Yoga Teacher Blind Spot: Marketing

If the sound of a one-armed handstand on the edge of a cliff sounds better than marketing yourself and your classes, you're not alone. 

Marketing can be both overwhelming and scary for yoga teachers, especially in a saturated yoga market, and when it comes to social media!

It's funny how yoga teachers are expected to know how to market their services (and help people move and feel better, have perfect sequences, know anatomy, be confident speaking to a class full of people, and so.many.other.things.) after they finish their teacher training. But for most teachers, they've been given very little advice or education about marketing. 

Common Yoga Teacher Marketing Fears

• You feel scared or resist the idea of marking because you see other people doing it so well on social media and you can't help but compare yourself.

• You don't know how to start or what to say. 

• The idea of putting yourself out there makes you run screaming in the other direction. 

• You'd rather just magically show up to busy classes without ever having to think of the word marketing again. 

• You've seen sleazy marketing ploys and wonder if it's unethical to market yoga. 

• You don't like social media and the thought of doing social for your business or teaching makes you cringe. 

These are all VERY common and normal fears about marketing. One thing to notice with all of these fears is that they are about you. But guess what? Effective marketing has very little to do with you. What it's actually about are all the ways that you can help others.

Marketing for Yoga Teachers

Like it or not, some form of marketing is a reality for the average yoga teacher. No matter if you teach in a community hall in your community or want to make a huge impact in the global marketplace if you're not putting yourself out there in some capacity, then you're not going to able to help people. 

And isn't that why you started teaching yoga? To help people? So you can think of marketing as another tool in your teaching toolbox that helps people feel better in their lives. 

But how do you go from avoiding or being scared of marketing to building confidence in using it as a tool to help others? 

Ways to reframe marketing

Step One: 

- Look around and notice when you see an ad (doesn't have to be a yoga-specific ad, it could be anything) that you like or makes you laugh or made you purchase something. What was it about the ad or product that spoke to you?

-  Pay attention to other yoga teachers (or people in other service-based industries) and how they present themselves and their offerings/business. What do you like about how they share? What don't you like? 

- Take these observations and apply them to your teaching and business. 

Step Two:

- Get really clear on who, how, and why you want to teach. 

- Ask yourself, who do I want to teach? What is the group of people that I'm the happiest teaching? Is it kids? People with low back issues? 

- How do I want to teach these people? In a vinyasa flow style? A 6-week progressive program? 

- Why do I want to teach this? Is it because it's my passion? Because I see a gap in offerings of this in my community? 

When you take the time to get clear on these, then you begin to see how it's not about you, it's about the people you are here to help. And then this becomes your framework in where you'll find these people, how you'll talk to them in your marketing and you'll be so much more clear in the ways that you'll help them. 

Ready to go beyond your typical yoga teacher training?

Our Heart + Bones Yoga Teacher Certification is designed to help you grow, not just as a yoga teacher, but as a confident, authentic leader in your community. Here’s how you’ll stand out:

1. Honour the tradition: Learn how to uphold yoga’s time-honoured teachings while offering classes that are inclusive and avoid cultural appropriation.
2. Teach sustainable practices: Gain a deeper understanding of the ‘why’ behind traditional cues and adapt them for accessibility, making your teaching more sustainable and safe for all.
3. Bridge theory and practice: Feel confident in applying movement education and anatomy to real-life classes, so you can offer variations that work for every body.
4. Master sequencing: Develop the skills to adapt poses and sequences in a way that is safe, accessible, and welcoming to all levels.
5. Build a connected community: Grow alongside like-minded teachers and mentors in a supportive environment that helps you refine your teaching and find your unique voice.

It’s time to expand your impact and teach in a way that feels aligned with your values—this is yoga teacher training, redefined.