Who does not have an acquaintance today who practices meditation, listens to relaxation audios, or goes to yoga classes at least once a week? In this article, we will discuss how to open a yoga center with 15 arresting steps.
The days when this millenary practice was only realized by a few have been left behind. More and more people especially women are signing up for this exercise because of its physical and mental benefits.
That’s why now is the best time to open a yoga center if this world calls you and it stings the bug of having your own business.
Being the owner of a yoga studio can become a very profitable endeavor: the number of people who practice this discipline increases 20% each year worldwide.
So if you have decided to open a yoga center, in this complete guide we will teach you all the steps and tips for you to achieve it successfully.
What types of classes can you offer at a yoga center?
The first advice you should keep in mind when opening a business of this type is to know exactly what types of classes are you going to offer.
Yoga is a discipline that has more than 50 different styles. We are not going to mention all of you here in this article because you would end up sleeping on your screen.
But the most popular styles of yoga nowadays, and that are the most demanded among the people, are these:
Hatha Yoga
This is the most practiced yoga style around the world, and the one that comes closest to the original yoga. It is one of the varieties that most work the physical part of the body.
If you have ever gone to a class or gym where you have given yoga, this is probably the style you have done in your classes.
The great advantage of Hatha Yoga over other varieties is that it can be practiced by anyone; regardless of their age or physical condition (although in the latter case you always have to do the movements with caution). 
Kundalini Yoga
This is the most spiritual type of yoga there is since the exercises are usually accompanied also with songs, rituals, and incenses.
What differentiates Kundalini Yoga is that the postures are accompanied by “fire-breathing “, a very powerful type of breathing to cleanse the blood and deeply release stress. Read more http://rockemeet.com/how-to-practice-yoga-more-comfortably/
Bikram Yoga
The conditions for doing this type of yoga are very special: the positions are made in a certain order, and the room in which it is practiced must be at a temperature between 40 and 42 degrees.
If you decide to offer this type of yoga in your center, it is important that you bear in mind that you must equip the room in which it will be done with the appropriate facilities (a powerful heating system, good ventilation).
Prenatal Yoga
In recent years there are many pregnant women who have decided to sign up to do yoga to be stronger during pregnancy and that their babies grow healthier.
Therefore, this type of yoga that adapts the positions to the state of pregnancy in which the woman is has grown a lot in popularity since there are many doctors who recommend it to their patients.
These four styles are just some of the types of yoga that are usually offered in the centers; therefore, a good idea is that in yours you do not limit yourself to only one.
If you want to open your yoga studio successfully, it is best to have several styles of classes to attract a larger number of clients.
You can offer for example classes of Hatha Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, and also classes dedicated solely to practice meditation and breathing.
15 arresting steps to open a yoga center
- Register as an independent professional
- Choose the types of yoga you are going to offer
- Write your business plan
- Create a budget for your yoga studio
- Discover who your potential customers will be
- Find a good place for your classes
- Choose a good name that identifies you
- Register your business to make it legal
- Get the necessary licenses and permits
- Buy the equipment for your study
- Looking for good people to hire as employees
- Hire accident insurance for your students
- Organize schedules for your classes
- Think about the price you will put on your classes
- Create an advertising strategy to promote yourself
How to open a yoga center-1: Register as an independent professional
The first step you must take to open any business is to register as an independent or independent professional.
It does not matter if you are only going to be the owner of the yoga studio, or if you are going to teach there as well: you must register with the social security of your country and then register your business in your name.
How to open a yoga center-2: Choose the types of yoga you are going to offer
As we told you before, it is important that in these first steps you choose the types of yoga that you are going to offer in your study.
Here you will depend either on the yoga style in which you are trained or on the yoga instructors you will hire to teach.
To reach a larger number of clients it is highly recommended that you offer different styles of yoga, and also complementary teachings such as meditation and pranayama (breathing).
The choice should be made by you, but it is a good idea to investigate what are the types of yoga that most people who live or pass through the area in which you will put your study.
If for example, your center is going to be in an area where the population of women is already older to become pregnant, offering prenatal yoga classes may not be a very good idea.
In case you need some guidance here, the sites that give yoga classes tend to teach Hatha mainly, and as a complement, they usually also have Kundalini, Vinyasa Yoga, and meditation practices.
How to open a yoga center-3: Write your business plan
A business plan is a vital element for any type of enterprise you want to start. It’s like creating a map when you go on a car trip.
