As yoga teachers, we all dream of teaching a studio filled with students who are ready, willing and eager to gobble up the day’s lesson.

We envision jam-packed classrooms, sold out workshops and retreats that are filled weeks in advance. But, that’s not often the reality.

Filling a yoga studio can honestly seem like a bit of a mystery. There seems to be no logic to what draws in students and what leaves the classroom half empty.

It can be totally frustrating. Especially when a training, workshop or retreat that you dedicated endless hours creating is a complete flop. What gives?

As a yoga entrepreneur & teacher, I’ve dedicated my life’s work to uncovering the science behind mysteries like this one. And, I’m here today to share my number one tip for packing your yoga class with eager, bright-eyed yogis who love you and your teaching.

My number one tip for packing the studio is this:

Design a class, workshop or retreat that your ideal student will love and rave about.

Too often, we create programs that we love and want to teach and we assume that our students will adore them too. But that’s not always the case.

If we want to sell-out our workshops, programs and teach filled-to-capacity classes, we need to constantly think about what our students want to learn and experience.

A lot of times we throw way too much at our students because we live, eat, sleep and breathe yoga. But, in all likelihood, our students don’t have nearly as much yoga education & background as we do. They need simple, focused, digestible yoga offerings that address their needs and problems and meet them where they’re at.

So, how exactly can we ensure that we do that?

1. Ask your students before or after class about the problems they’re dealing with in their lives, choose one that speaks to you and think about how you can create a program that will solve it.
2. Send out an email survey with this one open-ended question: What in my area of expertise do you want to learn more about?
3. Reflect upon the questions that you get asked the most by your favorite students & then design a class/workshop/etc. around that!
4. Notice what classes and themes you get the most compliments on.
5. Pick one idea and focus, focus, focus. Remember that “less is more” and if you think you’re cramming too much into your 4-hour workshop, you are! Cut 50% out.

Once you have a workshop idea.

1. Share the solutions your program offers and be super specific in your marketing (i.e. 10 poses to alleviate low-back pain not best poses to feel-good from head to toe).
2. Personally invite people to attend (not in a pushy way, but in an “I know this will improve your life” sort of way). Invite them in-person, give them a quick phone call, send a hand-written note or type a quick email.
3. Partner with another biz-minded teacher who has a large student community so that your program reaches more students.
4. Market, market, market. Spread the word, post on social media, write a press release, post flyers around the studio & around town, ask other teachers to tell their students about it, write a blog about it, send out an email invite, you get the idea!

Now, yogi, it’s time to go out there and create an amazing program that your ideal students will totally love!

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Author: Cailen Ascher

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: flickr