Tips from the experts to help you grow the yoga business of your dreams
This month’s mentor:
Michelle Boxley, 33, of The Soul Shala, Stourbridge (thesoulshala.co.uk)
SOCIAL MEDIA
I use social media a lot for my business. I use it to build my community outside of the studio and love to share quotes, tips and yoga videos with students. I think a big mistake being made is over using social media to sell to people. People are looking for connection more than ever and are tired of being constantly sold to, many yoga posts these days read like infomercials which takes away from that all important human connection and building an authentic Sangha. Don't be afraid to offer a lot of free online content as a way of giving back to your community. It will help you to build a stable and authentic following and then when you do advertise your events people will be really keen. Don't be concerned in the number of followers you have but look more at how interactive and engaging your followers are, that to me is more important.
YOUR NICHE
My niche sort of found me and it took me a while to even realise that it was my niche until other people pointed it out. I love to work with the seasons, the moon and the old Celtic calendar. Most of my classes, workshops and retreats are based on lunar and seasonal living, this is what myself and my studio are best known for.
SELF-CARE
Self-care is really important to me after suffering from burnout about five years ago due to a really intense job. I make sure I have days away from my phone, I meditate, journal and I love practicing Restorative and Yin yoga at home surrounded by candles and the smell of essential oils. I get a Thai massage every three weeks to help keep my back happy and also try and live in tune with the moon cycles, so I schedule myself off at dark moon time to rest and restore and schedule in more things around the full moon when I know I have more energy. I also enrol in new studies often so I'm always keeping my teaching fresh but also re-energising my own practice and love for yoga.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE
Sadie Nardini has been a huge influence and inspiration to me for many years. Sadie to me, epitomises authenticity and standing up for what you believe in, she's not afraid to speak her truth. I admire her revolutionary approach to teaching yoga and she is always ahead of the curve in terms of marketing and social media. She gave me the confidence to find my own voice and my own style of teaching and it's now an absolute honour to teach for her on the Core Strength Vinyasa yoga teacher training.
SECRET TO MAKING A LIVING TEACHING YOGA
It absolutely is possible but I think part of the secret is not going into it with that in mind. The most successful people I know are the ones that do it because they absolutely love it and they want to help people and their business grow from this place of love and abundance. We hear this a lot from yoga studio owners: you really don't earn a lot running a yoga studio but it's one of the most rewarding jobs out there.
Written and compiled by Claudia Brown (yogabyclaudia.com)
ClaudiaBrown
Claudia Brown. Yoga Teacher. Writer. Cumbrian. Runner of amazing events and retreats.
