by Melissa Billington, MYOGA Freedom & The Amazon Academy The advantage of growing up in the alternative health realms is that I’ve seen the evolution of these arts & sciences over a number of decades. My mother was doing yoga while I was in the womb & a few years later she became a massage therapist. When she worked in a health food store, I would hang out in the back. When we were Buddhist we chanted and had an altar in our home. Our family heritage to the pre-colonized Powhatan … [Read more...]
What is Conscious Business and Can it Reshape our World?
by Kara-Leah Grant Nothing has changed society more than business. The second agricultural revolution (Britain approximately 1650 until about 1900) was defined by business, as farmers changed methods to increase productivity and food production out-stripped population growth, creating wealth. Laws around common land changed and transportation infrastructure became increasingly important, completely changing British society. And, through the British Empire, impacted the entire world. That … [Read more...]
What the Hell Happened with YEANZ Ltd & Wanderlust Australia New Zealand?
by Kara-Leah Grant It's the news that has ruptured the New Zealand and Australian yoga community and shattered the dreams of thousands of people. On January 12th, 2018 YEANZ Ltd, the company that held the license for Wanderlust in Australia and New Zealand, went into liquidation. Eleven days later, the worst was confirmed - Wanderlust Great Lake Taupō was effectively cancelled. The Yoga Lunchbox has been part of the Wanderlust journey right from the beginning: I've interviewed many Wanderlust … [Read more...]
9 Questions To Ask Before You Host a Travelling Yoga Teacher
by Kara-Leah Grant Hosting a travelling yoga teacher can be a successful and profitable venture for a yoga studio - if done right! It can use up "dead time" in the studio. It opens up an additional income stream. It can bring in students that don't usually come to the studio, some of whom may come back. It can increase the exposure and awareness of the host studio in the marketplace. It can educate and inspire the studio's student base. And it can be the beginning of an … [Read more...]
No Going Back: On Listening and Not-Listening to That Inner Voice
By Leza Lowitz, Sun and Moon Yoga I never thought I’d open my own yoga studio, let alone do so in a foreign country. Years ago, while I was meditating at a yoga retreat in Haiku, Hawaii, a voice had said, "You must move to Japan and open a yoga studio in Tokyo." Was it my inner voice? The voice of island’s Goddess Pele? It didn’t matter. I didn’t listen. I had no intention of returning to Tokyo, where I’d lived once before. I loved California; there was no going back. Until the day my … [Read more...]
The Nuances of Teaching Yoga For Free, For Charity and For Profit
By Brook McCarthy, Hustle & Heart Brook is launching the next round of her popular Hustle & Heart 9 Week On-Line Course on September 28. Sign up by September 20 to receive the early bird price.* There’s a time for working for free, a place for charitable yoga teaching and a role for working for profit. As a yoga teacher, knowing the difference between these will help you avoid heartache and thrive as a professional, while helping to lift the entire yoga sector. Whether you’re a … [Read more...]
Is Yoga Really as Dangerous as Downhill Skiing? High ACC Levies Hit NZ Yoga Teachers
By Laura Brookes If ACC’s got it right, all New Zealand yoga teachers should be on immediate hazard alert. They currently face the same risk of injury in their workplace as downhill ski instructors. Yoga instructors are charged $1.37 for every $100 earned in ACC levies, a higher rate than prostitutes ($0.40), firefighters ($0.92) and professional netball players ($1.31). ACC groups yoga instruction into the classification unit for Sports and physical recreation instruction, meaning they … [Read more...]
6 Ways to Maintain Work-Life Balance as a Busy Yoga Teacher
by guest author Cailen Ascher As busy yoga teachers, we wear many hats: instructor, marketer, parent, entrepreneur, personal assistant, manager, friend, spouse, confidante, errand gofer and more! With the fast-paced nature of our daily schedules, it can seem that it’s nearly impossible to maintain any sense of balance in our lives. And even though we yogis are better equipped than many to handle the multitude of challenges and stressors that get heaped on our plates, sometimes the … [Read more...]
Have You Stated Your Intentions? The Importance of Writing a Yoga Business Plan
By Keeley Mitchell, Zi Living Recently I had the pleasure of having someone inquire about my services and in our discourse she asked two questions. 1. How much experience should she have before opening her yoga studio? 2. How much money does it cost to open a yoga studio? While I could not give her a definitive answer to her questions, I felt our discussion was still a positive one. You see, I gave my inquirer kudos for doing her research well in advance so she could plan … [Read more...]
I do: What it Really Means to Commit to Your Yoga Business
By guest author Keeley Mitchell, Zi Living Welcome back for another discussion from The Business Side of the Mat. In this article I wanted to delve a little deeper into the idea of committing to your business. When I speak of commitment, I am not referring to your commitment to your clients and students. I know that you are committed where that is concerned. I am referring to your commitment to running your business and growing it. It's about truly making the commitment that you will treat … [Read more...]