yoga show

Collaboration Over Competition: Strategic Partnerships for Kids Yoga Businesses

Finding Opportunities for Collaboration

The reality of entrepreneurship for yoga teachers is often more complicated than one may assume, and it is easy to feel discouraged when you look around at others who make it look easy. It is difficult to get your footing, and supplementing your income can be a good way to get started. This motivation, combined with a positive and open attitude can allow you to focus on what you love without worrying as much about the financial restrictions.

For Young Yoga Masters, broadening a network of fellow yogis has been essential for success. Conference participation is an excellent example of this. Registering as an exhibitor can be pricey, costing up to $2,500 for a booth. Rather than immediately viewing this as a setback or hefty investment, consider the options available. Registering for these conferences with other like-minded business people is an option that will cut costs while still giving you exposure.

As Aruna, founder of Young Yoga Masters describes, “For the upcoming Yoga Show in Toronto (FREE Show Pass here), I originally got in by sharing a booth with a group of Kundalini Yoga Teachers. Then I met Janet and we split costs and founded A Children’s Yoga Network to have a presence for both our businesses. This year we’ve grown to six people and a bigger booth. Collaboration makes the event financially accessible for more people and the bigger booth helps us stand out more.”

Seeing the Benefits of Strategic Partnerships

It is easy to perceive similar businesses as competition, but people often overlook the potential benefits. Promoting alongside other businesses is not counter-intuitive because customers are not necessarily deciding between the two. This is a lesson Aruna learned early on.

In another example of strategic partnerships, I was running yoga classes at a local studio that were doing well. When another instructor began running a deep relaxation class the same night, I encouraged my students to try it out because I wanted to create a buzz around my teaching night. After a few months I noticed how the success of the new class led to my own success. I noticed registrations increase in my class too. It’s kind of like how it works when you see a restaurant district, all the restaurants clump together to create a destination and it helps everyone. Collaboration is usually more effective than engaging in competition. – Aruna Kathy Humphrys

This picture is from our booth at the Yoga Show 2014

In Aruna’s case, strategic partnerships have also led to supplementary income. While the main goal of doing conferences is promoting Kids Yoga Teacher Certification, it has also served as an opportunity to sell products and resources which she doesn’t have time to sell online.

Though Aruna gives a word of warning: collaboration doesn’t mean you have to give away your hard work and knowledge for free. Honour the time and effort it takes you to build your client list, find good suppliers, and the trial and error it takes to figure out which shows are worth participating in. Collaboration does not mean you are an open book, you still value your work.

Positivity in the business world is an invaluable asset. While the world may feed competitive try looking for opportunity rather than setbacks. It is not only beneficial, but necessary. Reaching out to like-minded individuals and creating a community in which people support each other may just be your next step.

Had an experience similar to Aruna’s? Or had the opposite experience? Leave a comment below!

Upcoming Events

Click this link for all the upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Certification courses

Kids Yoga Teacher Training is always a welcome adventure. Join us for one or all of these events:

Toronto Yoga Show

April 1 – 3, 2016
Metro Toronto Convention Centre (Front St.)
Come take advantage of the show specials at our booth!

Adult Yoga Retreat in Ontario

April 22-24, 2016:
Kundalini Yoga Spring Getaway
– Ecology Retreat Centre, Hockley Valley, ON, Canada

Kids Yoga Teacher Training

April 23 – 24, 2016 Weekend:
Ages and Stages Module Certificate

Kids Yoga Teacher Training
May 28-29, 2016 Weekend:
Branching Out Module Certificate

Summer Certification 2016

Save over $200 with Super Early Registration by March 15, 2016

New Orleans, USA

95 Hour Summer Intensive – July 7 – 17, 2016
– Wild Lotus Yoga Studio, New Orleans, USA

Ontario, Canada

95 Hour Summer Certification – August 7-19, 2016
– Waterfront Hotel, Burlington, ON, Canada

See all dates, rates, and locations here.

Uplift your Spirit with Yoga!

