Teaching private classes is the epitome of a Yoga teaching career due to several reasons. Private Yoga is a skill set very different from the group led classes as it is highly customized in design which makes it more satisfying both for the teacher and the student. Given that it is a better product all around, the student is normally willing to pay more per session, which means you as the Yoga teacher can add a lot to the bottom line. So how do you get started teaching private Yoga classes?
Determine Your Ideal Client
While you may be tempted to help everyone, that is not how you grow a private Yoga business. You need to determine the type of client you love working with depending on your training, your personality, their personality, and their problems. When you decide to go private, it is important that you for the most part work with clients you enjoy spending time with. Sit down with pen and paper and write down the adjectives that describe your ideal client most of which you will derive from your favorite group students. Some of these may include what they like, who they are, how they like spending their leisure time and the type of problems they have.
Work Out the Logistics
Before you even begin your marketing, you need to work out the logistics as these could make or break your new Yoga practice. One of the important aspects is where to hold your sessions. Are you going to hold them in your home, their home, local studio, local gym, community center or park? The decision will depend on how comfortable you or the client feel about the location. Some clients may love to have their sessions at home or in public spaces, and you have to determine what you are comfortable with before you start marketing your services.
Logistics also does involve having high-quality props to make your session stand out from the run of the mill group sessions. You may have to look at investing in heavy blankets, eye pillows, mats, and top quality bolsters, straps and blocks that the client may not necessarily have with them. These enhance the quality of the session and make you seem more professional and worth the price they are paying.
Determine Your Worth/Develop a Pricing Model
Even the best yoga teachers find it hard to set a price point for their services when they decide to go private. However, the key is to understand your value as an experienced professional who helps clients solve their problems. As such, you first need to acknowledge how much your time and input is worth to the client.
The best way to do this is to:
1. Shop around your locale and price your services similar to what other practitioners are charging.
2. Charge higher prices depending on how much customization the client needs. For instance, charge higher prices if you have to go to the client’s home.
3. Offer a package deal. Offer better deals to long-term clients or for clients who book longer sessions so that you can have better quality clients who value your time.
Purchase Liability Insurance
Before you market or sign anyone you need to protect yourself from any liability or threat of litigation. You can waive responsibility all you want but in the instance of client injury, you may find yourself on the wrong end of a lawsuit when the waiver fails to hold up in court. You can save yourself a lot of grief and possible financial ruin when a client gets an injury by having liability insurance. The good news is that you can get relatively affordable liability insurance which several private sessions will easily cover.
Market Your Services
1. Sell to Your Group Classes
Just like with any other business marketing is a critical component of your overall business strategy. The good thing with the transition to private Yoga classes is that you already have a pool that may be interested in your services. As such, start with the public group classes that you can tell about your private and specialized lessons, and invite anyone who is interested.
2. Design a Flyer
Given that Yoga is mostly local, designing a good flyer works really well to spread the message abroad. Have a flyer designed and distribute it to acupuncture offices, massage therapy salons, health food stores and any other holistic health places that could attract the type of clients you are looking for.
3. Network and Partner
While you are handing out your flyers you could also network with the employees and owners which could lead to some form of partnership or promotion program that is mutually beneficial. For instance, they could offer 20% off the list price if a client bought both Yoga and a massage.
4. Conduct an Interview and Offer a Contract
Once you get a few clients interested, schedule an interview to get to know the client and what they are looking to get out of their sessions. Do they want simple yoga lessons? Something restorative or more powerful? What they are not comfortable with? Do they have any injuries? You need to know everything about the client before signing them on so that you can avoid signing a client that will give you hard time. When you are confident that they are a suitable client, offer them a contract. The contract needs to include aspects such as whether you are willing to travel to see them, and if you charge extra, your cancellation policies, your exemptions, and waivers on injury. Have them read the contract and acknowledge it before they sign on.
If you are ready to begin offering private yoga lessons and need some additional assistance in planning your private yoga classes, I highly recommend No Prep Yoga Plans. The plans come in both inspirational as well as faith-based (Christian) versions and contain yoga sequences, guided meditation scripts, inspirational openings, and so much more. Learn more at No Prep Yoga Plans.
