141: Pitfalls of Private Yoga (and How to Avoid Them): Community Conversations with Elena Cheung

Teaching private yoga can be enormously fulfilling, but also has the potential to create a whole new set of challenges for teachers.

In this episode, host Rachel Land speaks with returning guest Elena Cheung about the pitfalls of private yoga sessions, and some potential ways to avoid them. We discuss how to set student expectations early, manage anxiety regarding that first session, and offer tips on setting boundaries, taking payment and setting cancelation policies.

Listen in to learn how to navigate the pitfalls of private yoga like a pro, and find your niche.

“Lower your expectations of yourself because they haven’t come to you thinking you’re a doctor or a physical therapist, so they are not expecting you to be able to diagnose, prescribe, or treat — and nor should you. They are looking for you to walk next to them in this journey.” – Rachel Land

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“Within a private session you can be so much more candid and off the cuff and people appreciate when you are honest and ask questions; it helps your clients realize that you are thinking about them as a human and what they need.” – Elena Cheung

Show Notes:

• Positives of private yoga [2:08]
• Pitfall #1: Scheduling and admin time [9:38]
• Pitfall #2: The unstructured unknown of the first session [12:08]
• Pitfall #3: Research and planning time [19:08]
• Pitfall #4: Cancellations and no-shows [24:55]
• Pitfall #5: Homework that works [28:31]
• Pitfall #6: Uncertainty whether you’ll be able to help [35:34]
• Pitfall #7: Blurry boundaries [41:38]
• Pitfall #8: Mismatched expectations; find your niche [50:15]
• Final takeaways [54:20]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Previous Yoga Medicine Podcast Episodes:
  • Episode 109: Teaching Yoga One-on-One
  • Episode 74: Yoga for All
• The Art of Teaching Impactful Group Classes Online Course
• For those left hanging by the podcast, the left hemisphere of the brain is generally associated with analytical thinking, logic and language, while the right is linked to intuition, creativity and spatial awareness.
• Connect with Elena Cheung:

Instagram | Elena Shapeshifts | Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher

“Our bodies are holistic and so is our movement, and so that permission to think outside the box and do things a little bit differently is freeing for both us and private clients.” – Elena Cheung