Teachers Doubting their Legitimacy, The Risks and Rewards of Kids Yoga Teacher Training, and a Mandala Meditation to Centre You Through It All

21,566 people. That was the official count of visitors at the Yoga Show in Toronto this April and I feel like I talked to half of them at our kids yoga booth! There was keen interest, and our area was a buzz with all things related to yoga and children.

By far, the most popular question was, “What do I need to teach kids yoga?” Not a surprise, since kids yoga standards are fairly new.

What did surprise me was the growing concern about “proper” certification. There were more people doubting whether their current training was enough.

As one woman said, “I just don’t feel legit, with only a weekend of training, to put Kids Yoga Teacher on my business card.”

It is a legitimate concern.

Today, let’s look at training requirements and the feelings of legitimacy that may arise when you consider different training. Then later on, you’ll see some pictures from our Kids Mandala workshop and how Mandalas are great for Self Assessment. It’s a fun activity for a kids yoga camp too.

All of this will help anyone considering Kids Yoga Training balance the risks and the rewards.

Risks and Rewards of Kids Yoga Teacher Certification

Risk: Your Certification Doesn’t Count

When people asked what they needed to teach kids yoga, I explain the various levels of “Certification” as follows:

Technical Regulations: In most areas Yoga is an unregulated vocation. Technically, you don’t need any training to hang your “Kids Yoga Class Here” sign. Yoga teacher training is becoming regulated in some States in the USA. So if you are wondering about certification, the first risk to assess: Is yoga regulated where you live? You don’t want to break any laws.
That’s me (Aruna) teaching a yoga workshop at the Yoga Garden at the Yoga Conference
The Ability to Deliver: The next consideration to teach kids yoga is whether you can deliver a good, safe, kids yoga class. One kids yoga employer told me: “I don’t care about “certification,” I want to see you teach a great class.” So if you don’t know whether you can deliver, get experience actually teaching kids yoga. Some training programs give you this experience and some don’t. Can you risk completing a program where you don’t teach real kids? Because you’re going to need teaching experience for your resume.
Yoga Industry Standards: In terms of certification, many people set their sights on the Yoga Industry Standards because they want the industry recognition. Yoga Alliance (YA) sets the bar for Registered Children’s Yoga Teachers (RCYT) at:
- 95 hrs Training with a Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS)
- AND 200 hrs Training with a Registered Yoga School (RYS) – The good news is you can take your 95 or 200 hr training in any order.

Here’s the rub, many people already have 20 or 30 hours of training under their belt. The problem is Yoga Alliance won’t count those hours towards the totals. YA requires you take all the hours of Training with the same school, a school registered at the time of your training. Otherwise YA won’t count it, even if it is enough hours. This chart helps show why:

If you take 95 hours from different schools, how do you know if the different categories have been fulfilled?

The risk here is you may invest in a training that doesn’t count. I’ve heard positive things about most kids yoga trainings, but only those taken with a YA Registered School will count towards your Yoga Alliance registration.

Risk: You Can’t Get Insurance as a Kids Yoga Teacher

To assess this risk, find out if you have enough training to get Insurance coverage. You hopefully will never need your insurance, but I recommend you get it anyway. Each state, province, or country will have different standards. It’s definitely worth getting if teaching kids yoga is going to be part of your career.

Risk: You Take a Training But Still Don’t Feel Legitimate

This risk may rear its ugly head when you least expect it, like one woman described happened to her when making her business cards. She started to wonder: Am I legit?

Do you feel confident to call yourself a kids yoga teacher? If you don’t, it may be holding you back. Is it time to commit and get legit with Yoga Alliance? Or does it indicate a need for another change? You’ll find a powerful meditation in the Rewards part to help you assess this risk and the others.

a group of kids yoga teachers holding their certificates — If you want to become a kids yoga teacher trainer, some students will want a Yoga Alliance Registered Training

Risk: Problems Becoming a Kids Yoga Teacher Trainer

The final risk will only affect those who see themselves becoming Kids Yoga Teacher Trainers (which I hope are many, because we’ve got to keep spreading the love).

