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Be a good yoga teacher

Yoga is your passion. You fell into it a few years ago now and you appreciate what it brings you in your daily life.

After a session, your yogi master has asked you if you are interested in becoming a yoga teacher in your turn? The idea got you excited and you took a yoga training course!

Now that the training is over, you need to get started, set up a yoga school, find students and organize successful sessions.

Don't stress: we give you all the information that will help you become an excellent teacher, able to guide your students towards bodily and spiritual harmony.

 

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How to do a yoga class?

First of all, you need to find out about the appropriate status for your activity as a yoga teacher.

Do you prefer to be a salaried employee for the associated benefits (retirement, paid vacations, salary security) or self-employed?

In the first case, you will have to look through the classified ads or directly call each yoga studio near you.

Please note: we are seeing more self-employed yoga teachers, first part-time at first and then full-time as students arrive. The jobs of yoga teachers are, indeed, often quite precarious. They are generally fixed-term contracts paid at minimum wage.

Thus, many teachers choose to start as self-employed.

In any case, whatever your specialization, the practice of yoga follows a precise pattern including :

• A time to free oneself from the daily routine (through relaxation and breathing exercises);
• A warm-up;
• A sequence of precise postures associated with a specific breathing, linked to each movement;
• A time for meditation.

Here, for example, is how you can build your yoga class. Of course, these phases can evolve according to the type of yoga practiced.

A Hatha Yoga session will not be the same as a Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga session. They are also very different from Yoga Nidra or Bikra Yoga.

In addition, during the session, you will need to identify the level of your students. You will probably have expert students and other beginners.

It will be your role to accompany them so that the group is homogeneous and can progress in the same way.

On the one hand, you should not let people who have been doing yoga for a long time down. On the other hand, you will have to do your best to make the novices want to continue.

 

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How to organize a yoga class?

We have discussed the session in its entirety. Now let's look at each part of the yoga class in more detail.

Namely, the main forms of yoga are :

• Hatha Yoga;
• Bikram Yoga;
• Asthanga Yoga;
• Vinyasa Yoga;
• Kundalini Yoga.

So, if you want to become a salaried yoga teacher, these are the ones you will meet the most. That said, you can very well organize rarer yoga sessions on your own (Prenatal Yoga, Hot Yoga or Iyengar Yoga, for example).

In any case, according to experienced yoga teachers, you should start the session with a time to allow everyone to decompress.

This special moment allows them to forget their worries and concentrate fully on the present moment. This is an essential prerequisite to then succeed in achieving the inner peace offered by the discipline.

For a few minutes, leave your participants in total immobility and ask them to concentrate on their breathing. You can put on music if you wish.

Then set up breathing exercises. They are called Pranayama.

The goal is to breathe in and out deeply and at a slow enough pace. This is for :

• Facilitate the evacuation of the stress of the day.
• And prepares the body for the postures that follow.

As soon as you feel the group is calmed down, it's time to warm up the body. This is a step not to be neglected to avoid hurting yourself.

Then comes the main phase: the yoga postures (asanas).

Depending on your style of yoga, the sequences will be different:

• Hatha Yoga requires holding postures for 3 minutes;
• Bikram Yoga requires you to perform 26 postures in a room heated to 40°;
• The Ashtanga Yoga corresponds to 6 series of postures always identical;
• Vinyasa Yoga (derived from Ashtanga Yoga) is free and appeals to your creativity;
• Kundalini Yoga is the calmest of all and is oriented towards chants and mantras.

Help your students who are struggling the most and reassure them of their physical abilities. The goal is for them to go as far as possible to improve little by little.

Then, finally, you can end with a meditation session by choosing an appropriate posture.

At the very end of the session, don't forget to ask your practitioners how they feel. This will allow you to improve yourself as well.

 

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How to prepare a yoga class?

When you started yoga, you were doing it for specific reasons.

• Was it for better stress management?
• To find a way to relax and forget about your daily routine while improving your flexibility?
• Or as a therapeutic solution to physical and psychological problems?

In any case, by questioning your own vision of yoga and identifying why it has changed your life, you will be able to accompany people in the same way. You surely see where we are going... Don't you?

Today, our daily life offers us little time to breathe. Our mind is constantly solicited until exhaustion (the famous burn-out). This is why some people need to take a step back. They will therefore call upon you. And your objective will then be to guide them in their spiritual journey and to perfectly prepare your yoga class!

So, take the time to take an interest in your students. Put yourself in their shoes and give them the tools to accomplish the goals they have set for themselves.

To do so, choose the right place that will promote calm and enjoyable sessions. In the winter, select a room with sufficient space and ideal conditions for relaxation. In the summer, you can choose a park or a beach to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

In addition to the location, it is essential that you are properly equipped.

Both in terms of materials (at least a yoga mat, a towel, a Zafu and a gym bag to carry everything), and clothing. The latter should be comfortable while remaining close to the body so as not to hinder your movements.

• Women will be able to opt for a tank top and sports leggings.
• Men will choose a t-shirt that is neither too loose nor too tight and cycling shorts.

A hair band, non-slip gloves and shoes, as well as flat shoes will complete your outfit.

Don't forget to practice daily and to train yourself in the new practices in yoga school.

 

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The right methods to develop your customer base

You have several methods to attract new yogis and yoginis.

• The first of these is to talk about your new activity around you.

As you do so, you will notice that some people you know will take advantage of this moment to get into yoga. A good opportunity to test your class on them.

• The second: create flyers and business cards that you will display everywhere in your city.

Go through it looking for strategic points and ask merchants if you can leave some small posters. Also, don't forget to put some in mailboxes and on car windshields. Be sure to detail what you are proposing and do your best to differentiate yourself from the competition (which is tough in this sector).

• The third: the web.

Many sites allow you to create an account and a page of your own in order to make yourself known online. For example, you have enough space to talk about your experience, to describe your activity, to indicate your availability and your rates.

• Ultimate technique that proves to be most effective: word-of-mouth.

In fact, the most difficult part of starting a business is finding customers. Then, if they enjoyed your course and come back regularly, they will surely talk about it around them, bringing new followers. By snowball effect, your schedule will fill up.

 

You now have all the keys to becoming an excellent yoga teacher. So go ahead and enjoy yourself.

You'll find that it's great to pass on your passion and see your students progress with each session.

 

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