Marketing Yoga the Yogic Way

You don't have to compromise your values to fill your studio with eager students. Learn to infuse yoga philosophy into your marketing strategies and make room for abundance.

By Dan Charnas

I had just acquired my first regular teaching assignment. It was at 7 a.m., a brand-new time slot for the studio. My plan was to create something out of nothing through savvy marketing. After all, I had been a promotion executive for many years in the entertainment business, so I thought it would be easy.

My big idea? Flyers. "Yoga Before Work," I called the class. "Start Your Day the Right Way," was my headline, the text extolling the virtues of early-morning yoga. I posted the flyers around the center and in neighborhood shops.

The first week was slow. Two people showed up. Over the next few weeks, attendance wasn't much better. In fact, my class rarely attracted more than two people at a time.

I couldn't blame the early time slot, because dozens of people were showing up for the 4 a.m. sadhana at the studio. I sent out email blasts. I gave away free passes. I urged people who came to class to bring their friends. No matter what I did, nothing changed.

As I struggled, I watched the star teacher of the studio, who had nearly a hundred students attend her class and did no advertising at all. Then I tried my next marketing ploy: doing nothing. And that's exactly what happened. Nothing. I felt guilty for marketing, and then I felt foolish for not making an effort. Eventually, I quit the class in resignation.

A decade later, my promotion tools aren't much different, but I struggle a lot less. The only difference I can ascertain between then and now is this: Back then, I just wasn't ready.

But the experience caused me to start thinking about marketing and yoga—not so much about the best ideas for promoting yourself or your yoga center, but about how to align your yoga marketing with the principles of yoga itself. Is it possible to find an organic approach to marketing? How did yoga teachers market themselves back in the day? Aren't there inherent evils in self-promotion? Or do we have a responsibility to market yoga, and ourselves, to a world sorely in need?

Page 1 2 3

See All Business Articles »