Being a professional yoga teacher is hard work, and much of that work takes place outside the classroom. To have career longevity, you must develop good working skills with your studio management.
I have spent fifteen years managing yoga teachers at three different multi-location companies. I’ve auditioned teachers, hired them, had performance conversations, managed their subs, reviewed their classes, changed their schedule, and – occasionally – fired them. And I’ve also been on the other side of the fence, and been a yoga teacher for hire at a wide range of studios.
I wrote a post awhile back on “How Yoga Studios Can Keep Their Teachers Happy.” When it came out, one of my friends – a studio manager – sighed and said to me, “You know, Rachel, we love our teachers…but they can drive us absolutely crazy too. Some are so hard to work with. Can you write a post on that?”
Here are five tips to for being a professional yoga teacher and keeping your relationship with your studio in top form.
1. Be Your Own CEO
Yoga may still smell a little bit of the 1960’s hippie counter culture that brought it over to North America, but it is now big business. And if you want to create a yoga career with longevity, you have to take yourself seriously. As one of my friends advises, “Don’t be a flakey hippie.” I’ll offer more specific pieces of advice below, but “Be Your Own CEO” is the essential idea. Take your career as seriously as you would if you were working at a bank, a hospital or a law firm.
The more you treat yourself like a professional, the more you will uphold your own sense of integrity, and ultimately, the more professionally that you will be treated.
2. Don’t Sub Out Classes For Silly Reasons
Managing subs is one of the most time consuming tasks a studio faces.
Now, everyone needs to sub out classes occasionally; it’s completely understandable if you’ve come down with the flu or need to take your friend to the hospital. However, it’s very hard on the studio when a teacher subs out frequently or at the last minute. Subbing out classes undermines the studio experience and the teacher’s ability to build community. When a teacher subs out their class, it sends a message to the student that 1. you don’t care, and 2. consistency doesn’t matter. If the teacher doesn’t bother showing up every time, why should they? If you want to build your classes and reputation, then you must show up.
Depending on your studio’s subbing protocol, either you or your studio will be finding your sub. Either way, a last minute sub is disruptive. If the studio is finding a sub for you, then they have to drop everything in order to find a replacement. They will be very stressed out and it will take away from their time to do other work. At a smaller studio, your inability to show up may mean that the studio manager or owner has to step in and teach, which will likely throw their life plans into disarray (trust me, you don’t want to be the one to ruin “date night”). Even if you are finding your own sub, they still usually have to update the website, track the change, and deal with disgruntled students.
Managers aren’t usually jerks; they want to help their teachers out when it’s a real emergency. But if you cry wolf and sub out your classes when (forgive me, but these are real excuses I’ve heard), “the moon is in retrograde,” “it’s such a nice day,” or “I just got mad, free tickets to this concert,” then you are undermining your own professionalism, your community, and the financial success of the studio. Over time, this will not be sustainable.
3. Do The Professional Things
When you treat yourself as a professional business owner, you will do the other things that support your business besides just teaching. This may include:
- Invoicing accurately and on time,
- Communicating professionally,
- Showing up at community events,
- Upholding studio policies,
- Not talking smack about the studio to students,
- Leaving your personal life at the door,
- Being kind and courteous to other staff,
- Helping maintain the yoga space (neatening up blocks, blankets, and keeping things nice),
- Being a studio ambassador: know about studio events (sales, workshops) and understand the passes that students may purchase.
4. Be Of Service
Teaching a class isn’t about the 60 minutes of class time for which you are scheduled; it also includes 15 minutes before and after your class in which you can connect with your community, set the class up for success, and answer questions. Don’t be the yoga “rock star” who breezes in, plops down, and just starts teaching. Show up early and stay late. Take time to get to know your students. I know that sometimes we have to hold space and run the teaching show, but remember that the class experience is not about us. It’s about them.
5. Be A Team Player
I know it’s challenging to feel like you’re part of a team when you are a contractor. Understanding the challenges that come from running a yoga studio can give you context on why you may paid what you are paid, and how to have conversations around your own needs, even when they are difficult.
Respect and professionalism go both ways: when you take your own yoga career seriously, treat your studio with respect, and show up as a professional, you will open the doorway to having the open and courteous conversations that are important to you. For example, conversations around changing your schedule, taking time off, or getting a raise. When you have shown the studio that you care about the success of the community and upholding the standards of the business, they will be more receptive to working with you when your needs are at stake.
One Caveat
Not all studios are created equal, and not all studio owners are great managers. If you feel that you are in a position where the studio owner lacks integrity or professionalism, you may choose to quit. Make your exit as graceful as possible. The best practice is to give the studio owner lots of notice (a month is ideal). Even if the studio isn’t upholding their professionalism, you can uphold yours, which will give you a deeper sense of your own professional worth.
Questions, comments? I’d love to hear!
