Hey there, aspiring online yoga teacher! Are you ready to share your love of yoga with the world and build a thriving online business in the process? You‘re in the right place.
Teaching yoga online is an incredible opportunity to make a bigger impact, work from anywhere, and potentially make a great living doing what you love. And thanks to all-in-one platforms like WordPress, it‘s easier than ever to get started.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk you through exactly how to teach online yoga classes with WordPress. From setting up your website to creating a world-class membership site to attracting your first students, you‘ll learn everything you need to get started strong and set yourself up for long-term success. Let‘s dive in!
Why Teach Yoga Online?
Before we get into the technical steps, let‘s talk about why teaching yoga online is such an amazing opportunity, especially in 2024 and beyond:
🧘♀️ Reach a worldwide audience: With online classes, you can attract students from all around the globe, not just those who live close enough to attend in-person.
💪 Tap into a booming industry: The online fitness market is expected to reach $79 billion by 2026. The pandemic accelerated already rapid growth – 80% of fitness consumers now stream online workout classes at home.
📅 Set your own schedule: Say goodbye to working around studio schedules. Online teaching allows you to set your own class times, work when it suits you, and achieve a better work-life balance.
💸 Diversify your income: From memberships to courses to workshops, teaching online provides endless opportunities to increase revenue and make more money in less time.
Pretty exciting, right? Whether you want to move your existing classes online, start a yoga side hustle, or build a full-fledged online yoga business, now is an incredible time to get started.
Step 1: Set Up Your Online Yoga Studio Website
Your website is the heart of your online yoga teaching business. It‘s where you‘ll list classes, allow students to sign up and pay, host recordings and resources, and more. While you could use public platforms like YouTube or social media, we highly recommend creating your own dedicated website.
Why? First and foremost, having your own site gives you way more control over your classes, content, and data. You can present things exactly how you want and you‘re not at the mercy of algorithm changes or account shutdowns. It also allows you to create a fully branded experience and avoid revenue-reducing fees from sites like YouTube.
The best way to build your yoga website is with WordPress. WordPress powers over 43% of all websites and is incredibly customizable. Paired with the right plugins and integrations, it provides everything you need to build a professional, full-featured online yoga platform.
To get started, you‘ll need to:
Choose a domain name: Your domain name is your website address (ours is websitesetup.org). Aim for something short, memorable, and brandable. If you‘ll be focussing on a specific style of yoga, consider including it in the name (e.g. YourNameVinyasaFlow.com). You can search for available domain names right here: [link to domain search tool]
Sign up for web hosting: Web hosting is where your website files live. We highly recommend WordPress-specific hosting from Bluehost. Plans start at just $2.95/month and include a free domain name, SSL certificate (important for site security), and one-click WordPress installation.
Here are a few other great WordPress hosting options to consider:
- SiteGround: Known for best-in-class performance and support. Plans start at $3.99/month. Ideal if speed is a top priority.
- Dreamhost: Budget-friendly option, solid performance and good customer service. Plans start at $2.59/month.
- WP Engine: Premium managed WordPress hosting for established businesses. Plans start at $22/month. Good fit if you want top-notch performance and don‘t mind paying a bit more.
Once you‘ve chosen a domain name and signed up for hosting, you can install WordPress and start building your site. Most hosting providers make this super simple with one-click installation or even pre-installed WordPress right out of the box.
Step 2: Create Essential Pages for Your Yoga Website
With WordPress installed, it‘s time to flesh out your site with the essential pages every yoga website needs:
Homepage: This is the first page visitors see, so make it count! Include a clear, benefit-driven headline, a brief description of what you offer, and a prominent call-to-action to sign up for your email list or check out your class schedule.
About Page: Your About page is prime real estate for connecting with potential students. Include an engaging bio that covers your background, training, and teaching philosophy. Inject your personality and include a professional headshot and/or video. Remember, people want to learn from someone they know, like, and trust!
Classes/Schedule Page: This is where you‘ll list your upcoming live online classes. Include key details like date, time, class length, level, and a brief description. Make it easy to see at-a-glance what classes are coming up and clearly link to where students can sign up.
Payment & Registration Page: This page is where students can sign up and pay for classes or memberships. We‘ll cover this in more detail in the next section.
Contact Page: Don‘t make students jump through hoops to get in touch! Include a simple contact form (more on this later) and clear contact information, including an email address and links to any active social media profiles.
Some other pages you may want to include over time:
- Testimonials/Reviews
- FAQs
- Blog
- Press/Media
- Freebie opt-in page to grow your email list
The key is starting with the essentials and expanding from there. Aim for clear, concise copy and a user-friendly, on-brand design.
Step 3: Choose Your Video Streaming Service
Your classes are the heart and soul of your online yoga studio, so it‘s essential to choose a reliable, high-quality video platform for live streaming. Here are our top picks:
Zoom: Zoom is our go-to recommendation for teaching live online yoga classes. It‘s user-friendly, reliable, and works well even with slower internet speeds. The free plan includes all the essential features and allows up to 100 participants and 40-minute group meetings. Paid plans start at $14.99/month.
Skype: If you‘re just getting started and want a familiar, free option, Skype is a solid choice. You can host group video calls with up to 50 people for free.
Google Meet: Google Meet is part of Google Workspace and is a reliable option for group video classes. You can host meetings with up to 100 participants for up to 60 minutes. Plans start at $6/user/month.
Dacast: Dacast is a professional-grade live streaming platform that includes powerful features like real-time analytics, password protection, and pay-per-view options. Plans start at $39/month for 300 viewer hours. Better fit for established teachers ready to scale.
