Design Where you Shine:The Joys of Finding Your Niche as a Yoga Teacher
By Marina Mangano, DC RYT
(As published in Yoga Magazine’s October 2022 edition)
As a restorative chiropractor with roots in sports medicine and yogic instruction, there are many hats that I wear and could passionately write about for this renown journal. I considered sharing chiropractic tips for yoga or unveiling unhealthy yoga motivators, but when focusing on my current mentality as a yoga teacher, it dawned on me. I love to highlight the joys of finding a niche within your career and all the opportunities that fall into place while honing those specialized skills. I’ve collected the most influential epiphanies that I have learned while designing my yogic niche; the hard truths and hopeful guidance to help you work toward finding a home within yoga’s diverse practices.
In 2020 I took the opportunity to start a new chiropractic practice in a healing center that offered the makings of a magical new yoga space. While I had teaching experience from beloved previous jobs in large studios, this new role would ask me to become a one-woman show. I flowed through all the beginning stages of that stubborn title; the people pleaser, the overachiever, even the abandoned child who wanted to quit when a class had to be cancelled due to no attendance. My skills as an instructor were challenged far beyond creating unique sequences, influential playlists, and safe physical cuing. In the time since that jump, I’ve learned so much about being a community creator and specialized yoga teacher. This growth period inspired an authentic decision to own my niche as a chiropractic healer and through yoga, design a space that showcased that specialty. With others, for others, my two passions merged.
4 Truths That Will Lead You Toward a Yoga Niche:
1. You don’t have to teach everything
As a young student in chiropractic school, I thrived under the wing of a successful friend and mentor. As the years passed and our relationship furthered, we became more focused on progressing the future of our field rather than highlighting our own individual successes. I’ll never forget a conversation we had at his graduation, “It turns out that my true gift wasn’t to become the best doctor but to recognize greatness in students that would become them.” I still view this friend as a brilliant clinician, but it is his words that echo in my mind, speaking to me beyond the realm of a chiropractic table. I now witness my own rite of passage when I began to highlight other gifted yoga teachers instead of trying to do it all myself.
One of the first truths that I recommend when searching for a niche is to accept that you, personally, do not need to offer every variety of yoga. This advice is extremely important for the creative minds who rack their brain for fun, new events to host. In the early months, when I tried to offer beginner level classes, power levels, beach yoga, and meditations during the same week, I fell out of love with yoga. By trying to hone the energy of such different yoga practices (without the help of other instructors), I ran out of the will power to successfully endorse them all. It took a few seasons of experimenting, but I had to prioritize the niche of my yoga gifts and reduce the styles being offered on the schedule.
I do think it is important to understand the variety of offerings within yoga asanas, pranayama, and mediation. As the front line of yoga introduction for many of your students, there is value in having exposure to a variety of techniques so you can offer clarity on the distinct differences to someone who would like to approach a new way of practice. Still, you aren’t expected to be a master of them all! Which brings us to our second, niche finding epiphany.
2. What you love to teach will change.
My foundational teacher training followed a spiritually focused Vinyasa template. That 200 Hour course ignited my knack for offering challenging classes that highlighted a detailed understanding of body mechanics. This carried on for years until moving to my new yoga space in southern New Jersey. Two blocks away from my growing business lives a very successful, power yoga studio. It took a few seasons during our infancy to accept that I should support the success of this neighboring space in two ways; to refer students there who are looking for that specialty and to embrace how my unique expertise can complement the neighboring schedule.
It was difficult to accept that I wasn’t going to be recognized as a local power teacher in my community, but I couldn’t deny that our space’s priority was medicinal movement, highlighting rehabilitation instead of power poses. As a specialist provider, I have the honor of introducing yoga to students who may have never felt called to try yoga. I build trust by highlighting the healing benefits of postures and how to easily implement them into existing home routines. By creating a non-intimidating environment approach to yoga, I’ve seen people of all ages find hope again within their body due to this specialized practice.
