I N T E N T I O N

My intention over the next seven days is to consciously clarify my ideas about my
BRANDING, MARKETING, PERSONAL STYLE, and SOCIAL MEDIA and how they integrate into my teaching practice.

P R A C T I C E

Practice daily. Use your daily practice this week to create sacred seeing and a soft, gentle drishti towards yourself and others. Enjoy the Sacred Preparation SIGHT playlists on Spotify. We are working with the sixth chakra Ajna. The practice theme for this month is Envision.

M E D I T A T I O N

Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing daily for 3-11 minutes. Use your meditation this week to see from a different perspective to elevate your thinking.

C O U R S E W O R K

one Write down what you love about yourself - talents, gifts, positive attributes.
two Get to know your Ideal Yoga Student from The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga: The Professional's Guide to a Fulfilling Career by Amy Ippoliti and Taro Smith, PhD 

Build a profile: 

•What are the demographics of your Ideal Student?
•What do you know about their psycho-graphics? Beliefs, lifestyle, interests?

Consider their demo/psycho-graphics and answer the following from their perspective.
• What is your big dream or goal in relationships, health, career, family, and mind-set?
• What is your big fear in developing a yoga practice?
• What are your favorite books, music, shows, media?
• What do you do in your free time?
• What other teachers are you already tuned into?

You may be thinking, I don’t have any students. You will come back to these questions as you and your classes continue to grow. Meanwhile, use yourself as a case study. 

• What were your initial challenges (in life) when you began your practice?
• What were your results or successes of the practice?
• What were some of the keys that your practice unlocked?

three Refine your Purpose Statement into a Purposeful Position Statement (PPS). A PPS answers the first set of questions from above with a heart centered on the answers from the second set of questions. It is brief, unique, memorable, true to your core values, communicates how you/your class is different from other offerings, and is crystal clear. Refine your Purpose Statement into a PPS by using the following formulas:

Formula One
For [your target market] who [target market need/pain point/problem], [your class/ program name], provides [main benefit that differentiates your offering from other offerings] because [reason why target market should believe your differentiation statement].

Example
For [Oshkosh yogis] who [want to deepen their self-understanding through yoga], [Oshkosh (YMCA) Yoga Teacher Training], provides [a community of learners to grow with] because [now is the time to expand consciousness].

Formula Two
I help [your target market] create/get [the results they want] without [their objections - unknowns] by [their ultimate desire].

Example
I help [Oshkosh yoga students] fin [clarity of purpose] without [sacrificing time] by [completing a transformational 7 month Yoga Teacher Training].

Example one
For local yoga students who seek to deepen and expand their yoga practice. OYTT is a 7 month transformational journey that brings the art, science, and magic of the practice alive. OYTT empowers students through clear and digestible content, nourishing a deep commitment and satisfying experience within the joyful and supportive container of community.

Example two
An empowering transformational journey into the art, science, and magic of yoga. This dedicated experience is designed to be digestible and satisfying, expanding your yoga practice and ultimately yourself. Three unique 8-12 week steps combine to give you a thorough education and Yoga Alliance Certifi ation. These steps can be completed at once, or over time as it works with your unique schedule and season in life.

Example three
For those desiring to share their practice through the art of teaching, clear, nourishing content empowers you to create classes of substance within the joyful, support and encouragement of community.

four Engage on Social Media.

+Vision Board creative exercise from pg. 54-55 in Angelus
+Practice Teach

J O U R N A L

this week Write 3 Morning Pages followed by 2 minutes Listening to Silence each day.

O N G E N E V A

Please share your thoughts.

 SIGHT - Week SIX: Session 1: Branding

Discussion
You cannot serve everyone and you don’t have to. You want to match your gifts and passions with the student population you want to serve. 

Knowing your “brand” is in line with yoga principles such as self-inquiry, self-knowledge, and authenticity. You want to know what your assets are so that you can confidently and freely share your talents. Knowing your assets, as well as your liabilities, is to know your brand. Knowing your brand is knowing yourself. When you are yourself, you will attract the kinds of students you most want to work with. With this knowledge, you can become clear about your brand identity. Then, with this brand identity, you can offer teaching and marketing that is consistent with your brand.

“It is a disservice to humanity and your community not to know and share your gifts.”- Dr. Douglas Brooks

To develop a brand, you can ask your friends, family, (students if you have them) what words come to mind when they think of you. 

Whenever I do this, I consistently get responses like, warm, authentic, kind, and knowledgeable. I can then think about how these words could influence all aspects of my communication. Even if you were to hire an expert in branding, they would still want to know who you are so that they could create a brand suite that clearly represents, in this case, the yoga teacher, that the brand is communicating. 

