Your To-do list
There’s a lot that goes into creating a smooth yoga retreat, both for a teacher and a student. Michelle Fliegauf, the founder of International Yoga, a retreat management and logistics service, spells out the check list for every yoga teacher planning a retreat.
By Michelle Fliegauf
There’s nothing more rejuvenating than taking a break from everyday routines and delving deeper into our yoga practice in a stunning retreat setting. For teachers, it’s an opportunity to expand your offerings, deepen the bond with your students and access another avenue for earnings. For students, it’s a memorable and often life-changing experience.
The Teacher
The number one reason students will hop on a plane to a faraway locale for a week is because of YOU, the teacher. It’s not the size of your following but rather the close one-on-one relationships with your students that will ensure a well attended retreat. Once students start asking you when you’re holding a retreat, that’s a sign that you are ready for one. The experience of marketing, managing and getting enrollments for your workshops, teacher trainings and local retreats is the perfect stepping-stone to arranging a larger trip abroad.
Personal Outreach
Build your network first. Many teachers are surprised at how much effort goes into filling a retreat. Make sure you have a strong marketing campaign planned and ready. These four points are a must for you to raise awareness:
- Strong social media presence
- Appealing and descriptive retreat webpage
- Eye-catching flyer
- Regular newsletters to a robust database of students
Your audience
Before even beginning to research locations, it’s important to be clear about who you are targeting, where and when they would like to travel. Doing market research is well worth the effort in order to lay the foundation for a successful retreat from the get go. Get answers to the following questions:
- Which destinations appeal most to your market?
- What time of the year, or season, is the most popular for travel?
- Will a lower price point with simple accommodation be more attractive, or a high-end 5-star experience? Or do you need a location that can cater to all budget levels?
- Do you already know of attendees who you are confident will sign up?
Location
While there are many retreat locations to choose from around the globe, finding the perfect resort that fits all your requirements is like finding a needle in a haystack. There may be thousands of villas in Tuscany or in Bali, for example, but which one checks all your boxes?
- Do extensive research on your chosen property.
- Engage with the management, check references and online reviews.
- Make the investment to personally visit the property, if possible.
- Be very clear about the terms and conditions for your group booking
The price
As yogis, we may tend to shy away from conversations about money, but running your own retreat is an excellent opportunity to sharpen your skills in this area. Overseeing all the many details of a well run yoga escape can easily require a few hundred hours of management, so be sure to include enough in the trip price to cover your time and expenses. Large non-refundable deposits are often required to secure dates at retreat centers so don’t bite on more risk than you can chew. Be sure to have all details on the financial terms and logistical aspects up front and in writing from the retreat center. Negotiate lower group rates with the property where possible and always ask for a discount or ‘comp’ for “the teacher’s room”. Given the unpredictable nature of international travel, liability insurance for you and personal travel insurance for your students is imperative.
Documents
Once the trip is confirmed, and you have launched it via in-class announcements and your marketing channels, be available to provide every guidance needed for your students to plan their travel and stay. Create a folder with detailed documents that students will receive upon registration. This should include:
- Guidelines on booking flights
- Information on any visas or immunizations needed.
- Instructions on purchasing travel insurance.
- Details on optional excursions or spa treatments available.
- What to pack.
- Daily schedule.
- Your cancellation policy.
- Ways to give back to the local culture and environment.
While on retreats, many people find themselves outside of their comfort zones. Gently encourage those who encounter any challenge to view it as an opportunity for personal inquiry and growth, and help them incorporate this into their practice. This transformative aspect is the true heart of any international yoga retreat, one that allows your students to return home recharged with a renewed zeal for the quality of their lives back home, along with a richer understanding of themselves and the world around us.
Michelle Fliegauf is the founder of International Yoga, based in California. Her company provides yoga teachers full retreat management and logistics services, overseeing all of the many details that go into creating and running a perfect retreat, so teachers can focus on what they do best: teach!
More details at http://www.internationalyoga.com
This article was first published in the print edition of Yoga Journal Singapore, which is now Yogahood Online.
