How To Keep Your Yogis Motivated In 2022

As yoga teachers, we know just how challenging it can be to stay motivated in your practice. However, as well as keeping ourselves inspired, we also have to do the same for our yogis. This is one consistent challenge that every yoga teacher shares, and in 2022, keeping your yogi base engaged is even more difficult. 

Maybe you have a bunch of newbies who you are trying to help build a regular practice. Or perhaps you want to prevent your long-term yogis from getting bored. Either way, you're likely looking for fresh ideas to retain your yogis' attention and focus. 

This article will discuss why it's essential to guide our yogis to maintain a regular practice in 2022 and how you can help them do this. 

Why your yogis need yoga in 2022

As the world transitions back to life pre-covid, many people are working more to make up for lost income. Others are using their time to reconnect with friends and family they could not see. As a result, yoga and meditation may be put on the back burner. 

However, with a global increase of 25% in anxiety and depression since Covid-19, staying consistent with a mindful practice like yoga is essential. This increase in mental health conditions has put pressure on already overrun healthcare systems, leaving many people without support. 

As yoga is scientifically proven to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, we can offer solace and guidance in our classes. Because the benefits of yoga increase over time, it's down to us to motivate and engage our yogis and help them create a regular self-care routine. 

You should never assume your yogis will share their concerns and suggestions without any prompt, no matter how close your relationship is.

4 tips for building yogi engagement and retention

To keep your schedule full, your classes bustling, and your yogis healthy and happy, you might need to think outside the box. Here are four innovative ways to keep your yogis engaged in their practice as we move through another unpredictable year. 

Host a yoga challenge

One booming yoga trend we have seen emerge during the last two years is yoga challenges. These online events are hosted on Instagram and Facebook and encourage people to practice every day over a specific period (usually 5 to 7 days). In addition, yoga challenges often feature a theme, ranging from a festivity or season to a particular category of asana or body part. 

No matter how you feel about social media, yoga challenges are an excellent way to motivate your yogis, widen your community, and spread positive energy. In a yoga challenge, the host (teacher) will post a photo or video of them performing one asana each day. Then, the participants (yogis) do the same, sharing their pictures through the challenge's hashtag. 

The good news is that you don't need to be an "Instagram yogi' or have thousands of followers to host a yoga challenge. As long as you are connected with your yogis through social media, you can run a yoga challenge in your existing community, no matter how small. 

As your yogis post their photos on their page, their friends may also join in. So you could even gain new yogis while keeping your existing ones inspired. 

Offer yoga playlists

Another innovative way online teachers motivate their yogis is by providing video-on-demand content that they can do in their free time. This is an excellent product to introduce right now as your yogis' current schedules are likely different from one year ago. 

During the lockdowns, your yogis probably had lots of time to practice, but this might not be the case now. So with VOD, if someone can no longer attend your group classes consistently because of work or other commitments, they don't have to compromise their practice.

If you create a batch of video content, ranging from short tutorials to full-length lessons, you can then put the content together in a video playlist. Momoyoga has recently launched a feature enabling teachers to create and sell multiple yoga playlists. 

With this innovative offering, you can choose the selection of videos your yogis have access to instead of just sharing your complete library. Thus, you can theme each playlist and offer the ones you think are most beneficial to each individual yogi. 

Ask for feedback and suggestions

In both private and group classes, it's always worth asking your yogis for feedback from time to time. As your yogis progress through their yoga journey, their needs and wants will change. So what they once found fun and challenging may now feel boring and unfulfilling.  

You should never assume your yogis will share their concerns and suggestions without any prompt, no matter how close your relationship is. Many people believe that as their teacher, you know best. While this is true in some aspects, as we know, every yogis experience of yoga is individual. Therefore, only the yogi can really understand what is best for them. 

So get into the habit of asking your yogis for feedback and suggestions every few months. Ask them what they enjoy about the current classes and what they would like to see more or less of. If they are unsure, you can suggest new asanas, sequences, or styles that you feel may offer them a fun, new challenge and help them progress further. 

Share more than asana

Lastly, every yoga teacher should realize that in 2022, many of their yogis will be in their classes seeking more than just physical benefits. With mental health conditions being so prevalent, more and more yogis are looking for ways to deal with their overwhelming thoughts and emotions. So, if you're not already sharing other aspects of yoga, such as meditation, breath work, and yogic philosophy, now is the time to start. 

Of course, only include things you feel comfortable teaching in your classes. Perhaps, for you, this might be incorporating a meditation that guides your yogis into noticing and sitting with their feelings. 

Or maybe you'll choose to theme your classes around the chakras, teaching your yogis about the qualities of each energy center and how they can release blockages that may be causing them "dis-ease."

Final Thoughts

Making an effort to keep your yogis engaged and inspired is a win-win. Increasing your yogi retention will result in a stable income and a solid community for you. In addition, your yogis will experience the long-term benefits of the practice and find inner peace and calm in a world that can feel scary.