One of the worst things about the last couple of years over the time of the pandemic, has been lack of connection to others and people being alone and feeling loss of connection to their communities.

Part of what we do as yoga teachers is to hold space for our students to join together with other students, who have a shared interest of yoga and are like minded. To feel like they are supported by you and the community. During the crisis that we have been through these past few years and the ongoing uncertainty this is more important than ever.

Community is one of the most important components of our teaching journey. If we don’t have community number one, we’re unsupported and number two, without community, we’re teaching without the element of connection to others.

WHAT IS COMMUNITY IN YOGA AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?

A community is a group of people that are like minded, have similar beliefs and requirements that come together to connect and grow.

Yoga is translated to mean a joining together, to unify and connection…This is what community is really all about.

In Sanskrit the word ‘Sangha’ means spiritual community coming together to share ideas and grow together. This is what we’re aiming to hold space for in our classes. Whether you are teaching a purely physical asana class or a class with more spiritual depth, you’re bringing people together to share an experience and to grow together through these teachings.

Thich Nhat Hhan, Buddhist monk & spiritual teacher says the most important thing to do to build Sangha is to be the root element of that Sangha. “Look to the non sangha elements and invite them into join the sangha with open arms and heart.” We ourselves can be the Sangha builder, the seed and centre from which everything is growing. He says “try to do everything with love and compassion, be open and loving and that is the most important element of a good sangha.”

…the most important thing to do to build Sangha is to be the root element of that Sangha. “Look to the non sangha elements and invite them into join the sangha with open arms and heart.” Thich Nhat Hhan

We as yoga teachers can do a lot to encourage a sense of community and there are so many benefits, not only for your students but also for you in so many ways. One of those is when your students feel like they’re part of a community and that they are being nurtured and held, they’re alot more likely to become loyal students.

By creating a community, you are creating a space for connection to your students but also for your students to connect together and support each other. You are creating a safe container for your students to share and grow in their practice and in your classes.

5 WAYS TO BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY & GROW YOUR CLASSES.

INVITE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND START THERE.

Starting teaching yoga it can seem like the industry is saturated and you might be thinking who is going to come to my class when there is so much choice and a lot more experienced teachers then me? The reality is we all have existing communities already. Our family and friends who will love to support you and most probably will really benefit from a yoga practice. So to start to build your community, start with your family and friends. Email them all inviting them to come to your classes. This automatically provides you with a base of students to teach and then it will organically grow from there.

2. START COLLECTING EMAILS AND SEND CONSISTENT EMAILS WITH LOTS OF VALUE.

Start growing an email list with everyone that comes to your class. Ask them if they would like to join to receive regular updates of what you’re doing and valuable content to support their yoga practice and wellbeing.

Use a emailing platform to build this list. I recommend Mailchimp or Mailerlite. These sites allow you to create a database of your students emails and to create emails and newsletters with a really easy to use drag and drop system. They are both free to use with up to 1000 – 2000 subscribers.

You can then communicate with your students through their email box on a consistent and regular basis with valuable information to help them with their yoga practice and letting them know about your classes and offerings.

IDEAS OF HOW YOU COULD INSPIRE YOUR STUDENTS THROUGH YOUR EMAILS.

· You could break down a different pose each week.

· Talk about the theme you’re teaching.

· Give little insights as to what is inspiring you in your life and teaching at the moment.

· Give home practice tips and tricks.

3. CONSISTENCY.

Show up at the same time every week and your community will build. Consistency is key.

Your students want to know they can count on you. Part of building a community means building trust and your students want to know they can count on your class being on at the same time each week and that they know what you are going to be teaching and that YOU are teaching it.

If you are going away and getting cover make sure that you tell your students and let them know who is covering you so they feel they are being held and kept informed in the process. This will build trust.

Stay consistent with your emails also. Send your email at the same time each week or month. Consistency is so important so they know when they will get mail from you and what to expect.

4. TURN UP EARLY AND CREATE SPACE FOR YOUR STUDENTS TO CONNECT TO YOU AND TO EACH OTHER.

Turn up early for your class, if you’re in a studio, at least 20 mins before the class so you have time to welcome in your students, have conversations, welcome in the newbies, learn peoples names. You can also introduce students to each other and have conversation at the front of the class that includes everyone.

If you’re on Zoom, turn up early and tell your students you will be there 15 mins before to hold space for conversation for those that want to interact and again to do all of the things you would do in studio.

Its not just our job as teachers to hold space during the class. Before and after are so important also and this will help to build you’re community.

5. LEARN STUDENTS NAMES.

One of the best things you can do to start to connect your students that come to your class is to learn and remember their names. We all know how good it feels to have our teacher address us by name. We feel seen and looked after.

This can be mind boggling to remember all of those names when we have a big class at a studio. There are memory games you can play but maybe starting with remembering 1 or 2 names each class.

Teaching on Zoom we are lucky to have the names on every square and this gives opportunity to give personalised alignment points and encouragement. Connect to your students by name and they will be more likely to listen and connect to your teachings and also to come back to your class.

How are you growing your community right now? Give these a go and let me know how you get on.

Email me on info@amymcdonaldyoga.co.uk and let me know. Id love to hear from you.

BUILDING YOUR COMMUNITY AND FILLING YOUR CLASSES