How to start an online yoga business

Yoga has become one of the most popular fitness and mental health practices around the world, and its rapid growth is showing no signs of slowing. Online yoga businesses have been sprouting up due to its low setup costs and market demand.  

What is an online yoga business? 

Yoga is a spiritual discipline which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body, the purpose of which is to build strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and body.

It can help people improve their strength, balance and flexibility, reduce back pain, ease arthritis symptoms and sleep better, among other benefits. 

An online yoga business connects yoga clients to a yoga instructor through an online video call via their laptop or smartphone. The yoga coach guides clients through various physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation and relaxation exercises either in group sessions or one on one coaching. 

In return for this yoga coaching, the client pays the instructor for the duration of the session, in an industry dedicated to promoting mental and physical well-being. Yoga instructors can charge anything from $10 per person for a group class to over $100 for a private yoga session.

Who can start an online yoga business?

Almost anyone can start an online yoga business. The key requirement is domain expertise in understanding yoga, its core principles of Exercise, Breathing, Relaxation, Diet and Thinking and the ability to coach and communicate this to yoga clientele. 

Yoga certifications are not mandatory for coaching yoga online however they are recommended. Apart from your knowledge and certifications, you should consider your coaching environment for your online classes, whether this is a dedicated studio or an area within your home. 

Read our full list of tips below to understand a step by step play on how to set up your online yoga business.  

9 tips for opening an online yoga business

1). Start your business

During your business creation process, you will have to choose a business type that works for you (Sole Proprietor or LLC or similar). An LLC will ensure your personal assets are protected from any business liabilities. For further information on this, check out our comparison of different company formation firms. 

When choosing your company’s legal structure you will have to take into account all the parameters of your project. 

Legal platforms such as Northwest Registered Agent or ZenBusiness have been specially designed for professionals who wish to carry out their company creation process online. You can also choose to set up your business on your own. 

2). Get instructor certified

As noted, being certified as a yoga instructor is not mandatory however it will bring credibility to your online yoga coaching. You can obtain an instructor certification from a Yoga Alliance affiliated institution. 

Yoga Alliance is the organization that presides over the national standards when it comes to yoga and is the industry standard. Yoga Alliance lists the certification requirements for individuals and institutions on its Web site.

For an individual to be certified, Yoga Alliance requires a one-time $25 application fee, along with a $55 annual fee. 

If you wish to instruct teacher training at your school, a Registered Yoga School (RYS) certification is required to conduct 200-hours level teacher training. This registration requires a one-time $350 application fee and a $200 annual renewal fee. 

3). Find a suitable yoga space

Many online yoga businesses make use of a room within their own home for multiple reasons including saving on studio rental expenses and the ability to conduct the yoga session in a quiet, familiar space using their own video call and audio equipment. 

If you have a gym membership, your gym may have an unused or quiet room you can rent to host your online yoga classes. This may come with a cost premium and may not be sustainable given the expense involved. 

Once you’ve found a suitable space, you’ll need to convert the room or rooms into a suitable yoga space with sufficient lighting and decor for your online students to be able to easily follow your various yoga poses and techniques. 

4). Decide the yoga niche you want to teach

When you’re moving your business online, you need to establish a clear niche for your business – or, an area of expertise that will differentiate you from your competitors.

So what is it that makes your yoga practice different?

• Do you have a unique approach to mindfulness and overall wellness?
• Do you focus on pre- or post-natal yoga? 
• Do you cater to busy business people?
• Do you want to educate students on how to create their own flows?

Take some time to reflect on this and what works best for you and your clients in an online environment. Think about what you want to teach in your online yoga business, and how it will benefit your yoga community.

Once you’ve found your yoga niche, run some test classes with family and friends to sense check your environment, audio and video as well as garnering their feedback on what worked well and what didn’t. 

This experience will stand to you when you start offering your first live classes to paid clients, with some of the early startup bumps, including with audio and video equipment, already ironed out. 