In this plan, you must make sure to capture all the data and information of your yoga center to know what steps you should take.
You must include in it:
- A clear description of the concept of your yoga center.
- What will be your market (who your customers will be, what age they have, what they do, what hobbies they have)?
- The types of classes you will give and what prices you will put on each activity.
- Detailed financial information (rental of the premises, cost of equipment, hired employees, etc.).
- How much money do you have and how much do you need to borrow.
- What advertising strategies will you use to promote yourself?
- Who are your possible competitors and how can they affect your business?
Although it may seem difficult, it is actually simpler than it seems to be. You just have to answer those points one by one, calmly and without being overwhelmed.
Make sure to put in each section all the information in the most detailed way possible, and thus you will create a good business plan that will lead you to success.
How to open a yoga center-4: Create a budget for your yoga studio
As in any enterprise, you will need an initial capital to open your yoga center and be able to maintain it until it generates enough benefits.
So creating a budget will help you as a tool to calculate well how much you need, and if you must request some type of loan to start.
In this budget, you must include all the expenses that you are going to have before opening your business and also at least up to six months after starting it.
In general, the costs that you will have to take into account will be:
- Income from the place where your study is.
- Opening expenses of your business (licenses, registration in the Treasury).
- Possible conditioning works that you must do (soundproofing of walls, bathrooms, etc.).
- Furniture for your center (lamps, chairs, tables).
- Necessary equipment (mats, cushions, and blankets for students.).
- Salaries of your employees (other teachers, the person in reception).
- Variable costs such as electricity, heating, air conditioning, water.
- A small budget for advertising and promotion.
- The insurance of your premises, your employees, and your students.
Look at any additional costs you may have to calculate the budget you need for at least six months from the opening of your study, and that there is no additional expense that will take you by surprise.
How to open a yoga center-5: Discover who your potential customers will be
A vital part of all entrepreneurship knows who our customers will be; without them, there are no sales. And without sales, there is no income or benefits for us.
Investigate well who may be interested in your business so you can promote yourself better and give them a great customer service.
Yoga usually attracts women (only 17% of men practice it), and these are usually between 18 and 55 years old.
So there you have a pretty specific sector to start investigating.
But you should also look for other aspects such as what their main hobbies are, in what sites and media they move (social networks, newspapers, magazines) and what their average purchasing power is.
These data are very valuable because they will help you discover a myriad of things, like what prices to put your classes, how to attract your customers, where you can advertise.
How to open a yoga center-6: Find a good place for your classes
To open a yoga center you will need a large space; although you must also take into account the number of classes you will give in it, and the facilities you will put.
If for example, you would like to give two different classes on the same day and at the same time to maximize your income, you will have to have two rooms in your room.
But if you are only going to offer a class at a specific time, a room will be enough for you. Do not forget that you must have space for your reception and at least one bathroom.
A good idea is that you start with a medium-sized place, between 100 and 130 square meters, and if it is possible that it is close to a parking lot and areas where a lot of people spend.
The decision to buy or rent the place should be yours, but the most advisable thing is that you first rent it: it will be cheaper, and if it does not work, you can get rid of it more easily.
You should also ask yourself certain questions before signing any contract to rent your premises, such as:
- How can the location of your study contribute to your sales volume?
- Is it easy to get to your center?
- What restrictive ordinances are there in the area? Some areas have unusual restrictive ordinances that can affect your business, such as a limit of hours per day for goods loading and unloading trucks.
- What traffic density is there? Analyze the volume of people who go through your yoga studio in your opening hours and the percentage of them who might want to enter it.
- Is there a facility to park in the area?
- What are the terms of the contract? Check the contract of your premises well before buying or renting it: the place can be excellent, but the conditions unacceptable.
How to open a yoga center-7: Choose a good name that identifies you
Perhaps for other ventures the name is important; but when it comes to a yoga studio, the name is key.
People interested in this discipline tend to be guided a lot by their feelings and emotions that give them a first impression.
So if you see the name of a yoga center that does not convey emotion to you, chances are you will pass by.
Normally these places are usually put “Yoga Center” and followed by the name of the study (for example, Namaste Yoga Center).
A good idea is to look for a word or phrase related to this practice, such as Om, Karma, Dharma, Asana, Prana, Yogi or Chakra.
But make sure that both in your city and in your country there is no other center or association with the same name, because that could confuse your future clients.
How to open a yoga center-8: Register your business to make it legal
You already have the place and the name for your business. Now you have to register it in the Mercantile Registry to make it totally legal and to start operating with it.
