Yoga teaching and finding your niche market

My yoga teaching niche is making yoga accessible to adults with learning disabilities or special needs. It wasn't planned that way, it just happened!

What is your niche market?

Whether you are an experienced or newly qualified yoga teacher finding a niche market is essential in being successful or at least paying the bills. You will be acutely aware of the many yoga teachers and the variety of yoga classes offered within your local area. This can be intimidating for a new teacher starting out.

How do you stand out from the competition?

Your yoga teacher training would have given you the foundation for you to teach a specific style of yoga. There may already be a gap in the market within local yoga studios to deliver your unique style of yoga, if not think about diversifying?

What do i mean by diversifying?

Check out the market. What are the class age groups, gender or ability. Can you link in with another local group, sports team or charity to deliver your unique style of yoga? Childrens yoga and pre/post pregnancy yoga are often in demand. Maybe requiring extra training. But have you though about teaching adults with learning disabilities/special needs?

Teaching adults with Learning disabilities/special needs

For me, teaching in this specialist area came about by chance. Once I qualified as a yoga teacher I inquired to a very good friend, an experienced registered learning disability nurse and part of the management team of a company providing person centred day support to adults with learning disability www.flexibleoptions.co.uk , whether her clients would be interested in yoga. She thought they would. I met with the management team explaining how yoga could be made accessible for this group and we agreed a trial period. Not really knowing how the class would be received by the clients.

That was 18 months ago and the class has gone from strength to strength.

Every week I am greeted with a great big cheer! The mats are laid out by the clients and they are ready and waiting for class to start. Classes are always full and we make yoga FUN.

My yoga teaching niche found me.... and making yoga accessible to more adults with learning disabilities/special needs is my ongoing challenge!