Branding is as much about you as it is about the people who you attract. I tend to attract people who want to learn and grow, who value authenticity and want a transformative experience. I also attract people who value me personally because of the relationship we have. This relationship is one where they know that I will show up for them without judgment and they can trust that. This is demonstrated in every interaction, word I write, and image I share. 

Knowing your student allows you to offer an experience, a product, that your student wants - one that they feel is customized to them. This experience also solves a problem for them and softens their point of pain.

Knowing all of this makes marketing feel enjoyable and fun. It helps you succeed in attracting the kinds of people you love to spend time with and teaching people you resonate with is easier and more enjoyable too. 

Coursework

• Write down all the things you love about yourself - your talents, your gifts, your positive attributes.  

• Getting to Know your Ideal Yoga Client (or Most Important Client (MIC) from The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga: The Yoga Professional’s Guide to a Fulfilling Career by Amy Ippoliti and PhD Taro Smith

• Build a profile 

• What are the demographics of your Ideal Client?

• What do you know about their psycho-graphics? Beliefs, lifestyle, interests?

• Consider the demo/psycho-graphics of your ideal student and answer the following from their perspective.

• What is your biggest dream, vision, or goal with respect to relationships, health, career, family and mind-set?

• What is your biggest fear in developing a yoga practice?

• What are your favorite books, music, shows, media?

• What do you do in your free time?

• What other teachers are you already tuned into?

• Now, take this another step further and get to know your MIC on a deeper level from Tabernacle Creative Residency with Erica Jago

• What is your MICs main challenge? What do they need resolved?

• How do you know this?

• Where do they hear you speak?

• What is their gender, age?

• Why are they seeking your work/listening to you? What are they searching for?

• What results do the desire and why?

• How will obtaining the solution impact their life? What will this mean for them? How will they feel?

• How will your program, class impact their life? 

• What will their testimonials say? What will their experience be?

You may be thinking, I don’t have any students. You will come back to these questions as you and your class continue to grow. Meanwhile, use yourself as a case study. 

1. What were your initial challenges (in life)?

2. What were your results, because of the practice?

3. What were some of the keys that your practice unlocked? How did you get these results?

4. What success have you experienced?

This is serious, creative and intuitive work. Take your time. If you get hung up, move on. When thinking about your ideal student's dreams they may include “being happy and relaxed,” “healing anxiety,” “being less stressed and more at peace in my relationships.” When thinking about their main challenges, maybe they are anxious, unsure, or have feelings associated with not belonging - what could you offer that could help? With these questions answered, you will likely find a well-spring of themes, class ideas, plus material for marketing, your website, newsletter content, social media posts, flyers, etc. 

The purpose here is to provide you with information that will enable you to connect with your students at a heart level. This will inspire you; and grow your confidence and ability to deliver a meaningful experience again and again. 

 SIGHT - Week SIX: Session 2: Marketing

Discussion
The 5 Ps
In classic Marketing there are five Ps:

1. Product: all your offerings - What services/products are you promoting? What is the value?

2. Price: What’s the going rate?

3. Place: Do people want what you have to offer?

4. Promotion: How will you get the word out?

5. Position: How is it unique? What other activities are competing for your potential students' attention?

Another way to look at these Marketing P’s is with the following questions + my examples from creating this Yoga Teacher Training Program:

→ Why do you do what you do?
I teach yoga - locally in Oshkosh, WI. I’m from SoCal and we moved when my boys were also 1 and 3 ½ so this alone is substantial. I feel compelled - like I must, but also really love to  - study, practice, teach and connect through the shared medium of a yoga experience. I also just love the creative acts of designing and creating spontaneously moment to moment. It's exciting. 

→ At the end of the day, what difference are you trying to make?
To create a container for transformation and community connection - in my local community.

→ What is the purpose, cause, or belief that inspires your class, program?
Urgency, limited time, now. The belief in now, do it now, don’t do it later, do it now.

→ What is the bigger impact you’re hoping to create in the world?
I’m not! If anything it would be the ripple effect - planting seed for trees I may never see. Quote: “The one who plants trees, knowing that they will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” - Rabindranath Tagore

→ Why would this project/class exist? Why now?
For a practical reason, there aren’t enough teachers. Also, I need to train up the young/new ones. 

→ Who do you want to serve through your class/project/program?
First my students, the ones who want to know and experience more yoga. And, the Y members who also want that. And also local yoga students of all ages, life stages, and diversity.

→ Who is your MIC?
You want a transformational experience. You have a dedicated and consistent yoga or spiritual practice or you're ready for and wanting such. You want to clarify what is most meaningful to you and organize life around it. You want to get to know and be your true self.

→ What is your MIC’s pain point?
This person is looking for a transformational personal experience and a community to contain it.

→ What difference do you hope to make in their lives?
I hope to provide support but also heartfelt compassion, understanding and the wisdom and reality of experience. I hope to be a grounding presence that they can trust?