You will have to go to this agency and request there the necessary papers that you will have to fill out, and to which you will have to attach a series of documents depending on the country and city in which you live.
In most countries, this commercial register must be renewed annually, that is, each year you will have to renew it and pay the taxes that correspond to you.
How to open a yoga center-9: Get the necessary licenses and permits
Once your business is already registered, you will need to process a series of licenses and permits in order to open your doors and exercise your commercial activity without any problem.
To open a yoga center you will have to request these three basic documents:
- A building permit that allows you to condition the premises correctly (make bathrooms, dressing rooms, smoke vent, ventilation).
- An opening license so you can start your business. Here they will send someone to check that your place meets all the conditions.
- And a permit to exercise that activity in your local.
Remember that nobody can start teaching in your study until you have approved all these papers.
In addition, you must know well what are the exact documents you will need because in each country, department, city, and province there are different laws.
And do not forget that removing these licenses and permits has a cost, so put those expenses in the budget you made in point four above.
How to open a yoga center-10: Buy the equipment for your study
Now play one of the funniest parts of your business: buy the furniture to make your yoga studio beautiful.
The main place to start is the reception: it is the first place your clients will arrive, and for which they will decide to sign up for your classes or not.
A good counter and pictures or tapestries with images related to yoga and positive phrases will make the people who enter get a good impression.
But do not forget other accessories such as lamps, chairs or armchairs, shelves, hangers to hang coats or jackets, or even lockers to keep your belongings.
How to open a yoga center-11: Looking for good people to hire as employees
If you are going to open a yoga center, chances are that you alone will not be able to handle it; you will not be able to teach (if you are an instructor) and at the same time be at the reception attending to others.
Here it depends a lot on the role you are going to play in your business.
If you want to teach, you will need at least someone who cares about the clients that enter, and even hire an extra teacher or teacher to give other yoga styles different from yours.
Although if you just want to be the owner of the business, a good idea would be to put you in the reception and hire two yoga teachers to teach their lessons.
Anyway, something very important is that you hire the right person; and this has to be a kind, educated person, and if possible, have basic knowledge about this world.
We already told you above that those who practice yoga are sensitive to what other people or objects transmit to them.
So whoever receives them should be a kind person, of good positive character, and who knows a little about yoga in case they ask a client to be able to respond well.
How to open a yoga center-12: Hire accident insurance for your students
It is highly recommended that before starting your study you hire civil liability insurance that covers any problem that may arise to one of your students on your premises.
Yoga, after all, is a physical activity in which postures can cause injuries due to a student error.
And if you have contracted a policy for this, you will save many troubles and headaches.
A good idea is to contact several insurance companies and ask them what features and prices they have for sports facilities or gyms, and so you can compare between several insurers.
How to open a yoga center-13: Organize schedules for your classes
Here you must have three clear things: what yoga classes you will offer in your studio, how long each one will be, and what hours your clients prefer to attend them.
Any style of yoga usually goes from an hour to an hour and a half of class, but it is you who must decide what the best time for each practice is.
However, it is also necessary to take into account who your customers are- remember point 5 above and what times are best for them.
If the people who come to your classes are pregnant women or have children, most likely they prefer to practice yoga in the mornings when the children are in school.
But if they are women and men who study or work, surely they prefer to go to your studio in the afternoon once they have left their work obligations.
So try to concentrate as many classes as possible on the schedules that best suit your students so that they have more facility in going to your center.
How to open a yoga center-14: Think about the price you will put on your classes
Generally, yoga centers usually work with subscriptions that are paid in advance so that clients can enjoy the classes and some additional services.
The most normal thing is that these subscriptions are monthly and give the right to a certain number of classes (for example, 8 classes per month).
Although there are also studies that provide quarterly or annual bonuses in which the price is cheaper and include a few more classes to attract more students.
You must decide what type of fee you start; however, the best idea is to start with the monthly subscription, and if it works for you, set other different fees to check if they are successful.
A very effective trick that most yoga centers put into practice is to give the first free class so that interested people can try yoga, and then sign up for the class paying.
How to open a yoga center-15: Create an advertising strategy to promote yourself
Clients are not going to go alone to your business. Some of them will go through your store’s window, curiosity will sting you, and they will enter your studio.
But to have true success with your yoga center you have to move and publicize to attract the audience you want.
Think carefully about what marketing strategies would be best for you, and where to put them into practice depending on where your future students move.
