Overcoming Fears and False Beliefs
Authentic yoga – authentic marketing
As a yoga teacher, you want to connect and you want to share the wisdom. You want to follow your life’s calling and serve your students. You appreciate the spirituality of yoga and the change it can bring to the life of each follower.
But you also need to pay the bills and live the life you envision.
I’m here to tell you that you can grow as a teacher without losing your soul. You can treat your calling as a business and still be authentic and mindful. Really!
Before moving any forward, let me tell you that marketing is authentic, and to be more precise successful marketing is always authentic. Authenticity is a prerequisite in any business that wants to connect with its audience. From my point of view, you – as a yoga teacher – are in the privileged position of being in touch with your inner self anyway. You can imagine how accountants or designers or developers react when their marketing consultant talks to them about expressing their vision and being authentic!
Fears and false beliefs
Here is a list of the main concerns yoga teachers have when faced with the prospect of setting up their practice as a business and employing marketing practices.
Myth 1: The yoga market is saturated
Well, I must admit that the yoga market is rapidly expanding in the west, especially in the US. However, I wouldn’t call it saturated because according to all the relevant data, the impressive market growth is linked to an ever-increasing popularity.
According to official statistics, by 2020 the revenue of the yoga industry in the U.S. is projected to amount to 11.6 billion U.S. dollars. Note that in 2015, the yoga industry revenue amounted to 9.09 billion.
Equally impressive is the fact that the number of people practicing yoga in the U.S. is expected to grow from 18 million in 2008 to about 55 million by 2020.
As you can see, people out there are looking for you. All you have to do is make your unique yoga practice relevant and accessible.
Myth 2: Marketing is evil
People often confuse marketing with advertising and consider it evil. Well, it isn’t. Marketing is all about finding and defining your true self and staying true to your vision. Marketing is a great opportunity to express your dreams and your whys and communicate them to the world. It’s about conveying a consistent message that is true to you. Your mission and vision statements, your website and your social media, all reflect your life’s calling and help you find clarity and direction. Marketing helps you get your message out there. It gives you the opportunity to help and inspire people and make an impact. There is nothing wrong with living the life you want and creating the income you need to sustain the life you choose. Don’t forget that financial security means more freedom and more opportunities.
Myth 3: Business and marketing are overwhelming
Well, let me reassure you that once your vision and your mission are clear and your mind is made up, there is nothing stopping you. Once you use the tools offered in this course, your yoga practice can quickly become a thriving business that genuinely serves and inspires students.
The marketing process can be time-consuming during set-up, but once you get the feel of it, it is manageable, and you can pace it according to your personal schedule and priorities. Technology has made everything a lot easier and fast. You can have your website up and running in a few hours. Same goes with your social media. After that, all it takes is commitment to a weekly schedule – and again, you choose how often you publish your content. It can be anything from 3 times a week to once a month. Just keep it up and be consistent.
Myth 4: I can’t sell myself
Selling doesn’t even have to be about you – and it doesn’t have to be dishonest. Shift your focus to your students. Think about what you are offering to them and sell the experience that they get to submerge themselves into. Change your mindset from selling yourself to selling the experience and the benefits they get. You owe it to your prospective students to offer them what they are looking for.
Myth 5: Yoga classes should be free
Some teachers have a very religious approach toward the practice of yoga and feel that yoga classes should be available to all free of charge. They feel that earning money from it contradicts the very essence of practicing yoga.
Well, does it? How are you supposed to live then? Shouldn’t the value of the experience be reflected in the reward?
Myth 6: Marketing is invasive and disrespectful to others
Not today, it isn’t. Not the way we talk about it in this course. Authentic yoga marketing is all about enabling people to come to you. It’s about giving them the opportunity to find you, to visit your website, follow you on social media, subscribe to your newsletter – if they chose to do so. Today marketing has nothing to do with the tons of brochures and leaflets that used to come through the door. Or the telemarketing phone call invading your privacy to sell you something. Today people chose to look for their yoga teacher, and you simply provide the means for them to do so.
Overcome your fears
Fear is usually based on false beliefs. Fear – if you let it – can kill your dream and stop you from creating and reaching your destiny. You have clarity and direction in your yoga path, why not in your career as well?
How about doing something to overcome your fears?
What really helps, is writing on a piece of paper everything that causes you fear and anxiety. This will help you confront your fears and not stuff them down. Write down all your thoughts and then read them carefully. Are they valid?
I am sure you will realize that at least some of the fears are not valid. Maybe you are afraid of failing or losing your soul. Maybe you are questioning your abilities as a career teacher. These feelings can be overwhelming, but they don’t have to be.
Analyzing your fears will help you clarify your direction and create your own destiny. Marketing is the tool that will help you reach more students and communicate your message to a broader audience. And thanks to this course you can do it all following a few easy steps.
Now you can be more mindful, take control, and manifest your dream.
References
Elephant Journal, Yoga Teachers, It’s Time to Drop Your Fear of Marketing, https://www.elephantjournal.com/2017/05/yoga-teachers-its-time-to-drop-your-fear-of-marketing/
Statista, Revenue of the yoga industry in the United States from 2012 to 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars), https://www.statista.com/statistics/605335/us-yoga-industry-revenue/
Yoga Journal, The Secret to Heart-Centered Sales for Yoga Teachers, https://www.yogajournal.com/teach/heart-centered-sales-tips-yoga-teachers
