Ah, I remember the days when yoga teachers could just bop in and pick up a class or two at a gym, community center, or YMCA. Some of us were teaching full-time, lots of us part-time. We loved sharing yoga and, even if it was just in your basement or friend’s garage, it wasn’t all that hard to find a place to teach.
Until 2020.
Now, with students and potential students struggling in so many ways – stressed out, freaked out, Zoomed out, and isolated – yoga classes are dwindling. Ironically, at a time when the world is in chaos and yoga should be booming, many teachers are telling me that their classes are anemic and they’re scrambling to figure out what to do.
Before the pandemic, the big dream went something like this: go to yoga teacher training, teach somewhere for a few years, open your own studio, be happy.
But now it’s looking a bit more like, “3 folks turned up for my Zoom class today – Awesome!”
The yoga teaching landscape is changing rapidly – and the yoga profession needs to adapt.
The Role
Before the pandemic the yoga teacher role was fairly straightforward – find a nice place to teach and give folks a good experience.
It was basically an if-you-build-it-they-will-come strategy. But that role has vanished like Kevin Costner’s stardom. So, if we want to survive as yoga teachers and if we want to survive as a profession, I suggest we start changing the way we think about our roles.
Right now, yoga teachers have the opportunity to move beyond the passive wait-around-for-people-to-show-up model and start proactively seeking out those who could most benefit from our work. A huge and important shift is moving from thinking like a fitness professional to thinking like a public health professional – prioritizing outreach, education, and advocacy.
Since there’s evidence that regular yoga practice is great for your brain, nervous system, and the prevention of many chronic diseases, we need to start shifting the conversation in that direction.
We need to step into our power – the power we have to play a significant role in improving the health of populations.
I suggest we stop conceptualizing ourselves as part of the fitness industry and start thinking about what we do as lifestyle health interventions. How can we create local, boots-on-the-ground avenues for collaboration with health providers, institutions, and organizations in order reach more people?
We need a mindset shift.
Right now these shifts are critical because we have a choice – adapt to the rapidly changing landscape or kiss our profession bye-bye.
The Potential
There are so many initiatives happening in the health care world right now, some around the new infrastructure bill, many around the shift that’s happening in health care around prioritizing prevention, lifestyle medicine, integrated care (mental health + primary care), and wellness.
Some Examples
The US Department of Health and Human Services recently announced the “Opportunity To Become a Healthy People 2030 Champion” as part of their Healthy People 2030 initiative. This is the national disease prevention and health promotion plan.
When I read things like this, my head explodes with ideas for how yoga professionals can be involved.
The Healthy People 2030’s vision is of “a society in which all people can achieve their full potential for health and well-being across the lifespan.” Their very first objective is “Promoting and increasing access to disease prevention and health promotion activities.”
Isn’t that what you do? Why shouldn’t you be involved in this? Why shouldn’t organizations who apply for this Health People Champion initiative have staff yoga teachers or consultants?
Here’s another example – an initiative from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. They are funding research that expands evidence needed to build a “Culture of Health.” Couldn’t yoga practice be conceptualized as an integral part of building individual and community health? Wouldn’t it be cool of yoga teachers or therapists were involved in this research?
Instead of thinking of ourselves as a sliver of the fitness industry desperately vying for a small pool of students, why not think about ourselves as highly skilled specialists in and advocates for prevention and health promotion? As experts with an essential knowledge base that will help communities achieve health goals?
What You Can Do Today
Okay, I realize these are big ideas and you may want something more actionable.
So, here’s what you can do today.
Reach out to health care professionals – mental health is a good place to start, but use whatever contacts you already have.
Talk to human resources people at institutions. Make phones calls, send emails and knock on doors (and remember that typically you will have to knock on about 20 before one opens, so don’t get discouraged and give up).
Talk about how what you do is educational – you teach wellness, prevention, and health promotion. You can help folks:
- Regulate their nervous systems
- Take care of themselves
- Reduce their stress levels
- Reduce pain
- Improve mental health
- Improve mobility
- Feel empowered
Show health care professionals how you can help their clients and patients endogenously regulate their nervous systems safely. Your slow, mindful yoga is not risky. It’s low cost, able to be delivered in groups, and evidence informed. If they are worried about the word yoga call it “mindfulness in the body” or something. If they are worried people are Zoomed-out, tell them they can place a mat far from the computer and just listen in.
You can also help health care professionals reduce their stress load during this very difficult time by teaching classes specifically for them.
Find ways that you can collaborate with health care professionals, or at least convince them to recommend your classes to their clients and patients.
Also, apply to speak at health conferences. I’m serious. You can and should be sharing your message far and wide.
The more yoga professionals interface with the health care world, the more we start to shift (and save) our profession.
Instead of watching the house burn down, let’s start remodeling it. Right now.
Please check out my brain new ebook, Chakras: Is Everything You’ve Been Taught Wrong?
Please keep an eye out for my October 2-3 online retreat/workshop, Teaching the Neuroscience of Yoga, deets next week.
CHAIR YOGA FOR YOUR BRAIN & NERVOUS SYSTEM
SUBTLE® YOGA FOR ENHANCING TRAUMA RECOVERY
Five Ways Yogic Meditation Benefits Your Brain – eBook
QUESTIONS?
We would love to hear from you!
Please wait while comments are loading...
Yes. Say it louder. Spot on. Preach it.
Amen
You get the idea that I completely agree.!!!!
Yes! xo
Thank you SO much for your wise words! This is what yoga should I’ve ALWAYS looked like in the west! It’s WHY I went through teacher training.
