If you want to turn your passion for teaching yoga into a sustainable, profitable yoga business, you have to stand out as a yoga teacher in the yoga scene.

Standing out as a yoga teacher doesn’t necessarily mean that you are the best yoga teacher—or the most experienced. Sure, you’ve got to be good and trained up, but even a new yoga teacher can stand out.

To stand out as a yoga teacher in this market, you’ve gotta be. You’ve gotta be more than a yoga teacher.

You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
Des’ree

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How to Stand Out as a Yoga Teacher in the Yoga Landscape

Standing out as a yoga teacher, particularly as an authority or expert in your yoga niche, or as a go-to for an amazing yoga experience will help you attract students and clients. Standing out as a yoga teacher will help your business grow.

Standing out now in today’s yoga scene means more than just being a good yoga teacher. It also means being a good marketer and self-promoter.

What Standing Out as a Yoga Teacher Means

If you remember that smash hit by singer Des’ree, you might think that you gotta be bad, bold, wiser, hard, tough, stronger, cool, calm, and together to be a wildly successful yoga teacher.

Well, maybe you need some of those things–though maybe not all at the same time. However, standing out as a yoga teacher in the yoga marketplace, might look like:

Having awareness and knowledge of yoga
Knowing yourself–or at least having a good idea about yourself and awareness of who you are
Being authentic
Showing a genuine passion for teaching yoga and/or for helping others use yoga to improve or enhance their lives
Recognizing what you know and don’t know–and being hungry for continued growth
Putting your brand or your yoga business brand out there in full view

Ultimately, to stand out as a yoga teacher you want to showcase who you are, your personality, what you uniquely bring to the mat, your own unique voice and/or style, and your passion for teaching yoga to your students.

My Story: Teachers Who Are Memorable Stand Out

Yoga teachers who stand out tend to be memorable–hopefully, in a positive, impactful way.

For example, I remember the first yoga teacher to teach me about alternate-nostril breathing (nadi shodhana), a form of pranayama or breathing exercise. She stands out in my mind because she communicated such a gentle, yet certain confidence about the power of this breathing exercise to transform your life. While the words she said have long escaped me, her passion and conviction are imprinted in my memories of that yoga class.

She believed that practicing pranayama was so worth it. It stuck with me.

What Standing Out as a Yoga Teacher Doesn’t Mean

Standing out as a yoga teacher doesn’t necessarily mean … that you are the BEST at yoga poses (asanas). It doesn’t even mean that you have all of the Sanskrit names for postures memorized. It doesn’t mean you know absolutely everything about human anatomy, at least not yet. And it doesn’t mean you only trained under the biggest names in the yoga industry.

Standing out as a yoga teacher also doesn’t mean that you don’t use notes during class to teach. Using notes is fine… don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Standing out as a yoga teacher also doesn’t mean that you have the most experience, the best yoga wardrobe, or the prettiest yoga studio.

It also doesn’t mean you have the most followers on Instagram. Hmm… now that I think of it, if you’re not already following The Yoga Startup on Instagram, come follow us @TheYogaStartup

How to Set Yourself Apart from Other Yoga Teachers in the Crowded Yoga Marketplace

1. Be Uniquely You.

You’ve probably heard the cliche that everyone else is taken, so just be you. But seriously, to be a yoga teacher who stands out in the yoga industry, it’s critical that you show up as you. Your teaching style should reflect who you are, your personality, your passion, your style, your values, and your expertise.

2. Show Up Authentically.

This is really an extension of #1. To stand out as a leader in the yoga industry and as a yoga teacher, it’s important that you show up authentically. No fakeness. Real. All day, every day. Students and clients will be drawn to your authenticity. They will be inspired by how you show up.

3. Establish Yourself as an Authority in Your Niche.

Take time to choose a yoga niche. Niche down! Find an area of interest that speaks to you at your core. A yoga niche that stirs or awakens your passion for yoga, teaching, and life.

A niche will set you apart from your competition and help your ideal clients, yoga students, and customers find you.

4. Get Visible.

If you’re not already blowing up the social media networks with your awesome yoga content, you’ve got to get out there. At the very least, you should seriously consider establishing or cleaning up your LinkedIn Profile or at least one social media account to showcase your sweet gig as a yoga teacher.

Don’t be shy about leveraging existing technology, social media platforms, teaching platforms, and apps to put yourself out there. Get good at digital marketing and promote you brand and your business!

For example, if you don’t have a website or yoga blog for your business, there’s no time like RIGHT NOW to launch. Yes, blogging is still the real deal and soooo important for growing a thriving business.

5. Create an Inviting Yoga Classroom Environment.

You can stand out as a yoga teacher by creating a yoga practice environment that is warm, welcoming, safe, and relaxing for your students. Think judgment free zone, where all bodies, shapes, and sizes are welcome–a place where you can hold space for your students to show up exactly as they are.

6. Network, Network, Network!

Networking with other yoga teachers, other industry professionals, and like-minded yogis can help you connect with others in a meaningful way and stand out. Building meaningful relationships can help you build a glowing reputation as an attentive, active, and connected yoga teacher. The connections you establish can help you grow your yoga business and expand your reach within the yoga community.

7. Continue to Invest in Yourself.

You can stand out as a leader in the yoga community by continually investing in yourself and in your business. This might look like hiring a yoga business coach, taking continuing yoga education trainings, or acquiring new knowledge or attending training programs, such as to develop a new yoga niche.

7 Ways to Stand Out as a Top Yoga Teacher