→ What are you creating and selling?
Simply a YTT, but also connection through community and encouragement to live true to who they are and what they love and believe in.

→ What are the values and dreams for the MICs you wish to serve?
Authenticity, knowledge

You would use this data to create a Marketing Plan. 

Marketing Plan
A marketing plan does not have to be long or formal; nor is it a one-and-done activity. It is dynamic and requires attention and planning. However, like planning to teach, you can create a methodology that makes this task simpler and more refined (easier) each time.

Consider the first three Ps: product, price, place. Then, come up with 2 or 3 actions you can take toward promotion keeping position in mind.

Coursework

• Go back to your Purpose Statement and refine it into a Purposeful Position Statement. A Purposeful Position Statement answers the first set of questions from above with a heart centered on the answers from the second set of questions. It is brief, unique and memorable, true to your core values and communicates how you/your class/program is different from competing offerings. A PPS is also crystal clear. Refine your Purpose Statement into a Purposeful Position Statement (PPS) by using  the following formula:

For [your target market] who [target market need/pain point/problem], [your class/program name], provides [main benefit that differentiates your offering from other offerings] because [reason why target market should believe your differentiation statement].

EXAMPLE: For [Oshkosh yogis] who [want to deepen their self-understanding through yoga], [Oshkosh (YMCA) Yoga Teacher Training], provides [a community of learners to grow with because [now is the time to expand consciousness].

Or

I help [your target market] create/get [the results they want] without [their objections - unknowns] by [their ultimate desire].

EXAMPLE: I help [Oshkosh yoga students] find [clarity of purpose] without [sacrificing time] by [completing a transformational 7 month Yoga Teacher Training].

Side note: My PPS evolved into something like the following: For local yoga students who seek to deepen and expand their yoga practice. OYTT is a 7 month transformational journey that brings the art, science, and magic of the practice alive. OYTT empowers students through clear and digestible content, nourishing a deep commitment and satisfying experience within the joyful and supportive container of community. 

Examples of PPSs on my website:

An empowering transformational journey into the art, science, and magic of yoga, intentionally designed to be digestible and satisfying. 

An empowering transformational journey into the art, science, and magic of yoga. This dedicated experience is designed to be digestible and satisfying, expanding your yoga practice and ultimately yourself. Three unique 8-12 week steps combine to give you a thorough education and Yoga Alliance Certification. These steps can be completed at once, or over time as it works with your unique schedule and season in life. For those desiring to share their practice through the art of teaching, clear, nourishing content empowers you to create classes of substance within the joyful, support and encouragement of community.

 SIGHT - Week SIX: Session 1: Personal Style

Discussion
Like a brand, personal style is an avenue of self-expression. My personal style includes minimal, functional, comfortable and high quality pieces - with several of the same style Target tank tops - that I wear on repeat. I tend towards neutrals in variations of black and white with green, gold, and blue. Coincidentally, this is also the color palette of my home. I am in an ever evolving process of refining and simplifying. That said, when I look around I see lots of clutter in various stages of “put away,” collections, and it is clear that there is a lot going on. This personal style aligns with my personal practice and teaching style. The way I write, what I post and how I interact within relationships all reflect my style. Your personal style is authentic to you; and will inform your teaching style. 

Attire
When you are in the seat of the teacher, be mindful not to pull too much attention away from the students' experience. Yoga clothing ranges from form fitting to loose and fluid - your level of comfort is a personal preference. Be mindful of how the cut of your clothing reveals skin and could distract your students. Dress code at Y requires Y branded clothing. 

Coursework

• Practice finding and recognizing what feeds you and feels like you so that you feel more comfortable moving away from the familiar and into the unknown. List the places, people, and practices that inspire you. List the same for what dulls you. 

• Then create a mood board. Categorize the themes of your moodboard: color, emotion, object.

I am inspired by: 

I am dulled by: 

Create A Vision Or Mood Board
No specific talent is needed, just a pair of scissors, a few magazines, glue, and some perseverance.

Step ONE : Start browsing magazines and intuitively collect images that light you up.

Step TWO: Stay open and receptive to signs and symbols. The tendency is to jump ahead to the outcome. Detach from any expectations on what you think this collage should look like. Enjoy the creative energy.

Step THREE: Categorize what you have collected. Do this based on color, object, mood, or whatever feels good. With complete creative freedom, glue your favorites together here.

Step FOUR: Reflect on it every now and then. Do not judge its quality but look for deeper layers, connect the dots. Be patient. It may speak to you later.

See the Intuitive Collage Creative Exercise from Ch. 2.4 of Angelus for more.