For example: if they are people who use Internet enough, it would be good to advertise on web pages, blogs, social networks.
But if, on the other hand, they use more traditional media (newspapers, magazines), the ideal is to advertise on these sites or to put posters on the street and give brochures to those who pass near your studio.
Here you have different techniques to promote yourself that you can use without spending money, and that will be very useful to attract customers:
- Post posters announcing your yoga studio in the streets near your center.
- Hand out advertising on the street.
- Make small leaflets and put them in the mailboxes of the houses.
- If you have enough budget, advertise in newspapers or magazines related to the world of yoga.
- Open an account on Face book, Twitter, and Instagram for your yoga center.
- Contact blogs where they talk about yoga or natural therapies and ask them to write a guest article to let you know.
- Create your own blog or website for your study; in this way, it will be easier to find yourself on the internet.
- Offers free classes no more than two per person to attract more students.
- Make free talks (for example, about nutrition, self-esteem, etc.) so that more people come to your place.
If you have completed all these steps, your yoga center will be fully prepared to open its doors and start receiving your students.
4 Extra ideas for your yoga center to succeed
Opening a yoga center can become a very profitable business because every day people are more interested in this discipline, and want to take care of themselves both inside and out.
But as with any other company, you should pay attention to every detail of your venture, and not trust for much income that you generate.
So that your yoga studio has the greatest possible success, and you can keep it that way for years, here are four tips that will make you succeed from your beginnings.
1. Sell objects related to yoga
A great idea to expand your yoga center and increase your profits is to sell articles related to this discipline in your studio.
Your students will see them when they go to your classes, and it will be much more convenient for them to buy them right there than having to look for them in other places or move to other stores to do so.
However, with this strategy, you will also acquire new clients for your business.
There are people, who cannot go to yoga classes because their schedules do not allow it, but they practice this type of exercise in their homes, and they need materials to be able to do it.
And selling products in your yoga center will attract them to buy you even if they do not attend your classes.
You can put shelves and furniture in the entrance and reception of your studio where you show the items you sell, and also show them in the shop window so that everyone who passes by can see them.
The objects that you can offer are many: mats, blankets, zafus (meditation cushions), incense, candles, Japa Malas, even books for yogis or bio cosmetic products.
2. Condition your yoga room correctly
Nobody likes to exercise to a place that is dirty, where there is moisture or bad smells, or where it is too cold or too hot during the whole class.
So look well that your yoga room has everything you need to give a class with comfort: good floors, a ventilation system in conditions that are decorated to transmit peace to your students.
But do not forget two very important things: sound insulation, and the good orientation of the windows.
The first is essential to give a good yoga class. Your walls should be well soundproof especially if the neighborhood is noisy so that in class your students can concentrate well, and do not get distracted by any noise.
The orientation of the windows is also important to have as much natural light as possible, and thus reduce the cold in winter.
3. Create a form to record the limitations of your students
Yoga, whatever its variety, is after all a physical exercise. And although many people practice it for their health benefits, you have to be careful if they have any specific injury or illness.
For example, the Urdhva Dhanurasana posture (wheel posture) is not suitable for everyone, since it is contraindicated if they have back problems or if they are pregnant.
A good way to avoid possible problems with your students is that, when they sign up for your classes, give them a form so that they can write in any injury or illness they have.
In this way, you will give a much more professional impression to your clients, they will see that you care about them, and in your classes you can tell them alternative positions so that they avoid hurting themselves.
4. Make a web page to give virtual classes
Finally, if you want to take your yoga center further, a great idea is to create a website where you offer virtual classes.
On this page, you can add information about your study, such as what classes you give, who the teachers are, the address of your center, photos of your local.
And also create a section in which people who cannot attend your classes, can watch videos to practice yoga in their homes.
It offers a free subscription so that your visitors can see a couple of short videos without paying, and if they want to see the rest of the videos you have, create a monthly payment subscription.
The videos can be uploaded to YouTube and marked as private so that only the people to whom you send the link once they pay can see them.
This will expand your network of customers and also get more benefits having a presence both physically with your center and online with your classes online.
Opening a yoga center is a great opportunity to become your own boss and help others to have a more positive and healthy life.
We hope you will like these ideas to open a yoga center. We want your comments and suggestions to improve our ideas. Thank you and have a great day!
Tags: How to open a yoga center, Open a yoga center with 15 arresting steps, Physical and mental benefits
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