Insider Secrets to the Business of Teaching Yoga, Part 3

In my early years of teaching Yoga, all I accomplished was to run myself ragged and have nothing to show for it. I knew how to find work, as a Yoga teacher. That's the marketing part of the Yoga business, but I needed self-esteem, which I found in audio books from the self-improvement and business sections of bookstores.

These types of audio books serve as an inexpensive coach, and when you put some of the knowledge into practice, you will see results. The number of times you play them back is important too. This will burn the lessons deeply into your memory. Yoga teachers need to build their self-esteem too.

Since that time, I am never frustrated in traffic. I am not wasting all my time listening to a song for the 300th time, disc jockey antics that have lost any shock effect, or commercials. Seriously, I listen to the radio once in a great while, but the programming and songs don't change much.

Here is a list of audio books I recommend for the knowledge and the positive attitude adjustment. Some are no surprise, and most are classics.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Can't Lose Sales Tips From The World's Greatest Salesman by Joe Girard

How To Close Every Sale by Joe Girard

Creating Your World the Way You Really Want It by Wayne Dyer & Deepak Chopra

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar

I can hear some of you now. "I want to teach Yoga, not learn how to sell cars." Personally, I never bought a car from a salesperson I didn't like. Think about that, the next time you show a prospective Yoga student around your studio.

When human contact is involved in the selling process, people virtually buy the salesperson or the "Yoga instructor." You as a Yoga teacher, sell something everyday; it's a ticket to better quality living. If a Yoga student stays long enough, he or she learns that Yoga works and you told them the truth.

My wife, Marie, and I bought five consecutive cars from the same salesperson because we liked her and she was honest. We would buy another from her, to this day, except that she retired.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html