 SIGHT - Week SIX: Session 4: Social Media

Website
A website is not essential. With social media you can bypass any need for a website. However, depending on your wants and needs, a website can be very useful especially when it comes to writing, sharing resources, creating programs, and monetizing content. I use SquareSpace and I am very happy with it. It is user friendly and the customer service will walk you through just about anything you want to do on it. The ease of SquareSpace costs me about $230/year - there are other less expensive (Wix and Wordpress) and more expensive options (Kajabi and Flowdesk) all of which allow you to sell online. 

Social Media
Having a social media strategy can be an important part of growing your classes and serving more people. Today, you could devote a full-time career to this task. Here are a few basics that make engagement on social media less daunting.

• Be authentic, this will attract your people and repel those not meant for you. 

• Use Planoly or something similar to plan your grid posts. 

• Stories/reels can be spontaneous or strategic.

• Who are you? Let others see. 

With each post consider the following to make your time on social T.A.S.T.Y (this is from Tabernacle Creative Residency with Erica Jago) 

• T - Teaches them something. 

• A - Action steps they need to take (DM-ing you for more info, signing up for your waiting list, booking a clarity call etc. This is often referred to as a CTA: Call To Action.) 

• S - Solves an urgent pain point they are currently going through. 

• T - Transforms them from point A (where they were) to point B (where they can be). 

• Y - Addresses their “WHY”

Using Social media to launch your classes, engage with students, and find inspiration are all advantageous and can be a fun way to grow your yoga business, passion or service project. 

Social Media allows you to connect across boundaries, share, seek support, and be entertained. There is also a deeply concerning use of AI and algorithms to manipulate your actions and behaviors and it can be easy for others to be incredibly unkind. The dopamine hit you get from using social media can also bring on legitimate addiction. 

Personal interaction will always remain an important way to communicate and connect and social media allows for word-of-mouth to flow easily. I love to share my friends' posts and support their businesses and work - I love to share that which is positive, powerful, thought provoking, and makes me laugh.

Approximately 50% of the world’s population is under 30, 96% of which are on social media. Here are some interesting statistics*: 

Age 13-17 (born 2008 – 2004)
85% on YouTube /  72% on Instagram / 51% on Facebook
Age 18-29 (born 2003 – 1992) People aged 18-29 are the biggest users of every other social media.
95% on YouTube / 86% on Facebook / 67% on Instagram / 27% on TikTok.
Age 30-49 (born 1991 – 1972)
91% on YouTube / 77% on Facebook / 47% on Instagram / 30% on TikTok
Age 50-64 (born 1971 –  1957)
83% on YouTube / 50% on Facebook / 23% on Instagram / 14% on TikTok
65+ ( born 1956 or earlier)
49% on YouTube / 34% on Facebook / 8% on Instagram / 4% on TikTok 

Social media serves two important functions: communication and marketing

1. Communication: Keeping a conversation about yoga going in between classes, sharing information and establishing yourself as a leader in the community.

2. Marketing: Helping students find and engage with you and your teaching and offerings.

Social media engagement also results in a more dynamic and personal connection between you and your students. 

Like the 5 Ps of Marketing, there are the 4 Cs of Social Media: 

1. Content: share content that is valuable to your students and target audience. Ask is this relevant to their interests, needs or desires? Is it insightful? Is it useful?

2. Connecting: have conversations, listen and respond. Your students want to engage - nurture them. (The statistics above will help you to determine on which platform you’ll most likely find your students depending on their age).

3. Community: social media provides a forum for interaction. Creating a Facebook Group specific to a topic (like Kat’s class) is one way to create direct engagement with your students and create the space for peer-to-peer engagement.

4. Curating: create a cohesiveness to your social media posts and let them be more than just promotional or informational, but in a way that will add value to your students’ lives. Remember the T.A.S.T.Y guidelines. 
   

There are a few tools that assist with social media engagement like Planoly. You can also schedule Facebook Posts and emails. It is helpful to plan, especially as the creative act of writing and curating posts uses a different part of the brain than completing the tasks of social media promotion. Often, it's helpful to get in the creative flow, write from the heart, and capture as much content as you can in one sitting.

Another helpful way of engaging in social media to share the same content differently. For example, a longer email newsletter or blog post becomes a shorter Facebook group message, becomes an Instagram post or two or three, becomes several instagram stores, reels or, gasp, a TikTok. 

Many people who use Social Media professionally, have entire teams dedicated to just that. You do not need to spend all of your time on social media but a few dedicated hours each month where you share authentically outside of class can help nurture the relationships you are growing with your students. 

Transparency isn’t difficult when we aren’t pretending. Strive to be genuine - about who you are, what you offer and why you do what you do. And know that your social media platforms are just that - yours. You never need to reveal more than you are comfortable with and you can decide how and with whom you choose to interact. You can’t go wrong if you follow these guidelines. 

Coursework

• Consider if and on which social media platform you would like to engage.

• Begin to post about your yoga teacher training experience. Let the community get excited for your arrival!

*Social media statistic source: unknown