Host Your Perfect Yoga Workshop: Ideas and Practical Advice

✍️ Author: Sinead O'Connor

🧘 Reviewer: Michael Jay

Now that you’ve done the hard work of starting your yoga business and have your class schedule set, consider hosting a yoga workshop to enhance your business and provide more learning opportunities for your community. Workshops can keep your offerings fresh for current and prospective clients while boosting your overall income. This article will give you the inspiration and steps to get started.

Table of Contents:

• Understanding Your Audience
• Creative Yoga Workshop Ideas
• Yoga Workshop Structure & Engagement
• Logistical Considerations for a Successful Yoga Workshop
• Strategies to Market & Promote Your Yoga Workshop

Understand Your Audience to Create Yoga Workshops that Inspire

Knowing what kind of workshops your current and prospective clients are interested in is crucial before getting started. You might be passionate about yoga philosophy, but if this isn’t of interest to your audience, it may be challenging to create a successful yoga event around the topic.

If your studio offers yoga teacher training, you could create workshops specifically for them as a part of their training while also attracting yoga enthusiasts. Here are some ways to tune into what participants are interested in:

• Listen to your current clients – are they asking you about how to meditate or about chakras? Do they share they have low back pain? If you have a blog for your business, you could track the analytics to see which ones have the most engagement and build from there.
• What’s popular with people in your area? Is there a big running community? Or maybe there are a lot of art galleries in your area – you could partner with a local business to combine multiple interests.
• Analyze your current offerings and yoga instructors – do you or another instructor at your studio offer a complementary service like Reiki, acupuncture, or massage? This could be a way for them to merge skills in the form of a workshop. Loyal clients may sign up just because they love your teaching style.

Creative Yoga Workshop Ideas

The sky’s the limit when creating yoga workshops. In addition to understanding your target audience, think about your passions. Try to strike a balance between what you love and what your audience loves.

You will have more success if your clients sense your enthusiasm – your energy will be contagious. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• Intro to Yoga for Absolute Beginners: While yoga has become more mainstream over the last several years, many people are still afraid to try it. This is a time to cover the basics and show your participants the joys and benefits of yoga while calming their fears.
• Starting a Meditation Practice: There are a lot of myths around meditation. This is your chance to show people an accessible (and beneficial) practice.
• Intro to the Chakras: This workshop is great for yoga practitioners curious about the deeper aspects of yoga. You can share your knowledge while offering postures and tools for daily life to help your clients move toward chakra alignment.
• Intro to Pranayama: This is a great way to expand upon the breathing techniques you may already offer during your classes for those who want to learn more and incorporate pranayama into their daily lives.
• Yoga for Better Sleep: It’s no secret that many people struggle with insomnia. This is your chance to share simple practices that lead to better sleep so your clients can be their best selves.
• Yoga & Acupuncture: This unique offering allows the opportunity to partner with an acupuncturist for clients curious about this modality in a more accessible format.
• Yoga to Boost Creativity: A quiet, calm mind is crucial for creativity, so why not blend yoga with other creative practices – writing, painting, crafting, playing music, and more.

Yoga Workshop Structure & Engagement 

Now that you know where to start, it’s time to organize your content into an engaging format.

Structure

• Introduction: Begin by introducing yourself and sharing an overview of the workshop along with important housekeeping items. Ask participants if they have any questions before diving into the content.
• Incorporate a centering/grounding exercise: This is important when working with beginners who might be brand new to yoga – it can calm their fears so they can focus on learning and enjoying the event.
• Dive into the heart of your workshop: Ideally, yours will be broken into sections – keep an outline handy so you remember critical pieces. Practicing in advance will build your confidence.
• Closing: Summarize the content and thank attendees before wrapping up – this is a time to share other offerings to plant the seeds of a return visit.

