I question God sometimes, and this is one of those times. I
doubt he knew what he was getting into when he called Joan home. I picture Joan
standing at the Pearly Gates saying, “OK, God, I’ve put these post-it notes on
the gate with a checklist of things to do to make this process work better.”
Because that’s what Joan does—she makes things better.
I remember when Lisa was down the Cape
on vacation with her family. She was in excruciating pain that her own dentist couldn’t
fix. Joan marched right on down to the Cape, saying
to Lisa, “Come on, I made an emergency appointment with my dentist and I’m
bringing you there now.”
Problem solved.
Lisa and I didn’t argue when Joan came to the rescue. She was
usually right, and always had a plan of action.
At her hospital bedside this week I laughed along with Joan
when her best friend Chris recounted how Joan could even make beauty care better.
Chris learned from Joan that the art of applying lipstick is a three-step
process, that one must not forget to moisturize the neck, and an all-purpose
outfit is an absolute necessity in one’s wardrobe.
Beauty treatments can sometimes go astray, though, as Lisa
and I learned during one of our sisterly spa get-aways. Joan had decided to
squeeze in one more treatment before we called it a day. As Joan walked into
the waiting room with a big chunk missing from her eyebrow, we decided that a
rush eyebrow waxing was not such a good idea. Lisa and I stifled giggles for
the rest of that weekend.
Usually Joan picked the spot for our sisterly outings. On
one occasion, though, I chose the destination—a former Jesuit seminary turned yoga
retreat center. Joan was gun-ho and asked all sorts of questions. No Joan, your
high heels won’t work—we go barefoot. No Joan, don’t bring your diamonds—there
are no locks on the dormitory-style doors. Yes Joan, the cuisine is vegetarian
family style with a special macrobiotic bar. And remember the breakfast is
silent.
When we arrived, Joan jumped right in and scheduled a new
treatment consisting of a continual stream of warm oil poured over the forehead.
Lisa and I stared disbelieving at each other when she walked out of that
treatment. It’s not everyday we see Joan in a batik-like bandana wrapped hippie
style over her head. And she kept in on the whole day. When in Rome…
That’s why Joan was so good at making things better—she was
open to new ideas, constantly searched for answers, and kept at it until the
problem was solved. I know firsthand her sisterly way of making things better
for me. But I also saw how she makes things better for her family, for those at
work, and for her friends.
I wish Joan could have made things all better with cancer,
too.
Our last sisterly outing was Joan’s idea. The three of us joined
the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (www.avonwalk.org).
Over the years, Joan raised more than $15,000 to help find a cure for cancer. Just
four days before the 39 mile walk was to begin, Joan got the news that the
cancer was back. With her never-ending determination, she wanted to do the
walk. And, in sisterhood, we did.
As always, Joan made things better.
Yes, I question God sometimes. I also thank him from the
bottom of my heart for giving me my beloved sister Joan.
No matter the success of your sales and marketing, there may be times when the services you offer cannot be paid for. You may love teaching yoga classes for local students who have trouble paying attention, for example, but a broke school system can’t afford to pay for it.
You can choose to do the program as seva (service) to your community, or take a deep pay cut so you can continue to contribute.
There's another option. Grants.
If you want to be of service and it's clear that the population you’ll be serving can’t afford it, consider additional third party funding by applying for grants.
There are some yoga associations that provide grants for yoga outreach to underserved populations that cannot typically pay for yoga, including the Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association and the Mass Yoga Network. Check with your local association for funding of your service.
There’s another way to think about grants, though. Rather than approaching grants from the perspective of the service you want to provide (i.e. teaching yoga to students with ADHD) consider grants that focus on certain outcomes (i.e. wellness programs that improve the health of community seniors). These grants are not specific to yoga per se. They are specific to wellness results.
For example, I just finished filling out a grant application to broaden our senior yoga program through a local health insurance plan called Fallon. Doing a search on the web uncovered a number of grants from local hospitals and insurance carriers for wellness initiatives. Because the Fallon grant size is a minimum of $15,000, the program can go for a longer period of time and have a greater impact on the community.
To apply for larger grants, consider doing the following:
1. Search the web for local grants that have to do with your community's health and wellness. See what’s available and what they are requesting.
2. Partner with other organizations for more energy and greater linking within that given community. For example, te
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am up with a local senior center to underwrite, take part in, or endorse the yoga program for seniors.
3. Be clear about the population that will be served. Know the towns, the type of people, and the number of people that will participate.
4. Create an assessment tool such as a survey, range of motion measurement, functional movement questionnaire or some other device to be able to show the outcome of the grant money spent.
5. Apply for grants that match your interests and your community’s need.
Through grants, you can serve the people who need what you have to offer without going broke. If you are paid for your work, you can continue to give over the long term.
I came across this video in a trainers discussion group. I adore this fun way of looking at leadership (and the never-mentioned importance of following).
As a yoga teacher and someone with a strong back, it never
even dawned on me that moving the huge tubing washing machine on our family
maple syrup farm was way beyond my back’s capacity. As I fell to the ground
writhing in pain, my back let me know that I really should pay more attention.
I’m not superwoman.
I’m not accustomed to having pain as I lift my leg to put on
my pants in the morning. Or asking my husband to tie my shoes because I can’t
bend over. This pain made teaching yoga out of the question.
I started the DVD practice barely able to move. I ended an
hour later feeling more free physically, more at peace mentally, and better
able to cope with the recuperation period my back needed.
The DVD practice did not stress a particular alignment, or
give a demanding series of contorted postures. Instead, Neil leads those in
pain through movements that are coordinated with a calming, rhythmic breath
which induces the relaxation response—a perfect antidote for the fear that
accompanies pain.
