A SC Yoga Studio With Classes More PACKED Than The Big Name Studios In NYC & LA? Find Out This Teacher’s Secret!

In less than two weeks from now, I’ll complete my Anusara® Yoga Instructor Certification (Yay!).

If you include the 9 months of immersions that came beforehand, the entire process has taken over a year.

I’ve been teaching yoga, dance and other fitness classes since I was in college, so it’s certainly not the first teacher training I’ve done, but it’s by far the most life-enhancing and skill-building experience I’ve ever had in a yoga training.

Partly because of the Anusara method itself (it’s a game-changer in terms of alignment, philosophy, community, psychology and consistency). And partly because of my main teacher, Stacey Millner-Collins––Certified Anusara® Yoga Instructor, pictured below.

The first time I stepped foot into City Yoga, Stacey’s studio, which she’s owned and managed since 2003, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’ve always wanted to open my own studio, and this one in particular inspired me more than any other I’d seen.

First of all, the space is gorgeous. And it’s HUGE.

It has two loft-like studios, a boutique and lounge area, cork floors, a beautiful outdoor deck, a huge parking lot, and super high ceilings with exposed wooden rafters.

It’s modern, but still warm and inviting.

Second of all, the classes are always PACKED.

I don’t mean full. I mean PACKED. Way more so than a lot of the big name studios I’ve been to in NYC and LA. Shoot, even her immersions are packed, and they cost thousands of dollars to attend!

And you ought to see Stacey’s Sunday class. Holy Moly! You’d think it was a Sunday sermon in a huge Southern Baptist church. If you don’t come early, you won’t get a seat… and this is in the big studio that fits 70-something people! Just awesome.

After my very first class with Stacey, I knew I wanted to learn from her. I hadn’t had a true yoga “teacher” in years, and now I’d found one who truly inspired me.

She’s a bright-eyed, open-hearted, incredibly down to earth, and wholeheartedly devoted student of yoga who also happens to be a phenomenal instructor and enormously successful business woman.

I know I’ve already told you how big her classes are, but you have to understand… Columbia, SC is my hometown (where I spent many a school night sneaking out, smoking cigarettes and drinking cheap beer because that’s how we kept ourselves entertained).

Columbia is über conservative because it’s smack dab in the center of the Bible belt. It’s a far cry from “metropolitan”, even though they call it that. Nonetheless, it’s quaint and the people there are “sweet as pie”.

But in my mind, they’re not “the yogi type”.

Boy was I wrong! And never in my life have I been happier to be so mistaken.

What Stacey has created is quite literally revolutionary. The kula, or community, that she has grown and nurtured, is 10 times more solid than the ones I was a part of in San Diego. And that’s saying a lot.

I used to get 250+ people the at Global Mala events I organized in San Diego. But that pales in comparison to the palpable feeling of community ever-present at Stacey’s studio.

So what’s her secret?

She’ll be speaking at my upcoming event, Abundant Yogi Live, to divulge it to you. Even I can’t wait for that (since I have plans in the mix myself to partner with another of the AY Live speakers to open a studio next year!).

But just to whet your whistle in the meantime, here are a few highlights from Stacey on what has helped make her studio so ridiculously successful.

In a word––RELATIONSHIPS.

And if we had to add a second word––LEADERSHIP.

Not surprising, right? All solid businesses are built on solid relationships and rockin’ leadership.

According to Stacey:

Running a successful yoga studio is more about cultivating good relationships than anything else. After all, yoga is about relationship––the joining of two separate things into One.

The marketing and financial nuts & bolts just have to be dealt with and are fairly straight forward. As studio owners, where our practice is really put into action is in the various ways we deal with students, other instructors, other yoga studios, and in establishing appropriate boundaries. (We’ll go into all of this at AY Live.)

But as a foundation, the best way to keep students is to get to know them right off the bat. Introduce yourself to EVERY student who is new to your class. Found out what they do (put this question on the general release form) and assure them that you will keep a good eye on them during class to cultivate their trust in your leadership.

It seems simple but so many people have no idea who their students are, so they end up saying things like, “Hey you, in the red shirt, take a longer stance!” when providing a personal instruction is MUCH kinder and more effective.

In a workshop environment where you may have many new students at once, be sure to provide name tags they can stick at the front of their mat. That’s a great way to get to know your class.

Everyone wants to be recognized and to feel special. This is a very simple way to do just that. Do it consistently, and these students will keep showing up in your classes.

It’s no accident that Stacey’s students LOVE her and happily look to her for clear instruction, spiritual inspiration, and practical life skills. It’s also no accident that she recently taught at the Anusara Grand Circle at Wanderlust in Vermont.

At AY Live, you’ll get to practice with Stacey, learn what 9 years of running a studio has taught her, and discover how your yoga practice on the mat will become a relevant and necessary yoga practice off the mat as YOU move forward with your own vision of a yoga or wellness center.

Grab a friend (for FREE) and get your tickets now before they’re all gone.

Hope you enjoyed these little reminders today. If so, “Like” the post, share it with your fellow teachers, and feel free to share a few tips of your own that have helped you to build your classes.

Have a lovely weekend!

XO,

P.S. Shout out to my fü&$!nG uh-maz-er-ing husband of 6 years today. You rock my world Kraig Ward! My baby daddy. My 150 lb. hottie. My best friend on the planet. You make me a better me and I love you so much!

P.P.S. Check out this sweet Anniversary surprise our virtual team made us today. Love you guys! http://mindfulmarketingacademy.com/kraig_kris