5 Apps Every Yoga Teacher Should Use
Today’s yoga teachers and studios are operating in an increasingly digital world. So, like any other business, we can use the tech available to us to streamline our businesses and make things simpler for ourselves and our yogis.
As a busy yoga teacher, I’m a big fan of apps that allow me to spend less time managing lists, writing emails and crunching numbers, and more time creating and teaching yoga classes.
Every teacher I know came to this profession because they genuinely want to help people improve their sense of wellbeing; physically, emotionally and spiritually. But we all get caught up in the day-to-day running of our businesses, and find ourselves devoting a lot of time to behind-the-scenes stuff.
Along with Momoyoga (of course!) here are my top five apps to help you cut down admin time and inspire class planning, so that your classes can be more fulfilling for both your students and for you.
Tummee Yoga Sequence Builder
I’ll be honest: sequence builders are not my thing. I’m a firm believer in your own mat, and your own practice, being the best place to explore postures and sequences to use in your classes. But I know not everyone feels that way, and sequence building apps can be really useful tools to inspire class ideas.
So here’s my favourite of the moment. It allows you to plan classes using a library of over 4000 postures and exercises, and includes over 500,000 (!) existing class plans to use and/or adapt. Unlike many sequencing apps, it also highlights how important it is to cue postures and transitions effectively, and includes ideas to help you build your cueing vocabulary.
Available for desktop, iOS and Android
MailerLite
Email marketing may not be as shiny as social media, but it’s a really valuable way for yoga teachers and studios to connect with their yogis. Your email list is made up of people who have actively expressed an interest in your classes — so they’re the first people you should turn to when you’re marketing new classes, workshops, and retreats.
There are lots of mailing list providers out there, but MailerLite is my service of choice this year. It’s quick and simple to set up, easy to customise and organise, and the customer service is great too. You can have a list of up to 1000 subscribers for free, making it perfect for independent yoga teachers and small studios that are just starting out.
Toggl
You probably know how many hours each week you spend actually teaching yoga classes. But do you know how much time you spend on the other tasks you do for your business?
Toggl is a time-tracking app that allows you to keep track of exactly how much time you spend on each task — from replying to emails to social media, planning classes, or managing bookings and payments.
Getting clear on where you use your time is a good thing to do as a business owner or self-employed professional. You’ll be able to calculate how much you really earn per hour of work, and adjust your pricing accordingly; and it’ll empower you to change your work processes so you spend less time on tasks that could be automated, or managed by another service (like Momoyoga, for example).
Available on desktop, iOS and Android
Canva
If you need to make social media posts, or graphics for your emails or website without having to hire a graphic designer, Canva is for you. It gives yoga teachers a simple way to edit images, add text, and even create logos and animations. And you can do it all from your smartphone.
Full disclosure: the graphics you produce on Canva are never going to be as good as the work a real, human graphic designer could create for you. But for low-budget businesses and independent teachers, this app is a bit of a lifesaver.
Like Momoyoga, this app is all about making complicated things as simple as possible. You can create flyers and business cards using a drag-and-drop builder, and then get them printed. And you can use customisable templates to add your own branding to all your social media posts.
Available on desktop, iOS and Android
QuickBooks
Accounting isn’t necessarily fun — but it doesn’t have to be stressful. QuickBooks is the top accounting software for the Self-Employed, and when it comes to dreaded tax return time, it’ll save you hours of digging up numbers and calculating deductibles.
The app allows you to snap photos of receipts, automatically attaching them to your expenses — as well as providing an easy and trackable way to manage your invoicing. If you’re someone (like me) who doesn’t love making spreadsheets and who loses receipts 15 minutes after putting them in your pocket, this one’s a must! And it’s much cheaper than hiring an accountant.
And one for luck….
I know I said five, but there’s one more app I want to add before I sign off! I’ve found it hard to commit time to my meditation practice lately, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. Things have been strange, to say the least — and the stresses of pandemic times have made it difficult to dedicate time to get quiet and find stillness.
So check out InsightTimer. It’s a free meditation app that you can download onto your phone, with over 95,000 guided meditation practices to fit into your day. You could even weave it into your pre-class rituals to help you get centred, and feel ready to hold space for others.
