Resource Center: 

The Business of Yoga Conference 2013

Learn from the presentations given at our The Business of Yoga Conference, which wrapped up last weekend in Washington, D.C. A number of presenters sent us their handouts to share with you.

The Art and Science of Profitable Private Teaching 

Francesca Cervero, E-RYT 200 of Francesca Cervero Yoga + Wellness

Imagine your schedule is booked solid with private clients you adore teaching -- clients who value you as the professional you are, and recommend you to all their friends.  Creating a sustainable and successful business is a true act of self care, and comes from a deep awareness of who you are and what only you can offer.  In this workshop, you will learn strategies for running a profitable private yoga practice, including: authentic branding and mindful marketing; confidently creating systems for pricing, billing and scheduling; and managing the boundaries of time and money with ease.

Francesca Cervero has been a full time private yoga teacher in New York City since 2005. The foundation of her teaching practice comes from OM Yoga Center’s style of alignment-based vinyasa. Her teaching is also inspired by the years she spent as a dancer, the subsequent years she spent in physical therapy, the Buddhist writings of Pema Chodron, and the endorphin addiction that keeps bringing her back to spin class. One of Francesca’s widely acclaimed specialties is her ability to meet students where they are and make yoga accessible to everyone. 

> download the handout

Creating a Business Plan: Tips to Build an Abundant Yoga Business

 DonnaLyn Giegerich, MBA, CIC, RYT 200 of DonnaLyn Giegerich Consulting

You're passionate, but are you profitable? You know the drill: Brands don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan well.  If you own or are planning to open a new yoga studio, you need a blueprint that reflects your mission and vision, a road map that defines and lays out your business goals and operations. In this session, power up your constructive intelligence as you learn the theoretical, practical and imperative steps to create a well-constructed business plan. Come learn what it takes to be a well informed and focused yogi warrior at work, and stake your claim on your bottom line!

DonnaLyn Giegerich is the president of DonnaLyn Giegerich Consulting, an award-winning leadership training and development company which provides keynotes, coaching and connection in the corporate, wellness and conference space. A former economics and finance professor, this insurance entrepreneur maintains her diverse business interests amidst speaking engagements, yoga classes, midlife modeling (Kripalu Yoga Cover Spring 2013) and global wellness advocacy. Every summer she hosts her “Yoga On The Lake” series with passionate leaders from the business and wellness world. DonnaLyn is also the creative inspiration, co-founder and yoga instructor for KickCancerOverboard, an empowering nonprofit sending folks affected by cancer to the Caribbean every year. 

> download the handout

Essential Legal Issues for Yoga Studios

Gary Kissiah, RYT 200 of Gary Kissiah Law 

Owners of yoga studios are faced with many complicated legal and business issues relating to both their retail spaces and websites. Gary Kissiah will address these issues, including employee classification and other human resource matters, corporate structure, contracts, copyright and trademarks, and protection from product liability and other kinds of legal exposure. 

Gary Kissiah has practiced corporate and business law for over 20 years. Gary has a certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, is a RYT 200 and teaches yoga philosophy and law for teacher training programs in the Bay Area. Gary recently published a new book on law, "Light on Law: A Guide To Legal Wellness for Yoga Teachers and Studios" (with 35 legal forms).

> download the handout

Essential Legal Issues for Yoga Teachers 

Gary Kissiah, RYT 200 of Gary Kissiah Law 

As yoga teachers we are running small businesses. We are teaching classes, selling products and leading retreats. We may be teaching at studios, in parks and in our own homes. We have to sign agreements with studios and with students. What are the essentials that you absolutely must know to avoid legal trouble? We will discuss how to make sure you are protected from liability through your release and your insurance coverage. We will consider whether you should organize a corporate entity. We will discuss teaching yoga in different places: studios, parks, at retreats and in your homes. We will consider the key agreements that affect your life as a teacher, whether they are with studios, students or customers.  We will have plenty of time for robust questions and answers. 

Gary Kissiah has practiced corporate and business law for over 20 years. Gary has a certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, is a RYT 200 and teaches yoga philosophy and law for teacher training programs in the Bay Area. Gary recently published a new book on law, "Light on Law: A Guide To Legal Wellness for Yoga Teachers and Studios" (with 35 legal forms).