The reason why I registered our school with Yoga Alliance was because people were asking for it. It was a lot of work to write all the manuals, organize the kids camps, and meet all the requirements. But people wanted it and it began to feel right to get it. It was getting really difficult trying to cover everything in one weekend of training!

If you see yourself eventually teaching a teacher training, you may one day want to register with Yoga Alliance too. If you don’t, you will be cutting off a bunch of students who only want a registered school training. This may not be relevant now, but something to think about in the long term.

Rewards: You Make an Educated Decision And Get Clear on Your Goals

Indeed there are quite a few risks to consider when choosing a Kids Yoga Teacher Training.

So what are the rewards?

Beyond the obvious, you get to teach kids yoga, here are some pictures and tips from our Kids Mandala Workshop that are equally relevant to assessing the risks and rewards. Here’s why:

Making a Mandala helps us get clear on the answers to life’s questions because there is a trick to making a beautiful Mandala.

The way you do it, is to start in the centre and work your way from the inside out.

If you try to create your Mandala from the outside in, it often turns into a wonky sight. But starting in the centre and working your way out will help you find balance and produce a Mandala that is very pleasing to the eye.

Try the same technique in your self-assessment and risk assessment. Start in the centre.

Start by understanding your heart’s desire and set your course from there. Take some time to still your mind and recognize the external pressures. Then turn your focus inward.

Take the knowledge, assess the risks, use them to get clear on what you want, then set your goals. Set a course for yourself based on your passion and vision of your future, not what you feel pressured to do. This is one of the biggest rewards life can offer.

Reward: Setting Your Goals from the Inside Out

When you look inside you will eventually discover the answer that is right for you.

A recent graduate of our training is clear she won’t be teaching adults. She asked about more kids yoga training programs even though she’s completed the 95 hour requirements. She’s teaching 18 kids yoga classes a week! More kids yoga training experiences will help her stay fresh and this is what she enjoys.

Another person I met has set short term and long term goals to go the Yoga Alliance route. She’s taking our 95 Hour Kids Yoga Training first so she can start with her passion, teaching kids. Then she’s going to get her 200 hour after.

Discover what is right for you using both knowledge and intuition.

Reward: You Feel Truly Legitimate and Free

My meditation teacher used to say the goal of life is to understand who we are in this dream of existence and to be brave enough to wake up from the dream.

When you stand in front of a class of children, your training and experience will serve you, but ultimately it is you who will claim the title of Kids Yoga Teacher if you want it.

There are risks and rewards in all we do. When we look back on our life, we may have a few regrets, but we will mostly remember the times when we took a chance and truly felt alive.

If there is any way I can help you with your decision on taking Kids Yoga Teacher Training, come see me at the next Yoga Show or feel free to contact me directly:

Aruna
416-944-2888 or [email protected]

It can help to have mentors on the way, to assess the situation using their expertise, and clarify some of your options.

If you want to take a Kids Yoga Teacher Training, I invite you to consider Young Yoga Masters, a YA Registered Children’s Yoga School. Each weekend you take counts towards your 95 hr training.

Confessions from the Kids Yoga Booth at the Toronto Yoga Show

The whirlwind in my life, better known as the Toronto Yoga Show has finally subsided. The confessions, off hand remarks and jokes I heard at the booth are an important part of keeping my yoga business healthy. Whether you teach kids classes, retreats, camps, or do any other ventures, it is always important to listen to your customers. Just like you listen to your body when you do a yoga pose, you listen to others when you are planning a business.

What people tell me about are opportunities to see if I’m hitting the mark and also to determine new directions.

When we talk about business in our Kids Yoga Teacher Training, everyone is encouraged to spend some time just listening to their existing and potential customers to see what they want.

When you appreciate the value of listening to your customer, you’ll appreciate what I discovered this year at the booth.

This is the third year I’ve shared a booth with my dear friend Janet Williams of Children’s Yoga Books. Each year we have more and more kids tools for our 5 ft x 10 ft booth. The crowd at the show also seems to be getting bigger too. There is often a pack of yogis at our table because the items there attract attention. We know that working with children, attention-getters are what you want.