Here‘s a quick comparison of the key features and prices for our top video streaming picks:
| Platform | Free Plan | Paid Plan Starting Price | Max Attendees (Free) | HD Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom | ✓ | $14.99/month | 100 | ✓ |
| Skype | ✓ | N/A | 50 | ✓ |
| Google Meet | X | $6/user/month | N/A | ✓ |
| Dacast | X | $39/month | N/A | ✓ |
Consider your budget, class size, and must-have features when choosing the right video platform for your needs. And remember, you can always start with a free option like Zoom and upgrade as you grow.
Step 4: Set Up Online Payments & Legal Waivers
To charge for classes and memberships, you‘ll need a way to accept payments on your website. You‘ll also want an easy way to have students sign any legal waivers or contracts.
Our favorite tool for both of these functions is the WPForms plugin. WPForms lets you easily create payment forms that integrate with PayPal and Stripe. It also has an add-on for capturing legally binding signatures.
To accept payments with WPForms:
- Install the WPForms plugin on your WordPress site
- Create a new payment form
- Connect your PayPal or Stripe account
- Customize your form fields and pricing
- Configure your form settings and autoresponder
- Add the form to your Classes or Pricing page
For all the details, check out this step-by-step guide to accepting payments on WordPress.
Requiring signed waivers or contracts is an important way to limit your liability. With the WPForms Signature Addon, you can add a signature field to any form. WPForms will generate a unique, timestamped signature certificate PDF that serves as a legally binding record.
To create a signing contract form:
- Install the WPForms Signature Addon
- Create a new form and add your contract text
- Add a Signature field to the form
- Configure your signature settings
- Customize the signature certificate
- Embed the form on your site or link to it from your Classes page
Here‘s exactly how to set up a signing contract form on your yoga website.
In terms of pricing, consider offering several options, such as drop-in rates, class packages, or memberships. Do some market research to determine the going rates in your area/niche and don‘t be afraid to start a bit lower while you build your reputation.
Step 5: Build an Irresistible Yoga Membership Site
Membership sites are one of the best ways to generate more recurring revenue from your online yoga business. Instead of getting paid only when you teach live, you can charge a recurring subscription for access to a library of recorded classes, courses, workshops, and other premium content.
The best platform for creating a yoga membership site is MemberPress. MemberPress seamlessly integrates with WordPress and allows you to create members-only content, set up subscription levels, manage members, and more.
Some ideas for what to include in your membership site:
- A library of recorded classes for all levels
- Multi-class courses or workshops (e.g. a 6-week beginner series)
- Premium resources like guided meditations, pose tutorials, or anatomy guides
- Live or recorded Q&A sessions
- A private community forum
- Members-only challenges or events
To get started with MemberPress:
- Get a MemberPress license and install the plugin on your WordPress site
- Create your membership levels (tiers) and set pricing
- Designate members-only content
- Set up your membership registration and login pages
- Integrate with your payment processor and email service
- Customize your email confirmation, receipts, and login messages
We put together a complete guide to creating a membership site with MemberPress here.
In terms of content, aim to provide a mix of learning styles (video, audio, text) and a range of class lengths and levels to suit beginners through advanced students. Don‘t forget to engage with your members regularly and continue to add new content to keep them coming back.
Step 6: Grow Your Email List from Day One
I know you‘re excited to jump into teaching, but don‘t neglect one of the most important assets in your yoga business – your email list!
Your email list is a direct line of communication with your audience. It allows you to build relationships, share your best content, and of course, invite subscribers to sign up for your classes and membership site.
Why is email marketing so powerful? Check out these stats:
- There will be 4.6 billion email users by 2025 (Statista)
- 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers (Campaign Monitor)
- For every $1 spent on email marketing, the ROI is $42 (Litmus)
To put it simply, if you want to fill your classes and grow your online yoga community, you need to build an email list.
Our favorite email marketing service for yoga teachers and solopreneurs is Constant Contact. Here‘s why:
- Extremely user-friendly for beginners
- 100+ mobile-optimized templates
- Unlimited expert support by phone/chat
- Built-in social media tools
- List-building and lead generation tools
To start building your list with Constant Contact:
- Sign up for a Constant Contact account
- Create a branded email template
- Set up a welcome email (or series)
- Create an email signup form
- Integrate your form with WordPress
- Add opt-in forms across your website
- Send a weekly or bi-weekly email with your latest content and class schedule
To level up your list building, consider creating a valuable freebie or lead magnet like a yoga guide, mini video course, guided meditation, or pose tutorial. This gives visitors an extra incentive to hand over their email address.
One of the best ways to rapidly grow your email list is with OptinMonster. OptinMonster allows you to create high-converting opt-in forms and targeted campaigns to convert more website visitors into email subscribers.
Check out this beginner‘s guide to email marketing for yoga studios to learn more.
Bring It All Together and Take Action!
Whew, that was a lot to cover! Let‘s recap the key steps to teaching yoga online with WordPress:
- Set up your yoga website with WordPress
- Create essential pages like your About, Classes, and Contact pages
- Choose a reliable video streaming service like Zoom
- Install WPForms to accept payments and signed waivers
- Build a membership site with MemberPress
- Start growing your email list with Constant Contact and OptinMonster
I know it can feel a bit overwhelming, but just focus on one step at a time. Your online yoga teaching journey starts with a single class!
The most important thing is to just get started. Focus on progress, not perfection. Stick with it, stay consistent, and continue to improve a little bit each day.
And when you start seeing those first email sign-ups and class registrations roll in, you‘ll be so glad you followed your teaching yoga online. You‘ve got this!
Your Turn: What‘s one thing you can do TODAY to start building your online yoga teaching business? Share in the comments below!
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