How to Start Teaching Yoga Online in 10 Steps

Wondering how to start a yoga instructor business from home? We’ve got you covered. Our 10-step guide has all the details you need to get started.

Imagine this – you adore doing yoga and dream about teaching this wonderful holistic practice to others. However, you don’t see yourself working at a yoga studio and playing by other people’s rules. But then again, you lack the resources to start your own yoga studio. So, that’s it; your dream is dead?

Absolutely not!

There’s an incredible solution that allows you to pursue your dream without the need for a physical studio (yours or someone else’s): learning how to start a yoga instructor business from home. And sites like BlurBay can help you set up a business page and sell your classes online.

Now, you might think being an online yoga instructor is easier said than done. But that’s precisely why you need to read this 10-step guide. Follow each step carefully and apply yourself to your craft, and you’ll be closer to creating an online yoga business.

Step 1: Start Practicing Yoga

You might see this step as redundant, as you probably wouldn’t even consider being an online yoga instructor without a strong yoga practice foundation. But hey, it’s good to cover all the bases! Plus, to get certified as a yoga teacher (which is the next step), you’ll need to put in the work. So, it’s best to develop a consistent yoga routine immediately.

Step 2: Get Certified Before You Learn How to Start Teaching Yoga Online

You might be running a home-based yoga business, but this doesn’t mean you can do it without the necessary certification. Although there are various ways to get certified, choosing an established and recognized authority in the yoga industry will enhance your credibility and ensure your qualifications are trusted by potential students.

For instance, the Yoga Alliance is one of the most respected associations in the yoga community. Earning a Registered Yoga Teacher credential from this association will set you up for success. This credential is internationally recognized as a marker of high-quality and safe yoga teaching.

If you’re a newbie, a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) should do the trick. This training teaches you the basic principles of yoga philosophy, valuable teaching methodologies, various poses (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation.

As you progress and invest more time into yoga practice, you’ll be able to attend some specialized yoga instructor programs. These often require multi-year experience but lead to advanced certifications, allowing you to specialize in specific yoga styles or areas of expertise.

Step 3: Focus on Your Niche

Though yoga is often discussed as a singular practice, it actually encompasses a wide range of styles and types (e.g., restorative and yin yoga). Focusing on a single yoga type will allow you to tailor your offering and cater to a specific audience, creating a more targeted yoga instructor business.

Of course, getting specialized training in your chosen type is a must, as this is the only way to serve your students safely and effectively.

But how should you choose which yoga type to specialize in?

Start by considering your passion and strengths. Your personal connection and enthusiasm for a specific yoga style will shine through in your teaching, attracting more students.

Unfortunately, simply loving a craft and being good at it often isn’t enough for a successful business. So, you will benefit from doing market research to determine the demand for your chosen yoga style. Try to strike the perfect balance between your passion and the current trends in the yoga industry, and you should have no trouble getting your online business off the ground.

Step 4: Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition Before Creating an Online Yoga Business

The good news is that anyone can learn how to start teaching yoga online. But this is also the bad news.

You’ll be competing in an incredibly crowded online space. If you don’t find a way to stand out, you’ll get lost in the sea of online yoga instructors vying for clients’ attention. The solution? Identify your unique selling proposition (USP) from the get-go.

Your USP might be the rare, specialized yoga type you teach, your unique teaching approach, an unusual class structure, or additional services (e.g., nutritional plans and meditation sessions). Whatever you choose to focus on, remember to communicate it clearly in all your marketing efforts. This way, you’re giving prospective students a clear reason to choose your classes over all the others competing for their attention.

Step 5: Identify Your Target Audience

You might already know your target audience, and you’ve used this knowledge to guide your other decisions. Some examples include catering to pregnant women, seniors, athletes, or people with specific health conditions. Or, you have a more general audience in mind, like beginners looking to experience the many benefits of yoga.

If you’re still unsure, now is the time to identify your target audience. Without this step, your subsequent branding and marketing efforts will be all over the place. Plus, you won’t be able to structure your classes properly if you don’t know who you should teach.

But how do you go about choosing the target audience?

Just think about who you can serve the best based on your skills and experience. If you want to take a more business-oriented approach to becoming an online yoga instructor, consider conducting market research to identify untapped opportunities or underserved niches in the yoga community. But don’t stray away from your passions too much. After all, the goal is to make money doing what you love, not just make money.