Breathing Ball big and small — Janet with a happy customer and The Breathing Ball which was a Big Hit - whether it was big or small : )

On the main stage we taught a 60 minute class that flew by called “Teach Yoga Kids Love” and a “Kids Mandala Workshop” on the side stage.

This was also the first year we presented ourselves as a Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS)!

It was cathartic to recognize what a big change we had made in less than a year. We had our Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS) seal proudly on display. I was happy with that accomplishment and we got feedback that others wanted to see it too.

Now I have to confess I was also a little anxious before the show because we had five new products on the table. But it was nothing to worry about in the end because people loved the new items like the breathing balls, Yoga Alphabet Cards and the new Eco Mat with kids yoga poses on it and absolutely no PVC in it.

PVC Free - Eco Mats were great for kids and adults with sensitivities and better for the environment. — Eco Mats - see the open mat hanging on the wall in the background? People wanted these mats for the yoga poses on them and for those with sensitivities. With no PVC they are better for the environment and our health.

We divided the booth into two sections, one with kids yoga tools that were flying off the table. The other section was teacher training. We had longer conversations in this area. Conversations that revealed quite a few confessions from kids yoga teachers. This is what our visitors shared:

Confessions from the Kids Yoga Booth:

Who can teach kids? A lot of people were surprised to hear that you don’t legally need a license to teach kids yoga, at least not in Canada. It may be different where you live.

Yoga Alliance Designations: Then surprise turned to contemplation to discover the industry standard of 95 hours of kids’ yoga training and 200 hours of adult yoga teacher training. I confirmed with Yoga Alliance that trainings may be taken in any order. Anyone who has taught yoga to children knows that one way or another it really does take a lot of hours to get good at teaching kids yoga
It was amazing how many kids did some yoga right in the middle of our booth. We loved it because they demonstrated how much kids get inspired by the right tools.

Some people divulged they were already teaching kids yoga with no training and it wasn’t always going so well.

Quite a few admitted that they were certified kids’ yoga teachers but had never actually taught a child. As a RCYS, 18 hours of the training must be with children. This practicum is one of my favorite parts of the Certification process because it gives student’s such confidence to have actually taught kids classes.

One of the most interesting confessions was from one of the volunteers at the Show. She confessed to agreeing to volunteer to see if there really was interest in kids’ yoga. She worked so hard at the show, she’s now certain that it is popular.
Here are Janet and I with a happy teacher who asked us to autograph our books. That was a first for me. Both these resources come with the training.

A lot of people just wanted to see what they got in the Teacher Training before they signed up. They got to look through the manuals and see the books, cards, and all the resources they get.

One of my favorite bits of sleuth work was around the Summer Training Intensive. I got asked a lot: How can the Summer Intensive be $200 less than the weekend certification when it includes lodging and meals? We cover examples of pricing strategies in the Branching Out Certificate of our RCYS. In this case, I’m offering this big discount only till April 15 because on April 16 I have to either pay a deposit or cancel the booking at the retreat centre. That means committing to a minimum of 10 people. Many yoga teachers have lost money when no students show up. So the early discount is a strategy I use and recommend to gauge interest to decide whether to book or not to book.
Thanks to all the volunteers at our booth. It was wonderful to have these young men representing yoga.

I’ve mentioned before that one big reason I love the yoga show is that it gets me face to face with my people. It’s an opportunity to have conversations and listen to what people are looking for in Kids Yoga. It also helps me decide what direction to take for next year.

So thank you to everyone who came by.

If you are a yoga teacher, consider looking for opportunities for you to listen to confessions from your clients. Can you name the confessions your customers make? I invite you to share them in the comments as I have shared them above.

And for those who are interested in becoming a Certified Kids Yoga Teacher, now you know why you still have a few days to get a deal on the Summer Intensive.

Aruna

Teach Yoga Kids Love

A teacher is like a forklift, Yogi Bhajan said, you have to meet the students where they are at, and only then can you lift them up. This is the first point in these videos to Teach Yoga Kids Love.

