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Our Favorite Alternatives. An Interview With Nyk Danu
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This week on the podcast we chat with yoga misfit, Nyk Danu.
I love our conversation about alternative spaces, marketing, and mindsets when we talk about all things in the yoga landscape.
Because here is the thing: we don’t need to teach at the same studios, with the same social media accounts, and have the same “manifesting” mindset.
We can host spaces in alternative locations, with gorilla marketing tactics, and take a both/and mentality with our businesses. We can be both true to ourselves and make money while doing it.
Take a listen and find out how.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Yoga has a long history, especially in the late 90s and early 00s, of having classes in alternative spaces, like those that Nyk hosts. Church basements, back rooms of cafes, attics, and parks, we started in those spaces. It wasn’t really until the mid-10s that yoga moved as an industry solidly into the studio spaces we see today.
Gorilla marketing does still work. Nyk mentions this, and I do it too–I love a good poster or flyer for local events. Don’t necessarily put all your eggs in the social media basket. Especially if you are looking for a diverse group of students in your classes–your marketing needs to be diverse as well.
”the market is saturated” is a complicated but true sentence. As Nyk said, the hot/power/vinyasa teacher market is quite full–but for those who have a more therapeutic leaning there is a true need for what we offer.
We got very little relief as businesses during COVID, anywhere. So for those of us who are still standing as businesses, we should be proud of ourselves. It will probably be another five years before someone asks me how my studio/apothecary is doing and I say something other than “Well, we are still open”, which folks feel is me being pessimistic–but to me is a reason to be proud. I am proud to still be here and you should be too.
When you see students who have fallen off of their practice time with you, make sure you give some grace and support to them. It is often harder to get back to a practice than to get started.
Grief is something we need to talk about. I know I have said it before, but We have suffered so much loss as an industry in the last 3.5 years–maybe you too lost a legacy studio in your area that meant something to you. We should pause and continue to acknowledge that loss.
Finally, as Nyk said, “You should be able to feed yourself, chuck money in the bank, eat organic whenever possible, and help people in the world”. Yes, you absolutely should, and I truly hope we all dig in and build that industry together.
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