How To Set Up And Teach Video-On-Demand Yoga Classes

Some parts of the world are going back to something that feels sort of like normal, while others are still living with ongoing pandemic restrictions. But even as we all get back out there into the world, online yoga is here to stay. And while yogis try to rebuild their work and social lives, and come to terms with the events of the last 14 months, access to convenient and safe yoga classes is more important than ever. 

On-demand yoga classes are a great way to offer more convenient options to your yogis. Live classes are an important part of a virtual studio, but the ability to play back those classes later (or access pre-recorded sessions) means more people will be able to attend your classes at a time that works for them. 

It gives you space to offer more affordable yoga classes too. There’s no limit to the number of people who can attend an on-demand class, so you can offer it at a lower price point than live events. 

From the point of view of your business,  it makes perfect sense to add an on-demand option if you’re already teaching online; because it can boost your client-base and your revenue without much additional work. For those of you who haven’t yet got your heads around how to offer on-demand classes, we’ve got you! 

And remember that it’s worth the effort, because although you might not interact directly with yogis who attend your pre-recorded classes, your business will benefit from a new income stream and a growing client base. 

Decide whether to pre-record classes, or record your live classes for on-demand playback 

The first option for on-demand classes is to record your live online classes, and then make them available as on-demand classes when the live session has finished. You can make them accessible for a limited period of time or you can make them available for anyone to book as an on-demand class. 

If you’re planning to only make them available to those who attended or booked the live session, there’s no need to change anything about the way you teach. Everyone will know this is a live class  that they’re watching back. If you want to make your live classes available to anyone on-demand, you may need to reference that in the class itself. This doesn’t have to mean any huge changes to the class content — a simple mention to make on-demand viewers feel included here and there is enough. 

For example, “for those of you watching on-demand, remember you can pause the video here if you’d like to stay in this relaxation posture a little longer.” 

The second option is to record classes for on-demand booking only. These would never be taught as live classes, so they’ll be slightly different — you’ll be teaching to the camera and you won’t be responding to the needs of students in real-time. You can edit the videos to make them beautifully polished and professional, and build entire pre-recorded courses based on what your yogis are asking for. 

Either option can work really well. The main question is whether you have the time and energy to film pre-recorded sessions, or simply want to make the most of the live classes you’re already teaching without adding more to your workload. 

Set up a simple booking and payment process 

Momoyoga has just launched a new on-demand feature which makes this wonderfully easy for yoga teachers and studios. Your yogis can purchase access to your online video library, which you can offer as a standalone service or in addition to your live classes. This is free to all Momoyoga users — a brilliant new resource to have at your fingertips!

First, just upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo — you can password-protect it or keep it public. Go to the ‘Videos’ tab on your Momoyoga admin screen, and click to add a new video. Then all you have to do is copy and paste the link to your video, hit ‘next’, and you’ll be able to enter all the details your yogis will need; including title, duration, and who the teacher is. 

You can also write a description of the class that your yogis will see before they book, and you can check a box to make the video free to watch if you want to. You choose whether or not to add each video to your video library, in which case all of your registered yogis will be able to access it there. 

Let your yogis know! 

When you’ve uploaded your first on-demand classes and made them available via your booking system, tell everyone. Talk about it on social media, email your mailing list, and mention it to your yogis when you teach live virtual classes or in-person classes. 

There’s a lot of competition out there, with YouTube channels and dedicated yoga streaming sites becoming increasingly popular. So start with the yogis who already love your classes, and go from there. The people who love what you do will be excited to have a new way to access your teaching, and to be able to fit more of your classes into their lives. 

You can be creative with marketing on-demand classes — because you have video content to use. Try creating short ‘trailers’, or Instagram Reels, using snippets of your pre-recorded videos. Or offer 1 minute taster sessions on your social media, guiding viewers through a simple breathing technique or a single posture, so they can get a feel for what your full-length classes will give them. 

Put your offerings out there into the world with confidence. And remember that it’s worth the effort, because although you might not interact directly with yogis who attend your pre-recorded classes, your business will benefit from a new income stream and a growing client base.