Posts Tagged ‘Pilates’

As a Pilates and Yoga Instructor you know that some of your clients get frustrated with their progress.

Whether it’s a simple stretch or a flowing series of moves that they can’t seem to remember.

You gently guide them each class, giving them simple adjustments and nurturing reminders that “one day they will get there”.

But even as you say this to them, you can feel their impatience and at times, anger at not progressing faster.

Some of them show it outwardly by grimacing, sighing deeply or telling you that they “don’t get it”.

And others internalize their frustration, preferring to keep their struggles private.

So what can you do to soften their focus?

How can you take them from a place of turmoil into a place of calmness, so they too can experience the joys of moving their mind and body as one?

One way to help them step out of frustration and into calm is to take a different path – to teach them to “let go”.

The letting go process isn’t just a physical one – of releasing the clenched muscles.

It’s about releasing the mind – of stopping the “I have to do this now…I have to touch my heels to the mat…I need to push through this…”

The striving and relentless pushing they’re experiencing in their mind is massive – and the tension you’re feeling from this is just a fraction of what they’re feeling inside.

So instead of feeling stressed that your clients aren’t responding to your teaching cues and progressing, help them stop over-thinking.

Sit them back on their heels, forehead to the mat and arms outstretched.

Support their forehead with a pillow or towel and allow them to get grounded and quiet.

Where could you take yourself and your clients if you stopping the relentless striving and “have to do this now, or else…”

What possibilities and paths might open up with this new path – of getting grounded, peaceful and calm…without effort?

“Oh my gosh!  I’ve been practicing Yoga for over 20 years and no-one has ever explained this to me!”

As an avid Yoga practitioner I’ve been to a LOT of classes, attended many Yoga retreats and yet…no one had ever shown me this simple, small adjustment!

As I sat in front of the YouTube 30 second video clip, I was transfixed with the transition from plank to chaturanga.

The Instructor had said, “Keep your hands and elbows directly UNDER your shoulders, make sure your forearm stays straight, then bend your elbows…you will feel like your body is too far forward, but it’s in the PERFECT position!”

Even though I wasn’t in yoga clothes, I promptly got onto the floor and a light came on…or as Oprah would say, “I had an AHA moment!”

I realized that for the past 20 years I had been in the wrong position by about 5 centimeters!

The effect this 5 centimeters has had on my body?

• A lot of physiotherapist, massage therapists and chiropractic adjustments because of shoulder issues,
• Neck pain and headaches, referring from the shoulder joints, and
• Lost sleep!

With this 30 second video clip, my Yoga practice has reached a new level!

The Sun Salutations are effortless.

And my arms are getting stronger, without pain!

So what small adjustment could help you move your Studio forward?

Here are some “5 centimeter” moves to consider:

• Are you working with your Ideal Clients? If not, you will be feeling drained of energy, passion and purpose…
• Do you try to market your Studio to everybody, but end up marketing to nobody?
• Have you considered WHY your Ideal Clients need you? If not, take some time out to rediscover this crucial part of your marketing strategy.
• Are you waiting for “the right time” before you consider moving forward with your Studio plans?  If so, remember that inspired action is what creates results!

As always, please let me know how you go!

“I can’t stand this…another Winter of broken promises and empty classes!”

Joanne (name changed with permission to share story) was so angry that she was starting to cry.  She’s owned a Studio for the past 3 years in Australia and has developed a great reputation for her classes in her local community.  But whenever school holidays or Winter arrive…her class numbers drop off so much that at times she wonders whether she should even bother opening her Studio!

I know that many of you are also feeling like my mentoring client. You work really hard to get momentum “happening” in your Studio.

But then this happens:

• Summer holidays,
• Public holiday long weekend,
• Cold weather,
• Hot weather,
• School holidays…

The result?

• The class numbers start to drop off,
• Your regular client lets you know at the end of class they’re going to Europe for 2 months and will see you in September,
• The Instructor you’ve just started to integrate into your Studio is starting to complain that they haven’t got enough clients, and
• Your Studio rent is due!