> download the handout


Takeyah Young, CHHC, CYT and owner of CoreConnectionLifestyle.com and founder of Prosperity MIX™

You teach others to practice mindfulness and self-care on the yoga mat; isn't it about time you practice the same with your money? Could you benefit from a shift, from financial uncertainty to clarity and peace of mind?  In this session, Takeyah Young will discuss cultivating a healthy intersection of money and spirituality in your life, and share practical steps to achieve financial independence and security.  You will walk away with an understanding of basic wealth-building principles and ideas for implementation, so you can get out of debt, save money, protect your family, plan for retirement and get on the path to financial success. 

Takeyah A. Young is a speaker, lifestyle engineer, health + prosperity coach, and yogi. She offers her clients access to and strategies for personal sustainability in life and business. An engineer by training, an educator in practice, and an entrepreneur at heart, she uniquely integrates her background with her coaching, consulting, and speaking offerings with an emphasis on soul-centered physical and financial wellness practices. A registered financial coach, she created Prosperity MIX™ to help aspiring and successful entrepreneurs shift their financial genealogy and building wealth and financial independence through service to others.

> download the handout

Gentle Kripalu Practice - Handout on the Kripalu Approach to Yoga

Luann Fulbright, E-RYT 500 and Owner of Dream Yoga Studio & Wellness Center in McLean, VA

Come, one and all, to this all-levels class to kick off the conference!  Experience how Kripalu Yoga—often called “The Yoga of Life”—can help you land, dissolve the tension of traveling, and get ready to learn and share. We’ll stretch and use deliciously slow movement sequences to free your hips, back and other places stiff from sitting for awhile. Kripalu’s compassionate practice of self-observation without judgment (“witness consciousness”) will bring you fully into the moment with an opening mind and heart. We’ll add some pranayama to evoke a calm alertness. Leave feeling more aware and fully alive! 

Luann Fulbright is the owner of Dream Yoga Studio & Wellness Center in McLean, Virginia—the only DC-Metro area affiliate of the world-renowned Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. A yoga practitioner for more than 30 years and founder of the for-credit yoga program at George Mason University, Luann is known for her clear and caring instructions, mixed with a little wisdom and fun. Her goal as a yoga teacher is to inspire her students to embrace yoga as a tool to help them become healthier—to make their bodies more limber and strong, their hearts more open and joyful, their minds more clear and calm. Luann is skilled in helping her students use yoga practices to address physical, mental and spiritual challenges, to free them to be their greatest Self. A journalist, Luann is currently writing a book on “Yoga Peace Practices.”

> download the handout

How to Use Marketing to Serve Your Customers

Jacob Griscom, President of Everyday Ayurveda 

We are all emotional animals making emotional decisions based on irrational desires. We use our rational mind to justify the reasons for making these decisions. Marketers understand this truth about human behavior and have used it to manipulate and influence people to buy things they don't need and that aren't good for them. Yoga is good for people so we don't have that problem. But our customers and potential customers are not interested in yoga for its own sake; they want it for what they think it will give them. How can we dive into their mindset and perspective to understand what they really want and why? In this presentation, we'll discuss those issues and learn how to use marketing to serve your clients and their best interests.

Jacob Griscom has a background in sustainable business, ayurveda, yoga, sales, and marketing, and serves as the President of Everyday Ayurveda, whose mission is to empower ayurveda and yoga professionals to build successful and transformative businesses for themselves, their clients, and their communities. Prior to starting Everday Ayurveda, Jacob spent a lot of time understanding sustainability and social justice and became a leader in those fields through BetterWorld Telecom, and the non-profit organization he co-founded, Sacramento Sustainability Forum. 

> download the handout

Karma Service Yoga

Beth Shaw, E-RYT 500 and president of YogaFit Inc.

Learning how to conduct your business while maintaining a healthy detachment from the fruits of your labors can purify the mind and help you realize profits in a variety of ways. Karma service yoga is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and understood as the yoga of selfless (altruistic) service. One of the four paths to realization, karma yoga is the process of achieving perfection in action. In this session, we will discuss the importance of incorporating karma yoga into your business practices, to simultaneously fulfill both your spiritual and professional goals, and walk the path of union through action. 
 