Teach Yoga Kids Love is the name of the 30 minute presentation we did for over a hundred people at they Yoga Show in Toronto. Join Janet Williams of Children’sYogaBooks.com and Aruna Kathy Humphrys (me) in these videos, for three tips for teaching yoga kids love.

Teach Yoga Kids Love

Warning: I’m no Stephen Spielberg, I edited these myself. But I think they will be helpful for anyone who wants to see what it is like to teach kids. There are kids and parents in the audience. You’ll see:

A classroom management activity,
yoga poses for kids,
a yoga game for kids and how to turn that games into a teaching opportunity,
much of teaching kids is having the right tone as a teacher, a tone that tells kids that you are in charge of the class (but you’re a loving and kind leader). take a look at the tone of two experienced kids yoga teachers.

The first video is cut down to just a few highlights.

After this class, I tried out the new Volcano move I learned from Janet and it was a hit in my kids classes!

This second video is the longer version for people who really want to see how kids classes are taught. It has more poses and activities. We had some technical difficulties during the recording so we didn’t get the whole presentation. But you’ll definitely get the idea.

There’s a sweet girl at around the 2:20 minute mark of this video that shows what real kids are like.

Did you see it?

Let me know how you liked the videos, do you give them a thumbs up? I’d love to know your tip to Teach Yoga Kids Love.

Upcoming Events: Please Join Us!

People are registering for the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training from all over the world. Summer is a great time to visit Toronto, Canada and upgrade your skills. Please contact me for information on accommodations and options for shadowing me at a kids class while you are here. Upcoming courses:

June 18 – 19, 2011: Kids Yoga Teacher Training Weekend Course: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This weekend is limited to 18 participants. Space still available. Register now for early registration discount. Registration and information here.
Oakville, Ontario, Canada – Date to be Determined – Open House May 28 for more information. Click here for details.
Private Consultations: I’m available for private coaching on promoting your kids yoga classes/products or trouble shooting problems you are having. Click here for more details.

Or bring Yoga Yoga Masters to your area – This training is like no other! Contact [email protected] to help bring the Young Yoga Masters training to you.

Lessons Learned Promoting Kids Yoga

Now that the dust has settled from the Toronto Yoga Show 2011, as promised, here’s the follow up:

What Worked Well
Lesson’s Learned
What I wouldn’t do again!

What Worked Well

The top three reasons the show was a success for me are:

What Worked Well: Face Time with Real People

As a blogger I’m used to face to computer time, at the show I re-discovered the value of face to face time. Seeing what made someone’s eyes light up and hearing their questions and reactions was huge. Talking with teachers and parents gave me ideas to improve my products, this is feedback that I don’t get from blogging. I’ll share more about this in the lessons learned below.

Grand Prize Winner — The Grand Prize was won on Saturday by the little boy holding the package. I think he was in shock that he won the big prize! Holding a raffle created a crowd around our booth.

2. What Worked Well: Connecting With Others Who Love Yoga for Children

People came up to our booth dancing with excitement, I’m not exaggerating, a few did a little jig when they saw us. We heard comments like, “I can’t tell you how happy I am to find this booth” and “I’m so excited to see your resources.” People knew exactly who we were (yea for good signage at our booth!). We had over 250 people fill in our Get Acquainted Form. It was a great affirmation that Kids Yoga is HOT! Since the Yoga Show one of my Kids Yoga Teacher Training courses has filled up.

People Knew What We Were About: This was the biggest sign at our booth – 2 1/2 x 4 ft (121 x 76 cm)

3. What Worked Well: Smart Networking

I connected with new studios interested in hosting my Kids Yoga Teacher Training weekend. The Yoga Show delivered a supremely targeted audience, exactly the kind of people I want to network with.

The weekend also strengthened my relationship with my Children’s Yoga Network friend Janet Williams of www.childrensyogabooks.com. She’s the kind of person I dreamed of networking with because she inspires me with her business savy and her positive attitude. In fact she even taught me this “What worked well, lessons learned, and what we wouldn’t do again” follow up technique.

