Now is the time to add a yoga offering, such is


its popularity, says Pierre Bibby


“FOR GYMS TO RETAIN MEMBERS, IT’S ESSENTIAL THAT THEY USE WELL TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED YOGA TEACHERS”


Jane Kersel Yoga studio owner/teacher and co-founder of shedtheworld.com


T


he main issue for yoga in gyms is ensuring the quality and standard of the teacher. It’s far less about the innovation of the offering – acro/pulse/ashtanga –


and more about fi nding a teacher who works with students to develop an all-encompassing style for varying levels that deepens students’ practice. You can’t expect a gym-going personality to sit perfectly


still in meditation or in a restorative pose. Instead, you need to demonstrate how yoga is about so much more than just becoming fl exible – it’s also about developing strength, passivity with dynamism and improving breathing on and off the mat. The Western body is usually highly stressed, with poor


posture, weak core and tight back/hamstrings, and this needs to be addressed in the way yoga is delivered. However, most yoga instructors teach postures using a classical foot alignment for narrow Indian male hips, rather than for western, pear- shaped women and tight-hipped men. SHED is a new style of yoga based on evidence from


osteopathic principles, adopting a modern-day approach to getting a mind and body fi t – the sort of approach that gyms need to adopt to attract their members to yoga classes. Teaching a modern approach will bring in new members and allow them to combine yoga with other forms of gym-based exercise.


september 2011 © cybertrek 2011


Sarah O’Connor Yoga teacher, YogaMindSpace


F


or gyms to retain members, it’s essential that they use well trained and experienced yoga teachers. Styles of yoga will come and go, but an experienced teacher


grounded in theoretical principles will hold classes again and again and retain long-term members for clubs. It’s not enough to simply use someone who’s trained to teach exercise to music or Body Balance and pass them off as yoga classes. Understanding anatomy and physiology is essential, but so is an understanding of mental health and being able to communicate to students how this is affected by what we do physically. Safety is key for yoga in gyms. If someone is suffering from


anxiety, yoga can help overcome this if taught sensitively, but a strong backbend taught by an inexperienced teacher could make the symptoms even worse. Likewise, pregnant women should be attending an antenatal yoga class, not a standard gym yoga class. Ante- and post-natal scheduling can also optimise use of studios by taking place during off-peak hours. Gyms need to provide a range of yoga classes, for beginners


through to more experienced members, and invest in equipment such as blocks and belts to help encourage and support members as they progress through their yogic journey. Finally, yoga is a lifestyle decision for improved body, mind and soul – marketing its health and lifestyle benefi ts is crucial.


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 59


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