So what can you do to prepare for this?

1. Step back from your Studio for a day and get perspective so you can plan.  Find your last 12-months of class bookings and with a current 12-month calendar, look at what may happen again.  What trends can you see with your Studio bookings and what does this tell you about your clients’ behaviour?
2. With the trends worked out, now figure out what cashflow you ultimately need to: cover all your expenses (including rent, electricity, wages, superannuation) and what profit you want to create.
3. Look at what marketing has been successful for your Studio in the last 3, 6 and 12 months in terms of how many clients you attracted, and how many you retained.
4. What gaps are you seeing? Has your marketing been “stop-start” where you go hard for a few weeks, generate some enquiries, get busy and then stop marketing?  Or do you market your Studio on a daily basis and experience regular enquiries which turn into loyal clients?

With the above information on hand, you may need to confront the very scary reality that there will be times when your Studio is extremely busy and extremely quiet.

So how can you “smooth out” these busy and quiet times?

Make sure that you’re doing everything you can to keep your clients coming back to your classes by:

1. Standing out from the other Studios while being true to your values and passions,
2. Showing your clients the “real you”. Your clients want to know that they’ve connected with a like-minded person who is like them.  Revealing your personality and “quirks” allows them to connect with and commit to your Studio,
3. Creating a life affirming atmosphere in your Studio for all your clients. Are all your Instructors and classes creating an environment that’s positive and leaves your clients bursting to come back for more?
4. Imparting your insights and knowledge to your clients from your experiences with the postures and exercises allows them to connect to and commit to you easily.
5. Creating a Studio that’s for your “tribe”. Your community/tribe/clients want to have a space to feel comfortable in, week after week. If they don’t return, they’re either not your “tribe” or you haven’t yet worked out who your tribe is and how you can connect with them deeply.

How often do you ask your Pilates and/or Yoga clients what they really want?

I know as a Pilates and/or Yoga business owner, you have the best intentions for all your clients.

You want your clients:

• To regain their health and vitality,
• To improve their posture and flexibility,
• To get stronger and more toned,
• To fall in love with Pilates and/or Yoga, and
• To keep coming back to class, week after week!

But business and life tends to get in the way and you get caught up in:

• Modeling what everyone else is offering,
• Sticking to the same class times (no matter what the class numbers are), and
• Depending on face-to-face teaching time to create revenue.

As a business owner, it’s very easy to get caught up in the cycle of doing the same things, over and over again, because “that’s the way you’ve always done it”.

However, if you’re not getting the outcomes you really want in your Pilates and/or Yoga business, it may be time to step back and ask your clients what THEY really want from you!

How?  By conducting a survey!

So why haven’t you done this yet?

1. It’s confronting to ask your current clients what they think about you.
2. You tell yourself you haven’t got the time, energy or resources to conduct a survey.
3. You’re scared about what they may say and so you’d prefer to keep doing what you’re doing.
4. You don’t want to stand out from the crowd and be different to the other Pilates and/or Yoga businesses by offering something different.
5. You figure that your instincts have always been right until now and that you’re clients are happy, because if they weren’t happy they’d tell you…or would they?

But how can you conduct a survey when:

• You’re teaching as many classes as you can,
• Trying to keep your personal life “together” and,
• Schedule in a workout for yourself?

Set it up online!

I’m a huge fan of SurveyMonkey and the best thing?

It’s a free program and ALL answers are anonymous!

Here’s some suggestions for what you may like to ask your clients:

• What are the expectations your clients have of you or your services?
• Are you meeting these expectations, week in, week out?
• Are there any parts of your services that really irritate them, if so how could you fix this?
• Would they be interested in new classes, workshops or on-line training?  If so, what would they like?
• What 3 words sum up your Pilates and/or Yoga business?

By conducting regular surveys, your clients feel like you do care deeply about them and their needs.

You spend a lot of time, energy and resources in attracting clients to your business, so finding out on a regular basis how you can help them makes sense!

And, in many cases, your clients will tell you what new products and services they are really wanting to buy from you!