Networks should Inspire! Janet and I will be brainstorming ideas to expand A Children’s Yoga Network so I recommend you leave a comment if you’re a kids yoga teacher who wants to be part of something bigger. Let me know what you want in a network.

Lessons Learned:

Lesson Learned: E-Books Are Not Convenient for Everyone Upon seeing reactions – I learned that many people were disappointed that I only had E-books and wanted the convenience of getting printed material. Soon, I’m going to offer people a choice between an actual Manual and E-book or just the E-book. New printed Manuals for Yoga Man and the Frog Yoga Alphabet are next on my agenda thanks to what I learned.
Lesson Learned: Lead with Your Best Stuff – Don’t Save it The first day of the show, I didn’t bring my manuals for my Kids Yoga Teacher Training. I was worried about overwhelming people with too much information. The second day I brought in my manuals and it turned out to be one of my best decisions. People were amazed that they will be getting so much in a weekend training.Yesterday, I closed registration on one of my Kids Yoga Teacher Training courses because we filled up.
Lesson Learned: Recovery Time

I had a sore throat from talking so much that weekend! After a weekend like that, I will plan to have a day or two to rest and recover, then another week to catch up on all the things that got piled up while I was getting ready before the show.

What I Wouldn’t do Again!

What I Wouldn’t Do Again: Home Made T-shirts I tried to make t-shirts for Young Yoga Masters for me and my volunteers to wear at the booth and a couple for prizes. I used a transfer from the local stationary store that are now all peeling and cracked. Let’s just say, whenever you can, get things done professionally, it may cost more but reflects better on your business. And you’ll probably be able to use them again.
This is the T-shirt after one wash! Doing it yourself doesn’t always save.
What I Wouldn’t Do Again: Lump Everything Together We had everything on one table, and the table started feeling very crowded. I’d arrange the booth differently to showcase what we have on smaller tables. I’d move our raffle to its own table and ask a volunteer to be in charge of that. We actually had the problem of being too busy at times, not a bad problem, but for next year I’ll think of ways to make it easier for people to visit the booth.

There is no Number 3 for What I wouldn’t do again, because nothing really comes to mind readily.

Recommendations

For those of you who are thinking of becoming Yoga Teachers for Children, I recommend getting a booth at a Yoga Show or Conference if you have a tangible product or specialized training that yoga teachers and yoga enthusiasts can’t get anywhere else.

I don’t recommend an expensive booth like this for promoting a kids yoga class or a local studio unless you’ve got something specialized that they can’t get somewhere else, something people will travel to get. You’re better off promoting at a local event or advertising in a local paper. UNLESS, you can significantly lower costs by becoming part of a network.

Finally, I suggest you leave a comment now if you’d like to part of a Network of children’s yoga specialists, with a common goal of promoting yoga for kids. What would you like about a Network of this kind?

If you’re thinking of coming to Toronto for the Yoga Show 2012, there’s a very good chance you’ll see me at a booth there next year.

Upcoming Events: Please Join Us!

People are registering for the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training from all over the world. Summer is a great time to visit Toronto, Canada and upgrade your skills.

Or bring Yoga Yoga Masters to your area – This training is like no other! Contact [email protected] to help bring the Young Yoga Masters training to you.

Buy One Get One Free: Marketing Tips for Yoga Teachers

Someone told me this joke:

Q. What’s the difference between a Yoga Teacher and a Large Vegetarian Pizza?

A. A Large Vegetarian Pizza can feed a family of four.

Ouch!

Running a yoga business is risky, even if you’re doing something you believe in. To be a yoga teacher (kids or adults) takes much more than yoga, you’ve got to learn how to fill your classes and get people to try your products if you want to keep at it. Yoga takes courage, skill, and perseverance and today more than ever before, business takes the same qualities.

For the last few weeks I’ve been calling on these qualities getting ready for my Kids Yoga booth at the Yoga Show. It’s an investment of over $700 that I’m betting will pay off.

So I thought I’ll shed some light on the less glamorous side of teaching yoga, the business side, with these marketing strategies. They’ve helped me get focused for the yoga show. I hope they help you reach more people with your yoga too!

