While growing up, my dad had a friend that owned a patio pub in a small northern tourist town. The pub was popular all summer long as annual cottagers and tourists returned to the area, but like most businesses, he had a slow time of year and in this case, it was all winter long.
I overheard a casual conversation one day where this friend told my dad that he increased the price of each beer by one Canadian nickel or $0.05 for the entire first week of each opening season. The patrons didn’t notice or mind but, the amount of beers ordered on those few days of summer increased his revenue enough to cover the annual start-up costs.
Every business has slow times, but the point is, that as owners, we can manage our offerings in a way that pleases our customers while also supporting our own success and sustainability.
Making Scheduling Choices for My First YTT
I recalled this conversation when I brought Yoga Teacher Training to my studio in 2014. At this time student availability was becoming harder to predict and I knew that financial affordability and the right schedule were going to be important elements to get a 200-hour commitment from the people in my small town.
In this video, we share the pros and cons of leading a traditional 200-hour training versus a modular format using a rolling intake.
Watch: The Pros and Cons of Traditional and Modular Formats
With that in mind, I did not increase the price, but found success by moving away from a traditional training schedule. I chose a schedule that didn’t take over the lives of the students, offering training every other Saturday.
Traditional Yoga Training Schedule
In a traditional format, Yoga Trainers set a start date of their training. People register and the trainer guides them through a complete 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training from beginning to end.
Watch the Pros and Cons of Traditional format in 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.
Modular Yoga Training Format
An alternative to the traditional schedule is a Modular format for the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.
We divided the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training into four modules. Each 50-hour module includes 10 hours of recorded training that students can watch anytime. Which leaves us with 40 hours of teaching time per module.
We use the rolling intake which worked for many years at the studio.
Watch the Pros and Cons of Modular format.
Weigh the Pros and Cons of Each Format
When you are considering how to schedule and deliver the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training, there are more options now than ever before. You can watch the video to weigh the pros and cons of the different delivery formats.
In the end, the more you know what your community wants and what is sustainable for you, the more successful your training will be.