Why Host a Yoga Retreat
Have you ever dreamt of hosting your own retreat in a magical destination? One of the biggest steps in taking a fleeting dream into a reality is to figure out your why! Why do you want to lead a yoga retreat? What’s in it for you? And what’s in it for your students?
While each individual teacher is going to have a unique set of whys, here are three universal reasons why you should quit daydreaming and start planning your yoga retreat today.
1. Travel
That singular word could be enough to fulfill your wanderlusting heart. But there are many additional perks to planning an international retreat.
Check a new destination off of the bucket list! Taking your teaching global allows you to visit more beautiful countries/cities than you could ever imagine. It also affords you the opportunity to explore new locations, with your own costs absorbed. For instance if using a retreat planning service (like ours), we will always negotiate complimentary room and board for the teacher, a pretty solid perk if you ask us. Just take the flight and any spending money out of what you earn from leading the retreat (more on this to come) and you’re still in the black!
Get in touch with the local community! Teaching yoga in a foreign destination allows you to immerse yourself into the local yoga community. It may be a chance to experience the unique practices of your chosen locale; by way of collaboration, a planned group outing or simply an adventure of your own before or after the retreat is done. A humbling experience, that may have you flashing back to your initial discovery of yoga days, as a new student.
Take a digital detox! More and more appealing in this world of digital media, where being glued to your phone and laptop is an integral part of teaching in the Western World (one in which early yoga teachers could not have seen coming). Leading a retreat gives you the chance to do what you love, while getting back to the roots of the practice. Face to face and free from all of the noise, you’ll have a chance to find a new perspective to take back home.
2. Bring Your Circle Together in One Place
For students you regularly practice with in person, they’ll get access to one on one time that they wouldn’t normally get in the hustle and bustle of day to day studio life. Not only will you have the chance to share your knowledge and practice with them, but your beautiful circle of sisterhood (or brotherhood) will all undergo an intensive experience together.
For students attending your retreat from around the world, a retreat is the perfect opportunity to bring all of those who practice with you digitally, to meet with you and their peers face to face. Whether you have online offerings by way of video classes, or have an active social media following, the internet allows you to showcase your retreat to those around the world.
3. Profit
Let’s talk numbers, as profit is a major perk of hosting a retreat. Not the most yogic of topics to discuss, but everyone has bills to pay (and certifications that need funding).
Our prospective clients can expect to make $300-800 USD per student for a 6-night retreat. The exact amount you take home, is entirely up to you, though the rate you ask for should also be determined by your experience (as per normal rate determination). But let’s for example run the math. If you charge a $500 fee per student and have 10 attendees, that’s $5000 USD in one week (remember this is a working vacation). Now think about what you would make working in your hometown in the same amount of time, we will wait.
Once you have run one retreat, you will be hooked and ready to plan the next. Multiply that cash money. We suggest planning your whole year around your retreats, and always aim to plan at least 6 months ahead. A teacher could easily begin leading several retreats a year once the ball is rolling.
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Leading a yoga retreat is a rewarding and enriching business opportunity. It is a chance to get out of the regular routine, change up the scenery and connect deeply with your students, nature and a new culture! Contact us if you’d like to start planning your own adzenture - we’ll be there with you every step of the way.
