Plan your first yoga workshop - even if you don’t feel ready!

A simple, step-by-step guide to help you go from simple idea to booked workshop (without overthinking it)

If you’ve had a workshop idea sitting in your notebook for weeks… or even months, but every time you come to do something about it, you find yourself wondering (worrying):

  • What would I actually teach?

  • Would anyone book?

  • Am I experienced enough?

This guide is here to help you change that.

Yoga teacher, I promise you, you don’t need more experience, more followers or a ‘perfect’ workshop plan.

You just need a clear idea and a group of yogis that you want to work with.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

  • how to choose your workshop idea

  • how to structure your workshop simply and clearly

  • how to price your workshop with confidence

  • how to avoid the most common mistakes

  • how to take your idea and turn it into something real

So, grab your notebook and pen, have a read through this guide, and consider the sections you'll include. Just jot some notes down, nothing has to be set in stone!

Useful resources

Where to hold your workshop

Listen to the For Yoga Teachers podcast, episode 8 - Renting a space for yoga to check that the location you're considering has everything you need.

What to charge for your workshop

This is one of the hardest things about teaching yoga. Essentially, you can price two ways:

1) What people will pay

2) What you need to charge

Listen to the For Yoga Teachers podcast, episode 1 - Pricing strategies for your yoga offering for more.

Promoting your workshop

If imposter syndrome is rearing its ugly head here, check out our Shatter Imposter Syndrome challenge. You can, and should, promote your yoga workshop without being held back!

For help promoting your workshop, and your yoga in general, check out the For Yoga Teachers podcast episode 12 - Staying in touch with your yogis

Planning your workshop

You could consider any and all of the following:

  • Arriving

  • Intention setting

  • Introductions to other workshop attendees

  • Introduction of the topic covered in the workshop

  • Meditation

  • Pranayama

  • Movement and asana, such as: warm up, main flow, main section, cool down

  • Savasana or Yoga Nidra

  • Sharing of experiences with other attendees

  • Nourishment, such as tea, cake

Choose which sections you’ll include, with any notes you need. Get this down in a way that works for YOU. You can use asana names, nicknames, bullet points, full sentences, stick people - whatever works best for you.

Practice running through your workshop, make sure it feels great to you! If there's any sections that you're nervous about, practice those a bit more.

Then, it’s time to get excited about teaching, yey!

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After your workshop

Workshop feedback

Whether it's asking people as they're leaving, sending an email follow up or something else, you definitely want to try to get an idea of how the workshop was received. Was there too much information, or too little? What was the venue like? Would they come again?

Testimonials

This can be the same action as getting feedback, or you might see feedback as more unofficial, for your eyes only, and testimonials as more formal. If you're planning to run your workshop again, you definitely want some words from previous attendees to say how much they enjoyed it. Make sure you get full permissions to use their words, name, social media handles etc.

Document your learnings

Was the room too cold for the Nidra? Do you wish that the food was ready a bit earlier? Had you forgotten to explain something?

Get your learnings documented, it's amazing how much falls out of your head even in the first 24 hours!

Do the sums

1) Tot up everything that you had to invest in for the workshop.

Include travel, parking, extra equipment, refreshments, and your planning time too.

2) Tot up your income.

3) Minus your expenses from your income, and there's your profit from the workshop - are you happy? This will help you decide whether to charge more or less next time, whether you need more attendees, or whether you should look for a more affordable space....

Now celebrate! Well done yoga teacher!