The Secret Headline that Gets Students
One of the first yoga classes I taught back in 1998 was at a new age gift store with a yoga studio in the back. I wish I still had a copy of the first yoga class poster I made because it is probably one of the worst posters ever. It was a drawing of a man in his underwear meditating in easy pose with thick lines coming out from all around him. I wanted the poster to express how yoga gave energy and vitality. But when my friend looked at it she asked why needles were poking into him. Unfortunately I had been using this poster for a couple months. Who knows how many people I scared away with those spikes?

I didn’t know how to make a poster or to test the poster before I used it. I never had more than four students in my class. If I wanted to keep teaching I had to learn how to advertise, and learn quickly!

But if you’re looking for one secret headline to fill your classes, any marketing book will tell you, it doesn’t exist. Marketing is about connecting with your customer and the only way to do that is to know who they are.

Who is your customer?

I make different posters for each class. Sometimes I’ll have two posters for the same product, depending on who I’m sending it to. My mail out to schools and daycares for kids yoga teacher training emphasizes the parts of the course that would appeal to teachers. The poster I put up in a Yoga Studio for the same course emphasizes how kids can get the benefits of yoga that adults love.

The last few weeks preparing for the Yoga Show I’ve had to think about who will be walking by my booth. It’s someone who already likes yoga, mostly women, many mothers, and many experienced yogis and yoga teachers.

Preparing for the Yoga Show, I put less emphasis on convincing them of the benefits of yoga and more focus on how we can help them teach yoga to kids.

Here’s one of my banners (its about 50 cm x 90 cm (1.5 ft x 3 ft)):

yoga alphabet for children — One of my banners for the Yoga Show booth

Stand Out from the Crowd

Next I want to stand out.

At the community centre I’m in a crowd of other kids classes. What can yoga offer that swimming lessons, gymnastics, and basketball don’t offer? We all help kids get healthy, but only yoga teaches kids to be relaxed and handle anxiety more effectively.

But at the Yoga conference, the crowd is already relaxed and anxiety free. I’ll stand out from all the other booths with our huge “Children’s Yoga” headline and our big pictures of Kids Yoga. Anyone who walks by will know instantly what we’re about. Yoga won’t stand out at a yoga conference, but Kids Yoga will.

Make them an Offer they Can’t Refuse

Finally this tip is one that never gets old. There are some words that are used as much in advertising now as they were one hundred years ago. These are words like: Free, New, Sale, and Guaranteed. When people understand that they have nothing to lose and something to gain they are much more likely to say “Yes!”

The 30 Day Money Back Guarantee on Yoga Man lets people know that if they invest in the training and don’t like it, they can return it. No one has returned it because it is a useful and thorough training, but they don’t have to wonder or worry about it because of the guarantee.

Do you have an offer people can’t refuse?

Buy Yoga Man Get the Frog Yoga Alphabet FREE

For the Yoga Show I’ve decided to go with an offer that’s hard to refuse: FREE!

Buy Yoga Man Get the Frog Yoga Alphabet FREE

sale runs Friday April 15 – April 20, 2011
Only at the Yoga Show and on the YoungYogaMasters.com website

with a 30 day money back guarantee it if you aren’t satisfied

I hope getting the Frog Yoga Alphabet free will turn a few heads. The printable coloring book will be extremely helpful for teachers. My next blog post will include the full details of the sale for both so get ready for Young Yoga Masters first Special Sale.

Since all marketing requires testing and tweaking, I’ve made an educated guess at how to reach my customers. I’ll be able to give you some updates after the show on how this plan actually worked out. Wish me luck!

What do you do for your marketing? Do you have a marketing plan? Are you happy with it?

P.S. those who have already bought Yoga Man will automatically receive this show special in the mail as a Thank You for supporting Young Yoga Masters. But after this sale ends, I don’t know when or if this offer will come again. So get ready to take advantage of the savings next weekend.

Upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training – Please Join Us:

Check out our upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training dates and locations here.

Make a difference in the lives of children. Teach yoga to kids!