The Business Of Teaching Yoga – Details, episodes & analysis

Teaching drop in classes can be fun. You never know who you’re going to see in class, you start fresh every time & students can come and go as they please. However, teaching drop in classes also has it’s limitations; it’s hard to progress or build from week to week, or build a strong container as the students change from week to week. 

One alternative to teaching drop in classes is THE SERIES. A predetermined number of classes, held together by a strong theme in which students register in advance to attend the whole shebang. In today’s episode I speak with Lauren Enright - yoga teacher, doula, and coach who has successfully mastered the series model of teaching classes, and agreed to come on the show today to share how she did it. 

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• How Lauren went from studying neuroscience to teaching highschool students to running a business as a doula & yoga teacher. 
• How Lauren built her confidence to promote herself and her work
• The magic of teaching a 6 week class series (vs. drop in classes)
• Why 6-8 weeks is the sweet spot for setting up your class series
• How working backwards, repetition & focusing on community can make your series a massive success
• Lauren’s daily routine + how she stays balanced as a mom, wife, teacher, doula, coach & business owner

👉  Get Laurens resource guide to develop & teach your own 6 week series www.breathewithlauren.com/yogateachers

FIND LAUREN

• Lauren’s Website
• Lauren’s Instagram

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Website
• Cora’s Newsletter

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/episode105

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👉 Kajabi For Yoga Teachers

Episode Description:

I’m always doing rituals. Before my morning practice. Before I see clients, teach a class or record an interview. Bigger events get bigger rituals. And to be honest, I’ve never given it much thought, except for the fact that it’s something I like to do, and so I do it. However, when today's guest, Mara Branscombe, reached out to me to talk about her new book, Ritual As Remedy, I was intrigued. 

ABOUT MARA

Mara Branscombe is a mother, writer, yogi, artist, teacher, mindfulness leader, ceremonialist and spiritual coach. She is the author of “Ritual As Remedy: Embodied Practices For Soul Care.”  Mara is passionate about weaving the art of mindfulness, self-care, creativity, mind–body practices, and earth-based rituals into her life and work, and she has been leading community ceremony since 2000. An adventurous spirit, Mara has sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, trekked across the Himalayas, studied yoga in India, planted trees in Canada’s north, lived off the grid in a remote cabin in the woods, worked as a Waldorf (Steiner School) teacher, and then found her passion for dance and choreography. All the while yoga, meditation, mysticism and ritual have been at the heart of Mara’s journey. Her trainings in the Incan Shaman lineage and the Pagan tradition have greatly inspired her life’s work of earth-based, ceremonial, intentional, and heart-centered living and loving. Mara currently lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and two daughters. 

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• Mara’s morning ritual & what a typical work day looks like
• What makes something a ritual
• Soul care vs. self care
• The benefits of ritual - what’s the point?
• Why letting go of the outcome is an essential part of the creative process of life
• Why Mara needed to commit to self-publishing her book, before she found a publisher
• How to trust your own intuition, and a story about firewood
• Why creating one small thing every day for a month can create magic
• Mara’s best advice for folks who are stepping out on their own as entrepreneurs for the first time

FIND MARA BRANSCOMBE

• Mara’s Website
• Mara’s Book
• The Ritual As Remedy Book Club
• Mara’s Instagram

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Website
• Cora’s Newsletter
• Kajabi For Yoga Teachers

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/episode103

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👉 ZERO-50 Email Challenge

“I have 69 subscribers, have been able to offer online yoga to a growing group of students, and have since received $2962 in payments. Not bad considering I have just jumped in without a business plan or any real direction.” - Natalie Haider, Psychologist, Yoga Teacher & Yoga Therapist in Sydney, Australia. 

See that? Natalie made nearly $3000 with a list of under 100 people. Nat wrote that after taking a free, 5 day challenge with me on growing your email list. I’ll link to it at the bottom of the page if you wanna check it out.

But the cool thing is, Nat’s results aren’t a fluke…for every $1 you spend on email marketing, on average you generate $37 in revenue. That’s one heck of an ROI, which isn’t replicated anywhere else in digital marketing. 

💁🏻‍♀️ Want exclusive early access to all my videos, blogs & podcasts? Join my newsletter and get all content a week before it goes live to the public!

👉 LINKS:

• Lost-to-Launch (Business 101 Course For Yoga Teachers) 🚀
• Watch this content on Youtube
• Read this content on my blog

👉 SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram @corageroux

⚡️ Leave a review on iTunes for your chance to win an "It's A Practice" Tote-bag

Until next week, 

Lots of love, 

Cora

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In today’s show, I speak with Ty Powers. Ty co-founded the Insight Yoga Institute and has been leading Buddhist mindfulness meditation retreats throughout the world for 20+ years. He completed the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader training program in 2003 and has led daylong retreats on issues concerning cultural diversity. He is also a Certified Integral Coach and mentor to many people internationally. Ty has also completed Level III of the Internal Family Systems therapy program created by Dr. Richard Schwartz. Having graduated from Phillip Moffitt’s Change and Transitions Program, Ty is now leading weekend workshops and offering sessions based on these themes.