Like my experience with the local studio owner, inspiration for identifying a gift as an instructor may come from first realizing the niches of others. Admiring their commitment to a chosen offering helps you to assess the success inspired from their decision. When you start to glimpse the specialty of mentors in your field, spectacular doors open. Gifted people come into your professional life, and, if missions align, can help add variety to your education without disrupting your declared trajectory. Give yourself the grace of seasons within yoga; what you love to teach will change and that is a vital part of the ascension journey within the practice.
3. Know Your Audience
The ability to adapt your teaching style is often influenced by a fluctuating population of studio members. Have you heard the stage phrase, “know your audience?” For performers, it recommends that they alter their performance to best match the venue and interests of an expected audience. The phrase does not imply pretense, but it does remind you to choose a persona that the audience will align with, all while showcasing your unique gifts.
From growing up on stage, I often view yoga events as a performance. As the entrusted lead, I embody a confident, approachable teacher who speaks and moves with experience. I instill gentle humor when it is appropriate to hold space for others, inviting them to join me in that comfortable reality. I love to express myself in every limb posture and facial feature, hoping that those extra efforts instill the theme of each class into the minds of those healing alongside me.
To know your audience takes practice. For young teachers who have recently found a yoga home, it’s natural to start teaching, talking, or even looking like the people we spend time with there. That relatability is exactly what studio managers are looking for when selecting a team of teachers to maintain consistency for students. As new and influential novices, young teachers are eager to find their voice on the mat and build a following. During this transitional period of finding a new shell, I advise you not to pretend. You can fake being prepared, but you can’t fake passionate. Share chants, quotes, or spiritual views that don’t speak to you at core level never land as planned. If memorizing a template or pronouncing Sanskrit names distracts you from the joys of being present, I’d recommend reassessing those ingredients. What works for you as a teacher? Design where you shine to leave room for future growth, adding that spice back in once you’re more established and confident within your niche.
4. Give your ideas a true chance at success
After pushing to make my yoga audience a diversified population, I now see the genius of studios or travelling teachers that make a name for themselves based on a specialization. They know their unique gifts and can channel all their resources into that clear outlet. It may sound too business-minded for a minimalist, but I am passionate about helping others embrace yoga education as a full-time career. Highlighting my final tip for finding your niche through yoga instruction, please give your ideas a chance to succeed by committing to one new venture at a time.
It is true that where your energy flows, success grows. While creating new outlets for students to find your yoga, I urge you to create a self-auditing system; review the energy input given to the idea and the level of returns on that “investment.” Part of my audit includes asking myself, “Are you fully marketing the cause to help support its success?” I once found myself withholding posts on Instagram to stop reminding people about a new class, reaffirming my defeat when no one showed that week. After noticing the self-sabotaging behavior, I learned to minimize energy draining avenues as a teacher and when it was time to ask the hard question of, “Is the energy you’re putting into this new yoga idea honest and fulfilling?”
Small failures are suggestions towards finding your niche if you can view them as positive resources along the way toward freeing your passions. Releasing old interests that currently drain your energy and learning to speak to your current audience will not change who you are at core level. Identifying your specialized gifts will keep you connected to that deep seated mission and authentically design the message you hope to inspire others with.
“If I was asking my community to trust their ability to heal,
there was no room for doubting my own innate gifts.”
- The Gift of Healing Hands, Marina Mangano DC
Not sure where you shine yet? Then design a class or message that is effortless for you to share. Share the technique that will attract students who want to understand your knowledge and will appreciate your commitment to its specialization. Declaring your yoga niche implies that you have a tried, tested, and impactful approach to lead others toward a healing space. Students learn to recognize the language of that course, how it benefits their health, and will then attune their future practices to find progress within its comforts. While it won’t happen overnight, I hope to reassure you that a specialization, some gift that only you can offer to the world, exists. To learn more about unlocking your gifts, I invite you to read my recently published book, The Gift of Healing Hands. In this holistic guide, I provide the steps in which I was thrusted into my platform and the message that was born from helping thousands of patients heal from it. Learn how yoga influenced my studies within chiropractic, acupuncture, and energy medicine, daring my niche to surface.