Engagement

• Allow time for practice and questions: This is a time to err on the side of talking less than you may want to. Your clients will absorb the material if there is space to try things out. For example, if you’re teaching an Intro to Yin Yoga workshop, you could demonstrate a sequence pose by pose and allow participants to experience each pose in between sharing information.
• Incorporate supporting materials: This is a time to show, not tell, when it comes to props, allowing participants to experience using them. Or, if you’re teaching a workshop on Ayurveda, show examples of commonly used spices or share recipes that attendees can try later. You could even serve tea featuring common Ayurvedic spices.
• Consider a take-away item:  Handouts will help your attendees remember what they’ve learned and can provide space to take notes. Sending a PDF after your event is a way to keep the information fresh in their minds while also sharing additional offerings.
• Collect Feedback: This could be a survey at the end of your event, or you could send a follow-up thank you email to solicit feedback. Or, if you see participants in your classes, ask them how it went for them. This valuable information will help you adjust your yoga workshops over time.

Logistical Considerations for a Successful Yoga Workshop

Once you have the content of your yoga workshop finalized and you’re ready to share your knowledge, you’ll want to consider the following:

• Pricing: Length is a significant pricing factor. The average length is 2 hours, costing $35 – $50, depending on your area. You should research what others are charging and consider the costs out of your pocket for each workshop.
• Schedule: Timing is everything. Weekends are typically ideal, but keep your audience in mind. If you have a lot of clients who are retired or work non-traditional schedules, they may be best during daytime hours during the week.
• Location: Workshops tend to be more successful in person, but you can also share your knowledge online or outside or partner with a local business. Is there a running store nearby? Consider a Yoga for Runners workshop just before the store opens and possibly offer a discount for attendees to boost store sales.
• Preparing Your Space: Ensure your space is welcoming and comfortable, and consider refreshments. Prepare any handouts in advance. For online yoga events, be sure to keep an eye on the chat. A partner could help here so you can focus on the content.
• Consider a series: Does your workshop not fit into a 2-hour timeslot? Consider offering it as a series versus a single day. This will allow space between sessions for your clients to absorb and practice the material in between sessions.

Strategies to Market & Promote Your Yoga Workshops

Once you’ve created the content for your workshop, it’s time to start spreading the news with a marketing plan. This plan could be similar to how you market your classes and other offerings with new strategies weaved in based on your subject matter. If you have a marketing budget, this is an excellent time to consider paid marketing techniques.

• Social Media: You’ll want to share your yoga workshops on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter/X, and other platforms you may use. Be sure to encourage your followers to help you share the details of your upcoming events and research the best times to post for higher engagement.
• Email: Chances are you already have a solid email list. Be sure to let your subscribers know about your workshops.
• Newsletters: If you already have a newsletter, include your workshops here. If not, this might be a time to consider starting one.
• Grassroots: Might local businesses allow you to hang a flyer on a bulletin board? While this may seem outdated, this method still works and can help you stand out in the digital landscape.
• Engage your current clients: Whether you are a sole proprietor or a studio owner with a team of instructors, be sure to share your upcoming events at the beginning of your regular classes when discussing logistical info before the session starts.

Tips to Convert Your Workshop Attendees into Loyal Clients

After you’ve hosted a successful workshop, now is the time to keep the positive momentum going by offering participants reasons to come back for classes, additional workshops, or even yoga teacher training if your studio offers this. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• If you create handouts during your workshop, be sure to include a blurb about your other offerings, whether it be classes, future workshops, and other events – be sure to include contact info
• Offer discounts on classes and/or memberships
• Offer referral rewards – your clients will be more likely to return if a friend or family member joins them.
• Does your studio have a boutique? This is another chance to offer a limited-time discount to bring them back in.
• You’ll have more success signing prospective clients up or upselling them at the actual workshop or event, where they feel good and exciting rather than waiting to reengage them later.

Create, Host, and Market Your Yoga Workshop with Offering Tree

Now that you’ve got the basics of how offering workshops can help you boost your business, it’s time to get started – Offering Tree can help you with the creation, hosting, and marketing of your workshops. Start by watching a demo to see how user-friendly our site is. From there, you can even give us a try for 14 days to experience it for yourself.