5). Create a website and leverage social media

When starting your online yoga business, the goal of the website is simple:

• Let prospective yoga clients know your business exists
• Allow clients to see your weekly yoga schedule and book/pay online
• Showcase your yoga expertise 

Your yoga website is essentially your shop’s storefront, allowing potential customers to come and learn more about your online courses, prices, group sessions, 1:1 coaching and see if your style of yoga is right for them. 

It’s important that you create a professional-looking website to grow your online presence and attract the right people into your community. Ensure the website allows for an easy checkout facility where signed up users can book and pay directly for each class on your site. 

To start a website, you can build one yourself or commission a web designer, be it a friend or web design professional on a services marketplace like Fiverr. 

The website can be developed later on to incorporate additional features as required, including a Yoga Video Tutorial repository of your various yoga stances and coaching techniques to monthly subscribers. 

Leverage social media

Choose a couple of platforms and learn them in and out. For yoga teachers, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are excellent. If you spend time on social media, be sure to post content, ideally videos, for when your followers are most active to maximize the engagement. 

6). Check your equipment

Your business is 100% online, thus you’ll need to do everything you can to ensure your customers have a flawless online experience. 

• Internet: Upgrade your broadband to a high-speed connection if needs be and ensure your coaching environment is not in a wifi blackspot with slow speeds
• Video and audio: You’ll need excellent video camera and audio equipment to ensure your trainees can easily see and hear your guided yoga instructions and movements. The camera and audio on your laptop may be sufficient to begin with however it may be worth investing in higher quality webcams and microphones over time. 
• Lighting: Does the lighting in your new yoga space work for your online audience? Can your clients properly hear your instructions? These will all need to be tested prior to commencing classes.

7). Write Your Online Yoga Business Plan

There are 4 key elements to include in an online yoga business plan:

Customer analysis

Determine the level of interest persons in your area have in yoga. This gives insight into how many potential yoga customers you can attract.

Competitor analysis

Identify the current rates for online yoga classes to determine how much you will charge. Yoga fees vary based on the area of operation and if the instructor is renting a full, professional studio.

Marketing plan

This deals with the advertising aspect of your online business. This may range from word-of-mouth marketing to online ads based on behavioral targeting, to attract them to signup to your online yoga sessions. 

Financial plan and projections

Calculate how much capital you will need to run the yoga studio for the first 6 months of its inception. You will also need to budget money for personal expenses if you want to teach yoga full-time.

Ideally, your online yoga business plan covers the first three to five years of your business, giving you something to work toward.

8). Market your business

After identifying your target audience, you’ll need to promote your business to attract these customers. This can be achieved through organic promotions on social media or business directories or paid means using Facebook or Google Adwords. 

A successful online yoga business, like any, should include advertising costs in the budget, especially for a startup — this will help get the word out, at least until you generate repeat business. 

Online advertising is a great way to kickstart your marketing campaigns. Consider even conventional mediums like newspapers, business flyers and word of mouth.

9). Launch your online yoga business

You’ve done your research, found a suitable yoga space, set up your video equipment and are ready to go! Time to launch and don’t be shy in promoting your business opening. 

Invite your friends, colleagues, neighbors and more to post about your new online yoga business and indeed attend your opening class for free. 

Create a hashtag and encourage all attendees to post it on their social media accounts, highlighting this wonderful new online yoga business. Your job now is to drive new and repeat customers.

Don’t forget that your customers are the key to a successful online yoga business, so be kind and caring to them, this is a wellness space after all and repeat custom will likely ensue.  

Other requirements for opening an online yoga business?

Equip yourself with the right tools

If you choose to open your own online yoga business, you will have to think about investing in your own equipment. Among the essentials, we recommend a credit card reader to accept debit and credit cards should a client want to take a class offline for some in-person coaching.

Consider also accounting software from our comparison to allow you to keep an accurate view of the financial health of your store.

You will also have to take into account all the costs related to the decor of your yoga studio setup such as:

• Lighting
• Candles
• Music equipment
• Video cameras and microphones

Open a business bank account

Among the essential steps for the successful opening of your online yoga business, you will need to choose a business bank account. 

Thus, you will be able to estimate your professional expenses and manage them without taking the risk of losing yourself between your professional and personal expenses.

FAQs