I was lucky enough to study briefly in person with Ty several years ago at a silent retreat, he led with his wife Sarah Powers. 

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• Building resilience through challenging times
• Creative Engagement with life
• Managing change and loss of control
• Reframing “failure”
• How to uncover your values & bring them to life
• Predictable patterns of change, growth, empowerment, and challenges that arise in each decade of life (we only make it to 54 just due to timing)

FIND TY

• Insight Yoga Institute
• Insight Yoga Institute On Instagram

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• Cora’s Newsletter
• The Teachers Club

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode28

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On today’s show, I speak with my good friend, yoga teacher and astrologer - Mark Ashmore. Some of you might remember Mark from episode 0, where he interviewed me, and helped to introduce the show way back in November of last year. Mark and I have known each other for years, and have even led yoga & astrology workshops together. I was really excited to speak with Mark today about one of his passions - vedic astrology. 

Jyotish, or vedic astrology traces its origins back to the rig veda and therefore, as Mark points out, speaks the same language as yoga and ayurveda. And while I know a lot of yoga teachers, myself included, are interested in Astrology, we are probably more familiar with western astrology. So, I’m pumped to have Mark on the show to speak about a system that aligns so closely with what we already practice and teach. 

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• Why mark decided to make the switch from studying western astrology to vedic astrology
• The main differences between western and vedic astrology
• The astrology of 2020 from a vedic perspective
• How to use knowledge of astrology wisely in teaching yoga
• The meaning behind retrogrades
• Tips for aligning business decisions with the astrology of the times

FIND MARK

• Mark’s Instagram
• Mark’s Website
• Book A Reading With Mark

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• Cora’s Newsletter
• The Teachers Club

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode27

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Today on the show, I speak with Dr. Krista Kuberry and Catherine Marquette of Yoga Alliance. 

My intention with this interview is to ask the questions that you, Yoga Alliance’s international members, especially here in Australia, wanted me to ask. I reached out to my own community in the teachers club, and created polls and posts on my Instagram and social media. The responses that I got back reflected a feeling of frustration and confusion with Yoga Alliance in general, and specifically with their international support. However, in preparing for this interview, I became aware that YA is aware of their “reputation concerns” and desire for more support from the community - and are taking multiple steps to address both. In this interview, we get into questions, within the scope of international support, that hopefully help you make a more informed decision about your membership with YA (if you have one) - and how to reach out for more support if you need it.

We didn’t have time to cover some other really important, and relevant topics like how Yoga Alliance is / will handle accounts of sexual assault with the community (hopefully that conversation can happen soon too) - or questions around larger problems within the yoga industry like exploitation of teachers.

However, in this interview we do cover:

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• The original purpose of Yoga Alliance
• The development of the YA RYS standards, and their new updated RYS standards
• How the new, more rigorous application process may serve as one tool for ensuring that the standards are upheld
• The role of social accountability - that companies like AirBnB or Uber use as one possible, yet currently problematic part of the solution to the questions of enforcing the new RYS standards
• The role that online learning may take in YTT’s in the future
• The Yoga Alliance Foundation International Emergency Relief fund - which at the time of this release will be live and accepting applications
• Yoga Alliance’s position and current plans for partnering with international professional insurance companies as a member benefit
• New provisions for international continuing education with multiple time zones & non-live CE credits 

FIND YOGA ALLIANCE

• Yoga Alliance Instagram
• Yoga Alliance Website
• Yoga Alliance Covid-19 Microsite 

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• Cora’s Newsletter
• The Teachers Club

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode26

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I know I always say this, but I am so excited to bring you this week's episode. I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Jivana Heyman, author of Accessible Yoga; Poses & Practices For Every Body, Founder and Director of  The Accessible Yoga Organization - an international not-for-profit dedicated to bringing the teachings of yoga to communities that are under-represented in traditional yoga spaces.

Jivana also runs the Accessible Yoga Conference, and holds multiple accessible yoga teacher trainings around the world each year. A lot of Jivana’s work has focused around making asana accessible, but as he’s mentioned before, one of his deepest passions is actually making the essence of yoga, or yoga philosophy accessible. I was so excited to speak with Jivana about this.