Beth Shaw is an internationally renowned health and fitness expert and the creator and president of the YogaFit Training Systems. She has dedicated her life to the transformational growth that the company promotes globally.  Beth has published a series of yoga and fitness books, has a number of fitness DVDs and appears frequently in international media. A life-long student of fitness, psychology, philosophy and spirituality, Beth is committed to helping people find their own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Putting conscious business into action, her own nonprofit, Visionary Women in Fitness, awards yoga training and other educational scholarships to promising young women.  

> download the handout

Tell the World Who You Are: Effective Writing for Yoga Teachers

Felicia Tomasko, E-RYT 500 of Bliss Network

You know just what to say in class, but when it comes to writing your bio, class descriptions, workshops, brochures, blogs, website materials, or even Facebook posts or tweets, do you find yourself reaching for just what to say? This interactive session will introduce some tools and techniques for effective written communication so you can present yourself effectively to both current and potential students. We will go over some examples of compelling (and not so compelling) writing and what makes the difference.

Since her teenage years, Felicia Tomasko has had a keen interest in pursuing both writing and yoga—interests she has merged professionally in her work as the editor-in-chief and one of the owners of the Bliss Network, which publishes LA YOGA Ayurveda and Health and Find Bliss Magazines. Felicia is a yoga teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner who has been certified to teach since 1997. She loves mentoring and encouraging aspiring writers as well as yoga teachers who wish to express themselves effectively.

> download the handout

Ten Tangible Tips  for Social Media Success 

Justin Michael Williams, E-RYT 200, SketchbookLA

This interactive workshop empowers instructors to build a blossoming yoga business using social media. You'll learn simple solutions to implement immediately, including: increasing Facebook “likes” quickly; minimizing time online while maximizing exposure; growing your class and event size using social media; promoting yourself online in a natural, authentic way; and building your online identity without spending money.

Justin Michael Williams is a social media expert and yoga instructor in California. Three years ago, he decided to start his own yoga-centric social media marketing agency that has worked with over sixty brands, including: Exhale Center for Sacred Movement, Sianna Sherman, Dave Stringer, Annie Carpenter, Saul David Raye and more. SketchbookLA specializes in empowering businesses and individuals in the entertainment, event, and yoga industries to effectively promote online using social media. By using his expertise to coach individuals and nonprofits, Justin works to spread positivity and inspire change throughout the social web.

> download the handouts

Yoga for Seniors: Reaching an Untapped Market 

Sherry Zak Morris, E-RYT 200 and owner of Yoga Vista Studio and CEO of YogaJP

As the Baby Boom generation ages and the percentage of those who are 50 or older grows, the yoga market will continue to expand to serve a graying population. Learn how to meet the needs of this fast-growing market by offering gentle yoga, senior yoga or chair yoga classes. Sherry Zak Morris will offer tips about how to seize opportunities presented by these demographic trends and face the challenges posed by this growing cohort of yoga practitioners.

Sherry Zak Morris is owner of the Yoga Vista Studio in California and studied under the tutelage of octogenarian yoga teacher, Mary Cavanaugh, who studied with octogenarian Indra Devi. As a corporate marketing road warrior for 25 years, Sherry experienced first-hand the ravages of stress and found relief through gentle yoga. In 2004 she founded Yoga Journey Productions, a company that specializes in gentle, senior and chair yoga videos.

> download the handout

YogaUX: User Experience for Yoga Studios

Katie Myer, E-RYT 200, RYT 500 of Professional Yogi

The reputation of your yoga studio gets shaped by each moment you engage with a client, and every interaction is an opportunity to strengthen your client relationships. Savvy studio owners are now implementing “User Experience” (UX) best practices to strengthen relationships and improve student retention. A little-known term in the yoga world, UX is the sum of all interactions that an individual has with a business, from in-person encounters to web and social media posts. In this session, you will learn specific UX best practices for yoga studios to use in marketing, communications and web practices, to design a UX that both satisfies clients and transforms your business.

Katie Myer, E-RYT 200, RYT 500 is a Certified Usability Analyst (CUA), user experience strategist and owner of Professional Yogi. She helps transform yoga businesses using proven strategies, teaching yoga studio owners and instructors how to run their businesses professionally and efficiently. With 15 years of experience in IT consulting, she skillfully navigates business and technical challenges for non-technical folks through one-on-one sessions. She builds user-friendly websites that elegantly balance user needs with business objectives. Katie is known for her ability to identify what users want and to pick up on the subtle messages businesses send their customers. She is passionate about fantastic user experiences for all.

> download the handout