on tuesday, i talked about the benefits of having a yoga niche in a post entitled "should i have a yoga niche?". (if you haven't already, you can read that post here.) in this post, i'll talk about how to go about finding one :-)
first and foremost, your yoga niche (or area of expertise) should be a natural extension of you and your teaching. it should feel like "the perfect fit", and make you all the more excited about teaching and sharing yoga. if your niche doesn't light you up, get you excited, and come easily to you, it's likely not the niche for you...
so, how do you go about finding your ideal niche if you currently don't have one.
first, take some time to think and reflect...
- what hobbies/interests/passions to you have OUTSIDE of yoga?
- what do you do in your free time?
- what books/magazines/blogs to you read regularly?
- what do people ask your advice about?
- what life/education/work experiences have influenced you and shaped who you are?
- what comes so easily to you that you likely take it for granted?
- do any of these "outside" interests pair well with yoga? could they?
secondly, test it out!!!
sure, the first step is thinking about what you love and could pair with your teaching, but the next step is to see if you actually like pairing it with your teaching!
if you love gardening, and have an idea for hosting "yoga in the garden" at your local park -- try it out! invite people to attend, and see how it feels. did you love it? did people rave about it? or did the energy feel off? were you getting bitten by bugs or sunburned? any of these negatives don't necessarily mean it's a bad idea, or not the right fit for you, but may just indicate that your niche idea needs tweaking!
clarity comes through ACTION, not from just thinking about it!
the only way to know if you've found "your niche" is to try it out, and see if it feels like "your niche"! plain and simple!
it took me years to finally step up and "own" my niche -- business & marketing advice for yoga teachers. (don't worry, i'll help you find yours faster than that!) i kept looking for more "yogic" niches -- yoga for teen girls, therapeutic yoga, on-site yoga workshops for schools and offices -- but it wasn't until i paid attention to what i LOVED reading about which is business and marketing (don't laugh -- i LOVE reading about that stuff), and noticed what came naturally and what people (especially yoga teachers!) kept asking me questions about (i.e. blogging, marketing, and business), that i realized who i'm meant to serve!
your niche may not be what you originally planned or the picture you had in your mind, but ultimately it will be SOOOO much more fulfilling because you're going with the current, instead of against it! and when you do that, you're doing your life's work, and making the ultimate contribution to the world.
have a yoga niche? or an idea for one? share it below! i'd love to hear about it :-)