Can You Teach Yoga & Still Pay Your Bills?

Jason and Asha debate the challenges around earning a living doing what you love – in this case teaching yoga, however our discussion could be applied to any creative enterprise. How does one marry the practical with the philosophical? Is it ethical to use corporate sales techniques to entice new clients to yoga? Should one even charge money for sharing yoga since its tradition has nothing to do with the commercial world? And if not, how does one survive as a yoga teacher in a society that does not fully recognize its value to one’s physical and spiritual well-being? Join us for this lively discussion aired on June 14, 2017.

Jason Westlake

Oxygen Yoga, Vancouver, BC

Jason left a full scholarship in civil engineering to complete a Bachelor’s of Anthropology and then promptly delved into insurance sales and other odd sales jobs. Many close to him thought he was throwing his career away, and even Jason had his doubts.

Jason’s desire to have his own successful sales business was quickly met with repeated failures for the next seven years while Jason perfected his craft in sales at various sales jobs.

Jason then started a sales training business where he trained various sales people from many industries to earn more than $100,000 in their first year of sales.  He found success in training newbies how to sell by serving and making a difference.  Jason also took his clients on annual leadership retreats in various places around the world, including safaris in the Amazon Jungle, snowmobiling on glaciers and kayaking with killer whales.

When Jason’s wife, Callie, started a yoga business, Jason couldn’t stop himself from getting involved and taking over the sales and marketing of the studio.  After their first year success, many other studios asked Jason if he could train them to do what he did.

After Jason helped some failing studios turn around their businesses, the owner of the Oxygen Yoga Franchise, Jen Hamilton, took notice. Jason was then asked to train new and existing studios and to be their main franchise trainer in sales and marketing.

Jason has compiled his sales and marketing into a yoga studio training program designed to help yoga studios PROFIT at LEAST $10,000 monthly or more just from their monthly yoga memberships alone and has now trained dozens of yoga studios across Western Canada.

More Info: http://www.http://yogastudioacademy.com/

Asha Gayle Dieleman

New Paradigm Yoga

Asha Gayle Dieleman is a one of very few yoga teachers who has been specially trained as a teacher-trainer at the world renowned Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, Massachusetts where she served on staff as a director of yoga teacher training from 1994 – 2001. Asha has more than 20 years of professional experience leading classes and training successful yoga teachers in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
 Asha  began her career by creating the Westminster and Heartland Yoga Studios in Winnipeg from 1988 – 1998.  In 2003, she created Nirvana Yoga, and began training yoga teachers at prominent Vancouver yoga studios such as Semperviva and the Open Door, as well as in Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. Throughout her career, Asha has had the privilege of training hundreds of yoga teachers and transforming lives through yoga, on and off the mat. In addition to her Kripalu training, Asha has studied various styles of yoga and has taught a wide range of yoga classes from Beginner Hatha Yoga to Flow Yoga, Power Yoga, Restorative, Yoga Dance, Seniors, PreNatal and Kids Yoga, and Yok’hah Maya.

More Info: http://www.newparadigmyoga.com