I’ve supported Yoga teachers from around the world to grow their businesses for almost ten years now. During this time, I’ve noticed a common ‘next step’ for new teachers looking to break out of offering ‘classes only’ is a half-day workshop.

 

Perhaps you’ve thought of doing this yourself: offering something a little longer where you can get into more specifics or perhaps cover more sub-modalities. Half-day workshops give you more space to lean in to your interests as well as a new challenge to teach for longer. You might pursue a topic you’ve wanted to know more about yourself or share something you’re already passionate about.

 

As well as being professionally rewarding, half day workshops are also brilliant for:

 

1.     Providing a new income source

 

Monthly or even quarterly workshops are a great way of adding a new offer to your schedule without maxing out your time. For example, if you offered 20 places every two months for $75, that would add $9000 to your annual turnover AND it would only take 6 half days to deliver.

 

2.     Offering committed students ‘more’

 

I’m sure you have students who just love coming to your classes. Maybe they come to more than one a week. They like to stay behind sometimes and ask you questions about the sequence or for a recommended read. Wouldn’t they like to take a longer class with you where they could explore a pose or a concept without having to rush on to the next thing? Where they could ask you all their questions, take notes and just, generally, have a great time?

 

3.     Giving new students a ‘taster’

 

This is especially important if you offer something other than the ‘standard’ Yoga (and, as a ‘standard Yoga’ teacher, I’m not throwing any shade on our ilk here!). Inviting people to try a Yoga and dance or Yoga and art therapy or whatever it is you do short workshop might be the perfect icebreaker to then invite them into a ten-week course.

 

 

4.     Pro Tip: Providing you with an offer to take to other studios

 

Half-day workshops are a great way to take your Yoga on the road. If you have a great workshop template with an enticing theme (read on for info on that!) reach out to some studios you’d like to work with and see if they would be interested in hosting you.

 

(Note that when you’re just starting out and don’t have a big following, you might be looking at more of a 50:50 split with the studio. DM me if you want more info on that.)

 

 

 

Now that I’ve got you convinced half-day workshops are a great addition to your growing business, here are seven tips to get you started!

 

 

1.     Ask Your Students

 

Talk to your people about which days of the week work better for them, the duration that would feel good to them and what sorts of topics appeal. Getting info from your potential attendees about their preferences is an essential component of a full workshop. If you’re only speaking to a small group, this may not lead to a clear consensus. If that happens, go with what works for you!

 

 

2.     Choose Your Theme

 

In order to market your workshop and offer it to the perfect students, it needs to have a theme. Interesting themes that are relevant to your community are best. Avoid being overly generic (Autumn Yoga Workshop) or overly specific (Unlocking the Prakriti/Parusha Dualism for Liberation according to the teachings of Swami BackVeranda (for example ;)).

 

A good place to start is thinking about the classes you’ve taught in the past that your students loved, or that solicited lots of follow up questions. Do your students want more time to get better at Sirsasana? Perhaps an inversions workshop would be fun. Were some of your students interested in where they could find out more about Yoga stories? Perhaps a mythology masterclass would light them up.

 

 

3.     Design Your Workshop

 

A half day workshop is max 4 hours. Don’t overstuff the time. Remember that people are looking for space in a busy life and will appreciate LESS in your agenda. If you have tea and snacks at the end, this is INCLUDED in your workshop time.

 

The biggest mistake I see newbies make is overpacking the activities. Think about what you would want. 5 more minutes in Savasana and 5 more in meditation, and skip those extra poses, right? Let your schedule BREATHE.

 

 

4.     Share Your Workshop Widely

 

This is the time to use all of your marketing and promotion Siddhis! Need support here? Check the Abundant Yoga Teacher Weekly Call podcast catalogue here: http://www.amymcdonald.com.au/abundantyogateacherpodcasts/

 

 

5.     Prepare Yourself!

 

Practice the sequence you’re going to teach. Break it up into sections and teach them during your weekly classes. Reread books you’ll be drawing from. Meet with your collaborators. Visit the space before the day. AND make sure you are nourishing yourself (sleep, rest, play, selfcare) in the leadup to your workshop.

 

 

6.     Host Your Workshop (and love it!)

 

Enjoy! You’ve earned this. And your people adore what you have to offer. Remember to take photos and collect testimonials from your participants.

 

 

7.     Offer the Dessert Menu

 

Have something to offer to your participants and talk about it in a confident and grounded way during the event itself. Create a follow up email sequence to continue to offer your dessert menu (private class packages, 10-class passes, retreat etc). Make the offer time-bound to encourage people to make a decision.

 

There you have it! Four reasons why and 7 tips for hosting your first half day workshop. It’s not that hard, right? In fact, it might just be fantastic!

  

Looking for more inspiration and support in growing your Yoga business? Support this work on Patreon and get access to monthly trainings and my Yoga book and film club! Check out the details here: https://www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald