Why You Should Teach in a Yoga Studio

Hey everyone! Namaslay® YTT Grad, Katie, is back today with her experience in teaching yoga in a studio. Since opening Namaslay® Studios, I have a whole new respect for the challenges of finding quality yoga teachers, scheduling great classes, and creating a community. If you are looking to break into studio teaching, have an audition scheduled, or just want to learn more about how to start a regular teaching schedule, read Katie’s tips and check out the Namaslay® Business and Marketing Intensive coming up in January. We’ll talk more about how to create a brand for yourself and tap into your niche. Let us know if you have any questions or would like to see more about finding opportunities as a yoga teacher in the comments! xo - Candace

Teaching Yoga in Studios…and why it’s the best

When I attended the 2018 Namaslay® YTT in Tennessee, I was 100% positive I was NEVER going to audition or work for a studio. Like, NEVER. During the studio module I listened to Jen (because it’s Jen, and she’s amazing) as she explained her experience working for and in a yoga studio, but I believed it wasn’t for me. I wanted to work for myself. I wanted to be independent, my own Kris Jenner, my own HBIC! 

Fast forward to my bimonthly visit to my aesthetician for some self-care. As she was applying the wax, she asked me if I was teaching much yet. I said not really; I had been teaching two classes at my acupuncturist’s office, but they weren’t doing great. Most of the time just my family or roommates attended. She then told me about her friend, who owns one of the most highly attended yoga studios in Ithaca. This studio has been around for decades!

I had been to the studio once or twice and liked my experience there. However, I knew the brand of the studio was POWERFUL - hot AF power yoga, barre, pilates kind of powerful. And I knew that my brand was kinda the opposite. I much prefer to teach slower practices (my specialty is in yin yoga), so I was already intimidated by the idea of presenting my style of yoga to the studio. Even though I was scared, I turned inward, and my intuition told me to try. Turns out, they wanted something like me on the schedule but hadn’t yet found it. To make a long story short - I got an audition. 

Auditioning

Auditioning isn’t always part of the studio teaching process. In fact, I got offered to teach at a local and highly sought after gym, but they didn’t require me to audition. At first it was exciting to me (yay, no stress!) BUT after the fact, I felt without some sort of vetting/criteria, I wasn’t getting the support or feedback I need as a yoga teacher - especially as a new teacher. Part of my personal process as a teacher now is to only teach in settings in which I am being held accountable. This is my personal choice, but I do recommend it. 

So, you got an audition! Congrats, it’s a big step! Bask in the happiness now because the initial excitement is quickly washed away by the impending anxiety of actually teaching your audition class. If you graduated from Namaslay® YTT, you’re prepared and know what to do next, but if you got your training elsewhere, you may not have received the Business and Marketing preparation or know what to expect.

On the day of your audition, arrive to the studio at LEAST 15 minutes in advance. Go in, familiarize yourself with the studio owner/manager if you haven’t already, drink some water, breathe. Turn your phone on Do Not Disturb, get your playlist set up, and get in there. My first audition was my yin class, and it was in front of the studio owner, her husband, her daughter, and five other teachers from the studio. To say it was intimidating is putting it lightly. I did my thing to the best of my ability and knew that if my class wasn’t for them, it was going to be ok.

A mantra that I told myself before class was silly, but it worked. I told myself that, “if you can teach yoga in front of Candace, you can do ANYTHING.” That mantra still works today. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

I was granted a weekly spot on the schedule to teach my yin class. One class per week allowed me to get familiar with the studio and their brand, the teachers, the classes, and my teaching style. My yin yoga class is the only hour-long yin yoga class in my town. Other studios/teachers offer yin within their flows, but mine is the only traditional yin yoga class. This is where I am glad we were taught at Namaslay® YTT to think about how we can stand out!

So you’re in the studio, now what?

After six months on the schedule, I was asked to teach vinyasa classes. I said yes, but knew that the studio had a certain type of vinyasa style that I wasn’t necessarily trained in. My studio was formally a Baptiste studio, and eventually transitioned toward a general power yoga studio that offers barre and Pilates as well. Even though the studio was no longer just a Baptiste studio, they still use elements of that style in their power yoga classes. The studio owner graciously sat down with me several times to help me learn the studio’s flow style, so that I could teach a class that was unique to my own style of teaching and training, but that kept with the brand of the studio. It really helped my confidence AND kept with the idea that Candace always says: Be a student first. I do not and will never know everything. Asking for help is essential. Around month 8 of teaching in my studio, I was asked to teach another yin class and another vinyasa class during the week, four classes total. I also fell quite in love with Pilates and barre too and will soon train with the studio owner in both. Be a student first.

Related Post: How to Be a More Confident Yoga Teacher

Expect bumps in the road

Your first few classes might not feel like your best! That’s ok. Even once you build confidence, you’ll have a bad class every now and then. Or you’ll have students that distract you, roll their eyes, sigh loudly because they are annoyed with you, shout “IS THIS RIGHT?!” during your yin class, or students that don’t even try. All of which have happened to me in my first year of teaching. It feels really damaging at first, but it is part of becoming a new teacher and becoming someone that students can trust. You must expect setbacks and blows to your ego. (Ego is a whole other part of teaching, but that can wait until another article.)

Related Post: Confessions of a Yoga Teacher: When Critiques Happen

In summary

I am so thankful that I reached out to my studio. I let go of my assumptions about teaching yoga in a studio setting and found myself a new family. Now that I have been a teacher there since January and can teach more than yin yoga, I am subbing classes almost every week and will have four regular classes on the schedule starting in August! I also have a “yogi gang” which feels validating and comforting. 

Even though studios look and feel intimidating, if you are looking for a place to showcase your style, learn more yoga, and find a yogi family - I recommend checking out the teacher openings in your local area. 

If you’re a yoga teacher looking for guidance in honing your teaching skills and developing your authentic style, join us for a Namaslay® YTT Refresher course at Namaslay® Studios in January, right after the Business and Marketing Intensive workshops. If you sign up for both, we’re offering a sweet discount!