Step 6: Create a Solid Brand

Proper branding is vital to starting any business, and yoga instructions are no different. Start by coming up with a business name and a logo. Think of these two elements only, and what was once a dream will already start to feel like a real business.

Your business name should be catchy, memorable, easy to pronounce, and, above all, reflect your identity and teaching essence. As for the logo, try to keep it simple, balanced, and aligned with your overall brand. You want your potential students to feel an instant connection and a sense of serenity as soon as they look at it.

Working with a professional graphic designer is your best bet, but online logo generators can also produce eye-catching results.

Step 7: Develop a Business Plan

The often laid-back nature of working from home might lead you to perceive a home-based yoga instructor business as a more casual business undertaking. But this is a huge mistake. Without a well-thought-out business plan, you’re essentially throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. And this is no way to build a successful and lucrative business and learn how to start teaching yoga online.

So, take your business seriously from the beginning. Coming up with a detailed business plan will help you continuously push your business in the right direction, securing long-term success.

Though there are numerous ways to approach developing a business plan, try including the following items in yours:

• An executive summary (essentially, an elevator pitch for your business)
• Information about the founder
• A description of your business (services, markets, etc.)
• A marketing strategy
• Financial information

Step 8: Find a Reliable Platform for Your Online Classes

Now that you’re finished laying the groundwork, it’s time to move to arguably the most crucial aspect of your home-based yoga instructor business – finding the right platform and learning how to start teaching yoga online.

After all, if you don’t secure high-quality video classes and a smooth streaming experience, all the prep will be for nothing. This step is important for all online classes but takes on a whole new dimension when teaching yoga.

Imagine trying to relax and meditate while your video keeps buffering and freezing and your instructor’s voice is choppy. It’s not exactly an ideal yoga-learning scenario.

You can always start your own website as an online yoga instructor, but this means you’ll have to deal with all the technical aspects and monetization yourself (or pay good money to professionals). Instead, consider working with a reliable content-hosting platform like BlurBay.

BlurBay allows you to post your yoga classes (and courses) to a secure and easy-to-use platform free of charge. That’s right; you won’t have to pay anything upfront, only a 5% commission on the content you sell.

Your students won’t have trouble picking the classes they’re interested in and checking out, as this process doesn’t even require them to open an account. In other words, you’ll be satisfied, and your students will be over the moon, a win-win situation for everyone.

Step 9: Film Your Content

With all the “technicalities” out of the way, it’s time to show the world what you’ve got! When creating an online yoga business, film your classes using a serene background and a high-quality camera, and start uploading them to BlurBay.

Step 10: Market Your Content

For the world to actually see what you’ve got, you’ll have to invest time in your marketing before and after officially launching your business. Leverage the power of social media, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and content creation to direct as many students as possible to your online yoga studio.

Make sure each content piece you put out aligns with your overall branding and business goals. Short-form videos are all the rage now if you’re unsure where to start. Film individual yoga poses or breathing techniques as a teaser trailer for what’s to come in your classes.

Build a Path to Bliss From the Comfort of Your Home

As long as you have a dream and a plan to turn it into a reality, becoming a successful home-based yoga instructor is within your reach. Though following the 10 steps outlined above is no small feat, your journey doesn’t end there. Keep investing in professional development, expanding your offering on BlurBay and beyond, and finding new ways to engage students. You’ll see yourself thriving in the ever-evolving and ever-inspiring yoga community.

FAQs

How to start a yoga instructor business

To start a yoga business, you must get a yoga certification, learn how to market yourself well, and choose a reliable platform like BlurBay to host your classes.

How do I sell myself as a yoga teacher?

Yoga is all about staying true to yourself. So, to sell yourself as a yoga teacher, you must be authentic and always try to improve your craft. If students know who you are and what you stand for, they will be more likely to trust you with their hard-earned money.

Can I make money teaching yoga online?

Yes, you can make money teaching yoga online! Create an online yoga studio using a trusted video streaming service like BlurBay, learn how to attract as many students as possible, and you should see some income soon.

Is it hard to make money as a yoga instructor?

It can be hard to make money as a yoga instructor without experience, marketing skills, and dedication to your craft. But work on these, and you can succeed in this career.

Can you make a living teaching yoga?

Absolutely! In fact, you can make a substantial amount of money in this career, provided you build your brand properly and diversify your income streams. Start by working at a yoga studio and work your way toward teaching online lessons, collaborating with brands (e.g., sports apparel), and holding workshops.