Is there a magic formula for creating a successful yoga schedule? I wish there was. The problem is there are so many variable’s it would take an algorithm sophisticated enough to send a man to mars. No, instead, we use a lot of intuition and plain cutting and pasting to imagine what will resonate with our local student base. Over time one can get a feeling for what is working and what isn’t. But when you first start out it’s a bit of a crap shoot. There are some relatively simple rules to follow though.
Have a broad variety of classes. The most successful studios have everything from basic introduction level one classes to hardcore, sweat inducing level three. They often have classes for specific needs like pre/post natal, injury recovery or even dealing with disease like cancer. The point is don’t be afraid to offer something different if you think there’s a need for it in your community. Simply keep this in mind: Build a studio where students can grow. Having diversity and all levels of classes allows students years of yoga to grow from beginner to advanced yoga practitioner. This helps you to build your student base over time to a really loyal following.
Give the best time slots to your most popular teachers. The best starting times generally are in the morning between 9 to 11 am and in the evening 5 to 8 pm. Mid day and in the afternoons are more quiet. Often studios offer reduced rate community classes to get students in the door during these slower times. Weekends can vary because many people are off work, but normally they like to start a little later in the morning on Saturday and Sunday, say 10am. Also, Friday and Saturday evenings can be slow because people have events to go to.
Keep student’s practice intervals in mind. Many students do not practice every day. The loyal ones often practice every other day. So schedule teachers accordingly. For example teachers who are on the schedule for Monday, if possible should be on the schedule Wednesday and Friday at the same time slot. This allows students to practice three times a week if they want. Likewise, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday works well. What doesn’t work so well is having a teacher teach the same or similar class two days in a row. This just dilutes the student base during each of these classes.
As far as the types of classes to offer, each studio will have it’s own style or styles of yoga. But whether its Iyangar or Kundalini or Vinyasa Flow a couple of scheduling mistakes should be avoided. First, if you have two rooms, do not schedule the same level of class in both rooms at the same time. This serves no purpose. Concentrate the level two three students in one room and use the other for a much different level like Relax Deeply. And second, make sure that you update your schedule with Substitute teachers as needed! There is nothing more difficult for both the teacher sub and student when students walk into a class unaware that the teacher they’ve looked forward to all day is not going to be teaching their class. You can literally feel the air get sucked out of the room. Don’t disappoint. Warn early.
Building a yoga class schedule can be an organizational nightmare. My Best Studio Management Software makes life much easier. All the teacher bios and class descriptions are organized, and changing schedule’s is as easy as a few key strokes. Also, MBS has an incredibly powerful all new Day/Time Attendance report that lets you track specifically how attendance is at different times of the day. This tool can save you from making costly staffing mistakes by showing you exactly what the class size numbers should be for a particular time slot. The longer you collect data the more powerful and accurate of a predictor the software becomes.
Education, clear vision and a willingness to make the right choices is the path to happy studio doors swinging wildly! If you have an experience to share, maybe something that worked or didn’t work for your studio, please send me a note.Jeff@Mybeststudio.com
Happy travels,
Jeff Haywood