The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Yoga Business
The dark exists everywhere and so does the light. The dark side
of human personality is in all of us. Unfortunately, Yoga
teachers, priests, politicians, and police are human too.
With that said, there are many caring Yoga teachers who their
spend time working with seniors, fibromyalgia groups, alzheimer
patients, and many more people in need. They don't get front
page billing on Yoga magazines or Time Magazine, for their
efforts, but they do get gratification.
Very often, I advise Yoga teachers and Yoga studios in regard to
disputes, between a Yoga teacher and the Yoga studio ownership.
Each side will call the other self serving and greedy. Some Yoga
teachers become a perceived threat for a variety of reasons, and
find themselves out of a job.
The most common reasons for dismissal are: "Money is tight," the
Yoga teacher was networking to steal students, or an ethics
violation. An ethics violation is a "no-brainer" and the Yoga
studio, ashram, or health club has to take swift action.
Especially, if this were in relation to a potential harassment
case, where the management would find itself in, the middle of,
a lawsuit.
About Business: Yes, everything in this world is business, to
some degree, but ethical business practice is much different
from greed. Some thriving Yoga businesses actually contribute to
many charities, help the community, and spread the word of
living a quality life.
Personally, quality Yoga teachers are hard to come by, and
studios should prepare for "seasonal slow downs." Below is some
advice I recently gave a Yoga teacher who is very skilled, but
was permanently released by an ashram, due to the "summer slow
down."
"Your ability and creativity to use props is a valuable skill.
Very often, in lectures, I refer to knowledge of body mechanics,
as a major asset, and the ability to teach every student, who
walks in the door as priceless. You have the ability to teach,
any Yoga student, at any level.
Although, the director of your ashram overlooked your value, you
should not be discouraged, at all. There is a saying: "knowing
is enough." Keep developing your skills, help people, and good
karma will help you.
The best we can do is, change the world for the better - one
person at a time. If we can do more - that is good too. Don't be
disheartened - always look at what good can be done, in response
to any given situation. Your passion for Yoga can help everyone
you come into contact with."
For those Yoga studios that worry about losing students to, a
Yoga teacher, you could design a non-competition agreement, for
your protection. I still do not have one at my center, but I do
know what it is like to create an idea, find a teacher,
advertise, and cultivate a class; only to have a teacher take
the class home.
So why do I still not have a "contract" for Yoga teachers, on my
staff? Did I learn from my mistake? Yes I did, but the
relationship between studio ownership and independent Yoga
teacher is all about trust, character improvement, and
cultivating mutual respect. This is what makes it a bit
different from the corporate world.
Lastly, if you are a Yoga studio or ashram owner that has been
"burned," in the past, by staff or employees, it doesn't hurt to
review your hiring process. Hiring good technical Yoga teachers
is not enough, if you can't trust them.
We did overhaul our interviewing process, preliminary
requirements, and hiring practices, without implementing a
non-competition agreement contract. Make sure candidates are
interviewed more than once, by different people. This will "weed
out" those you can trust, from those you have doubts about.