Yoga Business

As a yoga teacher are you providing the service of a yoga shop to your students?

I know there will be many teachers thinking, “urgh, I don’t want to be selling yoga products!”  But actually this can be a highly valuable service that you can provide to your students based on your years of experience.

Firstly, as a yoga teacher with your many years of experience you have tried out those different types of mats, props, belts, neti pots and yoga clothes.  You know what works for you, what doesn’t work, what you like and what you don’t like. 

Students are always wanting to know the best way of doing something by learning from your mistakes and not having to make mistakes at their own expense.

Secondly, a student may want to purchase an identical copy of what you are using in class – the same type of mat and bag, or the same props.  This makes it a lot easier for students to purchase direct from you rather than hunt around on the web or in the shops.

I know for myself this was true as this was the route I first took when I needed my first yoga mat and bag.  I was grateful to my then teachers for sorting this out for me by selling me a mat and bag.  I didn’t have a clue back then.  It took the hassle away for me of knowing what to buy, where to buy it and the time I would need to do it.

Some yoga products that you use might even be hard to find and not available in traditional yoga centers and yoga shops.   For example, if you are a user of the VisionMat or a particular hand woven cloth mat, these are not easy to source.  Again it makes it easier for your students and takes the hassle away from them and allows them to get on with the important thing – getting on with their practice.

A yoga shop also gives you a platform to sell your own content.  Whatever your content is, be it lessons, courses or seminars you can distribute and sell your content in the form of yoga cds, dvds, yoga books, yoga cards and anything else.  Students are always keen to get hold of their teachers material so they can enhance their practice and practice on their own.

There are several options to having a yoga shop depending on your circumstances.  If you have a studio, you can sell physical items in your studio.  But you should also consider an online yoga shop which obviously gives you a much wider audience. 

An online yoga shop is also a great way to provide the service without needing the physical space to do so.  An online yoga shop acts as a distribution platform to provide yoga products.  So if you are a yoga teacher who freelances in different studios or you don’t have your own studio this is the perfect solution.

Having an online yoga shop to supply your students makes you more professional and organized than the teacher teacher who doesn’t and the student has to go hunting and wasting time trying to find the products. 

An online yoga shop is an excellent strategy for your yoga business.  Not only does it give you an additional stream of income but it also provides that extra service for your students and provides you with a distribution platform for yoga products including your own content.

Technorati Tags: online yoga shop, traditional yoga centers, VisionMat, yoga, yoga books, Yoga Business, yoga cards, yoga cds, yoga clothes, yoga mat, yoga products, Yoga Shop, yoga teacher