Let me know what you think below…

Is the quest for perfection holding your Pilates and/or Yoga business back?

Is the constant chatter in your mind stopping you from moving forward and creating the Pilates and/or Yoga business you really want?

The last blog post focused on connecting with your ideal clients, instead of marketing “to them”.

As a Pilates and/or Yoga professional, your desire for constant and never ending improvement is almost part of your DNA.

But I’ve noticed recently that this has been holding back some of my clients from achieving the results they desired.

At the start of the week, you may set clear intentions for:

• How many classes you will teach,
• How many clients will be in each class,
• How much revenue you will make, and
• How much profit you make.

And then you launch into the week, ready to teach!

But hang on a minute, what action steps do you need to take for each intention?

A fully booked Pilates and/or Yoga business, that’s making a healthy profit doesn’t “just happen”.

You must chunk-down each inspired action step you will take.

Notice I said Inspired Action!

And this is the take-away point:

Getting caught up in constant improvements without taking inspired action is holding you back from creating the Pilates and/or Yoga business of your dreams!

Common traps to get “caught up” in include:

• Agonizing over your website content, including images, so it never “goes live”,
• Avoiding marketing your Pilates and/or Yoga business because you’re “too busy”, or “don’t know where to start”, and
• Working IN your business and ON your business, not WITH your business (for more information on this, download the FREE eBook here)

So get started now! What’s ONE inspired action you can take NOW to take your Pilates and/or Yoga business a step forward?

Step out of the “monkey-mind” chitter-chatter that’s holding you back and step into who you really are!

Are you spending all your life in track-pants, leggings, singlet tops and t-shirts?

As a Pilates and/or Yoga business owner, you probably spend most of your working hours in your exercise gear!

It’s comfortable, practical and also allows you to “show-off” the physical results of your Pilates and/or Yoga practice.

But I want to challenge you to get out of this exercise gear once a month and step into smart business gear!

And once you’re in smart, casual business gear, you will feel confident about stepping into your local business networking function.

Business networking is one of the key pillars in marketing your Pilates and/or Yoga business.

As a Pilates and/or Yoga business owner, you are part of your local community.  Your clients and prospective clients live and work locally.

Networking functions are a perfect way for you to connect with and create relationships with other local business owners.

So where do you start?

• Many local councils offer free monthly networking functions,
• Consider the well known organizations such as Business Network International,
• Chamber of commerce meetings,
• Business womens’ associations, and
• Business men’s associations…

If you’re still stuck, Google “Business networking functions” in your local area!

So why don’t more Pilates and Yoga business owners make an effort to attend their local networking event?

Excuses for not networking to market your Pilates and Yoga business include:

• Not enough time,
• The meetings aren’t convenient to attend,
• Don’t have staff coverage for when I’m not in the business,
• Too busy, and
• Wouldn’t know what to say or do!

So let’s bust these excuses down and set up a new mindset around business networking!

The new mindset to adopt for business networking.

Business networking is about:

• What you can give and offer to others - not what others can do for you!
• Helping others become successful,
• Listening and hearing others,
• Being of service and providing value to others,
• Creating genuine connections.

So when you look at networking in this light, it doesn’t seem so scary to walk into a room of “strangers” does it?

Here’s some tips to help you out for when you attend your first event:

• Arrive on time or early.
• Be yourself. Trying to “fit in” with everyone won’t allow your authentic self to shine.  The people you meet want to meet YOU!
• Smile and be friendly.  No matter how shy or scared you are of being in that meeting, a smile helps you and others relax.
• Focus on giving. e.g. If you meet someone who’s got a sore back, give them the name of your massage therapist.
• Prepare. Learn about who organized the event and if possible who else is attending.
• Introduce yourself to the event host and thank them the next day via email.
• Start conversations by asking questions about the other person.
• Make eye contact.
• It doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female – offer a firm and confident handshake!

And if you forget all the above, “fake it till you make it”!

Have you attended a business networking meeting recently?  Let me know what your experience was below…