I saw your FB post about people dragging you down. I just wanted you to know we are quiet but there are MANY of us on the same page with you! ❤️
Thanks Camille! xo
I completely agree with you about reframing yoga! People must stop categorizing it as and seeking it as part of the fitness industry, and start looking at it as an integral part of health, wellness, and preventive care. I have been teaching almost strictly Kaiut yoga for the past year which is very focused on balancing the nervous system and reconnecting the brain & body while keeping everything conservative and kind so as not to trigger any defensive mechanisms. I feel like people have been much more receptive toward it since the pandemic (at least where I teach) and they are really starting to appreciate the benefit of practicing yoga as a means to wellness and stress relief instead of fitness.
Thank you!
It is time fr us all to seek our roles to serve others and help them find their way to a healthier, calmer, more loving path. I add yoga too my services-as a massage therapist, energy healer and sound therapist. Your subtle yoga practice is ery much in alignment of what I’m teaching… helping people feel their power to calm themselves, to move with awareness of what their body needs AND awareness of their power and the wonder of the body. Love your suggestions. I appreciate all you do. Thanks.
That’s lovely, you’re doing great work!
The whole world is going through a tough time, we all are facing the same or similar challenges.I agree, it is imperative that as yoga teachers we redirect the seekers to the more healthy, holistic yoga lifestyle emphasizing how yoga can help seekers maintain a more healthy, holistic overall healthy body and mind, boosting their immunity as well as supporting mental wellbeing.
Thanks Dona!
Thank you for championing the cause and having courage to steer the ship in the right direction. It’s hard work but we MUST keep paddling, in unison, to be more effective. Speaking to us teachers is critical. Well done ma’am. 📢
Yes Allison, I agree. and thank you.
YOGA for preventive health care and general well being!
Yes! it is important to advocate for yoga to be practiced in properly taught classes – like Subtle Yoga – These have benefits of deep and conscious rhythmic breathing, proper alignment and mindfulness – all these have positive long-term effects on our health. The amazing aspect of yoga is that it is adaptive – anyone can participate – at any level. Yoga is good for mental health, preventive health, physical and mental health.
I agree Ruby!
I’m on your email list and I love your insight. I agree with you. Yoga has been so misunderstood and misrepresented in the Western culture. I claim Intuitive Yoga Therapy as my title and way of providing the healing service. I feel it’s time we do reach out and get ourselves known.
thanks Leah!
Thank you, thank you for shouting this out!
Just what what I needed to boost confidence to get out there, I have run up against the comment from senior center directors that unless you can show you class is evidence based , we can’t pay you. You web classes and my membership in Subtle yoga society provides the research.
Namaste
You just made my day. Thank you Deborah. I’m so inspired by and proud of you and your work. xo
I have been struggling with very question. Thank you, so much. This is a such a timely piece.
Thank you!
Love Love Love this post. I’m a Specialist public health nurse currently working in a police force in the North of England. I trained to be a yoga teacher so that I can help our hard working stressed police officers to learn how to self sooth self regulate, by understanding the mechanisms of how to do this through yoga. And they come and they learn and it feels great to be doing it.
Keep going, I’m following right behind you. Thanks for the inspiration 🙏
Thank you Bridget – I’d say you are right out in front!!! Wow, terrific work!
I totally agree. I have working towards this change for about two years now. I have been teaching multiple classes at the Mental Health Hospital for inpatient and outpatient programs as well as speaking to health service organizations. It’s very rewarding.
That is so awesome Robin! Great work!!!
Yes! I think I sent you a picture this week a student forwarded to me that shows “Dr. Anthony Fauci recommends 5 yoga classes a week to boost immunity.” I think you are right. Its about developing our skills to model and offer yoga that promotes a life style of wellness and supports community including a yoga community that joins to support an inclusive yoga wellness community. You have helped me improve my practice and efforts for publicity. Who said: Be the change you want to see! Thanks Kristine for your constant inspiration.
Thanks Carol!
This is so good, I see a real need for yoga and mindfulness or similar for health care professionals like nurses , imagine the knock effect it would have if most doctors, nurses and staff at hospital had access and time for yoga during their day, even short practices, same for teachers.
Thanks Kristine
yes I so agree. This is the stuff our world desperately needs at the moment.
Right on, sistah! I really appreciate your thoughts on this, and realized I needed the boost. I’m out of touch with my fellow Yoga instructors as they vacate, but have been asking myself where to re-enter in the fall. I appreciate your ideas which are inspiring me to consider bringing my work out in new ways in the time ahead. Thank you for your leadership!
p.s. also reminds me of how out of date my website is – one place I can change the message!
This is so true and thank you for putting this out there as I was starting to think it was just me!
I feel out of touch as I await foot surgery and a long recovery period, but your post inspired me to continue to figure out ways to keep the message alive while my tendons heel.
Heal…lol. Although heel works here too.
I was reading this, and just sent an email to my boss, the Executive Director of our company, asking about what we are doing as a company with disease prevention, and promoting health activities. I am in mental health, and a certified yoga teacher, and work on pilot programs for Behavioral Health Integration. I would love to start integrating yoga as part of our initiatives.
Awesome! Please keep us posted, I would love to hear how it goes!
Wow, what an inspiring message this was, just when I was feeling burned out. So true that our message should be about health as a lifestyle vs yoga as a fitness only! This gives me some hope in moving forward.
I just get discouraged that “outreach” and promotion these days seems to be all about social media, which really drains me. I plan to shift this to reaching out to health care organizations instead. Thank you so much!