I recently had a conversation with someone from Sport England and had to ask myself “why are you getting so angry?” Some context – it was in relation to my concerns on how the Group Exercise industry is governed. Upon reflection it is an age old flame that becomes fuelled when I am so confidently […]

The wonderful things about the computer you own and the world wide web are accessibility & speed . Our digital connectivity has changed the way that we do everything, and yes this includes learning how to teach yoga. This is all about how we changed the face of yoga teacher training. Learn to teach yoga with www.groupxtraining.com Take weekly classes, […]

Here is your free guide to making money from teaching classes. It works, it is  proven, I have done it – MAKE MONEY FROM TEACHING CLASS Enjoy    

Yogis have always traversed modern yoga with a love hate perspective but there is currently a mass of articles on cultural appropriation suggesting that nothing we do in our middle class lifestyles will ever be enough to call our yoga – YOGA. What has unsettled me is that part of me agrees with this, a large part of me does not and has never wanted even the language of traditional yoga to infiltrate my teaching ( I still to this day have never used the word Namaste at any time in my yoga teaching or practice) and ultimately my distaste of received wisdom and ritual pretty much closes me off to much of the early teachings of pre modern yoga. I have never had a calling for yoga to become my way of life, I just want it to complement my day to day existence allowing me to be more physically capable, more mentally diverse, more spiritually active.

The perfect “next step” in understanding the philosophy of yoga, is a yoga training course. Progressing beyond a purely physical practice requires a greater understanding of its chronology. To teach yoga as a profession, a recognised qualification is essential in order to get insurance and gain employment.

Your absolute goal is to teach professional yoga classes. It is important that the course you choose fits into your existing lifestyle. In order for you to complete it successfully, it must not cause too much disruption to your work life balance. You may have to forsake your next holiday in order to live your dream but it will be worth it once you are a fully qualified yoga teacher.

Although the roots of yoga span several decades and many people perceive authentic yoga to follow a traditional practice, it is important to be mindful of its evolution. A modern audience may be reticent to throw themselves into the more esoteric aspects of yoga preferring a purely physical practice. A good instructor provides a gateway into yoga for everyone and anyone with interest.

Sometimes we all need ergogenic aids to help us fit in or segway into areas that are new and different. We live in a society where possessions are #1, most people have their own mats, sports watches to count steps, calories and tell us how we sleep, the list is endless. As teachers we also need tools to give us a boost and make our job easier.

Here are a few of the things that have made my life easier this year.

If I have 1 regret from my years of teaching, it is that I did not cancel enough classes. My loyalty to the people who came was personal not professional and they would have continued to come, even and perhaps especially if I had been more business like in my class planning. My loyalty to the clubs where I taught was never reciprocated or rewarded, it was expected and that is a massive ask! Sometimes we have nothing to give and at these times we should be able to recoup and relax. You may throw in the need to earn money at this point, but in all honesty, if you do this job well, with planning and some percentage of a business mind, your days away from teaching should not impact your overall income.

Everything needs an outcome and this is it. We are on the cusp of another change in the industry. The large operators are severely challenged by both budget and boutiques. The blanket approach is not pulling in people any more as the end user is tired of mass produced concepts and can afford to be more selective and daring in their exercise choices. They can run for free in the park  and pay up to £20 for hot yoga, join a cross fit box, exercise on line – ultimately they have so much more choice.