WHAT’S YOUR SECRET
Be yourself. There is no sustainability in
wearing a mask or behaving like a parody of
a yoga teacher. Learn to teach less. Work
smarter, not harder. Teaching oodles of
classes may appear successful but taking
a leap of faith, setting boundaries and
knowing when to say no has achieved more
for me personally.
BUSINESS PLAN
I am a list maker extraordinaire but I have
deliberately avoided making a formal plan.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a fresh notepad
and am full of ideas but I believe many of
my luckiest opportunities have come to me
because I leave a little room for the magic of
connecting with people and forging creative
collaborations which are my
natural strengths.
WHAT’S YOUR NICHE
Being mixed race Chinese, many of the
traditional Chinese medicine values and Tao
origins of yin were part of my upbringing
and very natural to me. When I discovered
yin as a yoga practice, however, I developed
a love-hate relationship with the often
frustrating practice, but this enables me to
MyYogaBiz
be a relatable teacher. Working with other
teachers is a big passion of mine and I enjoy
delivering Yoga Alliance CPD trainings and
assessing and training on 200YTT courses.
I’m running a yin yoga masterclass at the
OM Yoga Show in Manchester this year
and also a yin yoga teacher training in
the summer.SELF CARE
It is important and mentally healthy to have
other priorities besides yoga. Build a life
off the mat. Whether that is your home life,
another job, the gym, or social life, making
time and headspace to breathe other air is
good. Yoga may be our passion, our job and
on some occasions our sanity but if we eat,
sleep and breathe yoga it can take us to
a place where it is hard to loosen the grip
and keep perspective. Of course I like yoga
but it falls further down my love list than
you may think.BUSINESS ADVICE
Teacher training is so all consuming that
most of us stumble out and haven’t given
much thought to the fact that it is now an
actual job with all the pitfalls running a
business entails. One tip Sun Power Yoga
gave me was to invest in my own equipment
straightaway. I did and it was solid advice
I continue to follow. Always invest in your
business. It is no good going on lots of
courses then not being able to hand out a
strap or having filthy old mats.This month’s mentor: Rose Shaw, 43,
Yoga By Rose (yogabyrose.co.uk)HARDEST LESSON
“Heavy sigh”. Not everyone in yoga land
has your back and nothing is forever. One
person’s ‘tribe’, ‘fam’, or ‘girl gang’ can be
another person’s bullies. I have been told
my face didn’t fit anymore at a studio I was
loyal and committed to. I have had teachers
query my qualifications and experience with
my employers and institutes. It happens.
Connecting and helping people isn’t to be
avoided but knowing when to ‘nama-stay’ in
your own lane is good advice.FUTURE TRENDS
Things seem to be moving away from hotter,
harder calorie-burning, fitbit-focused yoga
and slipping into experience-based classes.
Finding more ease, being at ease and
developing self enquiry are at the heart of
my teaching — after all, we achieve more
when we make friends with our bodies rather
than when we treat them as the enemy.Written and compiled by Claudia Brown
(yogabyclaudia.com)Tips from the experts to help you grow the yoga business of your dreams.