Growing as a Healer & Yoga Teacher
Empowering Steps that Will Launch You into the Next Level
by Clara Hori
If marketing is not your comfort
T
he growth of yoga and healing zone, it’s very likely that it will trigger
therapies has opened unprec- fears and insecurities. In that case, no
edented opportunities for teachers and matter what you do, it won’t feel good.
practitioners. But if we are to take full On top of that, we cannot deny there
advantage of this tide and enjoy a thriv- is “bad marketing”, which is empty of
ing and fulfilling life, we need to shift meaning and encourages people to buy
the way we see ourselves as modern what they don’t need. But if we can
professionals. Empowering ourselves isolate what we experience as con-
with marketing and business skills, sumers for a second, and process our
while remaining authentic and true to self-confidence issues, marketing can
our hearts, is a true challenge. These 3 be released from its negative charge. It
fundamental principles are designed evolves from a “necessary evil” to an
for yoga teachers, but applicable to any authentic expression of who you are
healer and holistic practitioner, in this and how you serve the world, in which
day and age. ourselves to embrace growth and you can take pride and rejoice.
1. embracing growth as part of overcome our own resistances, fears Marketing is the set of processes
your spiritual path If you want to grow and limiting behaviors. e confirm our W that allow you to leverage, or some-
as a healer and get to the next level, practice as a balance between content- times create, a favorable tide. It is what
the very first step is to stop and reflect ment and aspiration, which is accord- allows contemporary teachers to reach
on your own mindset. Are you aspiring ing to Rumi, “the wings of humankind”, the right people, at the right time, with
to grow or are you overemphasizing and enable very exciting possibilities to the right message.
contentment? unfold. 3. taking action - baby steps Inner
True or false: “happiness happens 2. redefining marketing I have work is confirmed and completed by
when we renounce the material universe, worked with many yoga teachers to the right action. Why do we often find
as our desires and impulses to ‘be in the unload negative impressions associated ourselves enthusiastic one minute and
world’ are the cause of our suffering”. to marketing. I often hear that promot- procrastinating on the next? One of the
The answer is true AND false. Most ing oneself is inevitably a desperate reasons is not breaking tasks or projects
spiritual traditions accept two pos- and worthless act, one that feels like into the “smallest unit of action”.
sible paths for happiness. One is the selling oneself. That can be true or not, What’s your next step in promoting
renouncement or contemplation path, depending on your own approach. yourself? Maybe a website, a brochure
chosen by ascetics, and the other is the
action path, chosen by householders.
In the yoga tradition, these paths are
named nirvritti and pravritti, respec-
tively. No one path is better than the
other. They offer different alternatives,
depending on your inclinations. In the
householder’s path, rather than renounc-
ing obligations and relationships, you
embrace and honor them. Happiness is
found when you live and act in accor-
dance with your purpose in life. Most
modern yogis and healers are inargu-
ably householders. We may have very
dedicated practices and varying degrees
of non-attachment, but we also have
families, credit cards and a preference
for organic food, amongst other things.
As we acknowledge that expan-
sion is the nature of our path, we allow
November 2008 41
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