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• Yoga as service & Jivana’s recent leadership in the yoga community during covid-19
• How western celebrity culture has infiltrated the yoga world
• The way the general public perceives yoga due to how it’s been marketed vs. what yoga actually is
• How bringing critical thinking into our yoga studies and communities is essential
• How truth is often found in paradox
• How simply being honest with how we portray yoga could be a key to shifting what people think yoga is
• Jivana’s advice about studying the Yoga Sutras & Bhagavad Gita
• Jivana’s recommendations for translations of the Yoga Sutras 
• The story of two times when Jivana has failed in his work

FIND JIVANA

• Jivana’s Personal Instagram
• Accessible Yoga Instagram
• Jivana’s Personal Website
• Accessible Yoga Website

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• Cora’s Newsletter
• The Teachers Club

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode25

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In today’s episode, I speak with Manoj Dias, the founder of A-Space, Australia’s first drop in meditation studio. Manoj is also a global ambassador for lululemon, and was featured on the 20 Teachers Of Colour To Watch in 2020 list. I had the pleasure of meeting Manoj in person late last year when he came to Sydney to teach about anxiety and burn out, two things I’m incredibly familiar with. 

I was really excited to speak with Manoj about his experience as a meditation teacher because he is so open about the balancing act between being a normal human being, and also someone that people look to for guidance, especially during challenging times. 

Manoj drops some great wisdom about not throwing the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to navigating the difficult terrain of tradition, abuse and lineage. 

We also discuss:

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• Manoj’s biggest challenge as a meditation teachers
• The difference between samatha & vipassana meditation
• The Buddha as the first psychologist
• When using a meditation app could be helpful
• When you need to take the next step and find a meditation teacher
• 2 things to look for when choosing a meditation teacher
• Is modern mindfulness an appropriation of the satipatthana sutta?
• Buddhist ethics
  • The 5 precepts
  • The 8 fold path 

FIND MANOJ

• Manoj’s Instagram
• Manoj’s Website
• Manoj’s Meditation Studio

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• Cora’s Newsletter
• The Teachers Club

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode24

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Last week my guest Eliana Chinea spoke about some of the issues that arise in the typical yoga studio model - and inside of The Teachers Club we questioned weather the studio model, as we know it, will go extinct.

It's true that studio after studio are closing their doors. Many of them were in real financial trouble before the pandemic, and the closures were the last straw. However, I believe that there will always be a demand for a place where people can gather in person, in community.  And as past podcast guest Nicole Cardoza says, the studios that survive will have to shift their value proposition.

So this week I'm pumped to bring you a conversation I had with Robin Lacambra before covid closed the world. Robin runs Good Body Feel, what I'm calling a socially conscious yoga studio. Robin runs GBF on a dramatically different business model than 99% of the other yoga studios out there. Right now, getting creative, and thinking outside the box are what will help us adapt and reinvent what the yoga industry can become.

Robin and I discuss:

• Why the body is political - and what that means
• Why diversity in leadership is so important
• Running a socially conscious yoga studio
• The 4 pillars Robin uses to measure success in her business
• Running a ‘pay what you can’ sliding scale movement studio

FIND ROBIN

• Robin’s Personal Instagram
• GOODBODYFEEL Instagram
• GOODBODYFEEL Website

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• Cora’s Newsletter
• The Teachers Club

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode23

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In today’s show I speak with Constanza Eliana Chinea - a Latinx Yoga teacher living in LA. Eliana began teaching and consulting after noticing a need for diversity and representation in the industry. She now teaches Yogis and entrepreneurs how to decolonize their practice, create equity for teachers of color, and build inclusive spaces in the community.

The conversation that Eliana and I have centers on a topic that I think is super important right now - how yoga teachers can teach, outside of the typical studio model. As I mention in the interview, even before I was a yoga teacher, I was volunteering and working at studios. I’ve done everything from clean mats, mop floors, to managing a studio inside of a large chain, to teaching at a million different studios, and eventually to owning one. However, the majority of the time I was hovering right around the poverty line, getting burnt out, and feeling pressure to make my classes conform to the studio standards. 

Eliana left the traditional studio model several years ago, and in this episode, she shares how she shifted her mindset, and began teaching in a more fulfilling and sustainable way.

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• 6 issues with the current studio model
• Finding freedom outside of the studio
• How to manage the transition from teaching inside of the system, to teaching outside of it
• The logistics of teaching outside of the studio model - in person & online
• Why controlling the marketing of your classes & offerings can make teaching a lot more fulfilling
• Integrating yoga & social justice
• Remembering that yoga is about liberation
• How to bring a vision to life
• Decolonising pricing structures
• And how to show up ethically online

FIND ELIANA

• Eliana’s Instagram
• Embody Inclusivity Instagram
• Eliana’s Website

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• Cora’s Newsletter
• The Teachers Club

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode22

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