is an age specific niche, but there are always new
mothers and new toddlers willing to try such a class.
© Copyright 2005 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
About the author:
Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in
RI. He's a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He
teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a
Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a
Yoga teacher.
http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