Neil also gives the viewer insights on how long to hold a
posture and gauging how far to push the stretch. I love the questions he poses
so you can judge for yourself the right amount of movement.
I did more than one practice (there are three thirty minute
practices on the DVD) and found that I could do most of the postures even in my
acute pain. When I skipped a posture or two, I simply breathed along with Neil.
The biggest challenge I had was transitioning between the floor and the
standing postures. I paused the DVD to give my slow-as-molasses movements time
to catch up, using a nearby coffee table to assist me in my ascent.
Neil’s method to overcome pain is the perfect recipe to work
with the body/mind in a healthy way instead of being stuck in fear, forcing
movement, or shutting down in depression.
I'm just getting back in the office after leading a workshop at the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy center in Bristol Vermont. I came dressed in my pink, short-sleeved shirt and sneakers to greet the spring. Instead of the lime-green of newly sprouted grass, I was greeted with a foot of snow.
It is almost May, isn't it?
The weather in Vermont is contrary, a trait that many Vermonter proudly share. Conformity is not highly valued. Maybe that's why I always feel right at home. I'm a rebel at heart.
The workshop I taught was how to get clients in the door when you're a new practitioner. And one of the things I can tell you after ten years of running my own wellness business is that non-conformity works very well when you're marketing.
There are mountains of emails, flyers, advertisements, and direct mail in our industry that look exactly alike. They lack individuality. They lack flair and pizzazz. They lack YOU.
I'm not talking about graphic design - the pretty pictures, colors and layouts on your marketing communication. That's important, but the words are even more important.
It could be those words are audible, such as in a YouTube video or audio file, or it could be the words are in a written form like this blog post. Either way, those words create your voice.
Be more like the Vermonters and embrace your individually when you communicate.
People want to do business with people they know and like. Can they see you in your communications? Whether you run a studio or are a solo practitioner, your voice is unique. Having that voice come out loud and clear in your communication sets you apart.
At one point in the Vermont workshop we did a brainstorming session to generate ideas to invite people to experience the work. How could PRYT practitioners use their voice to get people in the door?
One whole wall was filled with ideas written on post-it notes, too many ideas for any one person to implement. Plus we had a whole list of ideas from the e-book Easy Tips to Market Your Wellness Business. Our discussion then turned from the many ideas to concentrating on those that got results.
The idea is simple - focus on communication activities that give you the highest return on investment. To run a business, link action to revenue.
"But," said one of the participants, "there are times I can't see where the revenue will come from, but there is a strong sense that this is the right thing to do."
That could be your inner wisdom directing you through the power of intuition. Or it could be a lure to distract you from doing the hard (and sometimes tedious) stuff that has to get done for your business to soar.
Telling the difference between intuition and enticement takes some practice, especially early on in business. It can be very tempting during tough times to listen to that person who says "This is the way to do it". It takes time to trust inner wisdom and have faith that following the "yes" feeling is worth the leap into the unknown.
The more often you take that leap of faith, the stronger and more assured your voice will be in your marketing communication.
I have a new favorite CD for savasana. It’s called Music for Yoga by Shantha Sri.
Shantha, a Buddhist yogi and healing music artist, combines sounds that resonate with the subtle energy centers of the body and mind. On the CD you’ll hear sounds from bells, the blowing of a conch or flute, gongs, or resonating bowls. And sometimes I swear I hear the sounds reverberating through my brain, as if they are originating from inside me inside of from the speakers.
The track that I find myself going back to again and again is called The Sea Buoy. I’ve always been partial to the sound of the ocean—nothing gets me more relaxed than hearing waves lapping (or even crashing) against the shore. On this track, Shantha has used the rhythm of waves to guide long, slow breaths. He describes this track as perfect for pranayama (breathing) exercise. With 55 beats per minute, the music is suited for a 4 beat inhalation, 4 beat retention, 4 beat exhalation, and 4 beat retention.
That works, but I’ve also found that using this music for savasana automatically attunes the breath to the slow, rhythmic breathing without any conscious effort on the part of the practitioner. You just let your body go and the sounds carry your breath. There’s nothing to do, only to be while the waves of sound wash through you.
This CD, along with other mnusic by Shantha, is available in the YogaHub Shop.
My sister is a get-it-done type of gal. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, I thought she would take some time off as she went through surgery followed by a demanding regimen of chemo then radiation.
Not Joan. Like the ever-ready bunny, she kept on going.
She’s healthy and cancer-free now, thank God. My husband’s mother, Carolyn, wasn’t so lucky.
Carolyn was also a fighter and a get-it-done type gal. But even the strongest sometimes lose the battle.
Carolyn died when she was 49, after the breast cancer spread to her brain.
For the last few years, I’ve gone into Boston to watch my sister Joan cross the finish line in the Avon Walk. Every year I try not to cry at the tear-jerking rally at the end, where all these wonderful pink people gather to reaffirm life despite the bleakness of cancer. Every year I fail. The tears come, partly from overwhelming relief that my beloved sister is safe, and partly from grief for those, like my mother-in-law, that have died.
The walk is both a grand testament to life, and a touching tribute to those that have died.
This year I am not a bystander in the Avon Walk. I am a participant. I’ll be doing the walk with both my sisters Joan and Lisa. Call it the sisterhood of the travelling breasts…
Breast cancer is a big disease, one that still affects far too many people, and I’m doing my little piece to help put an end to it. The money I raise will be managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade to help provide access to care for those that most need it, fund educational programs, and accelerate research into new treatments and potential cures. My sisters and I will be just a few of thousands of people that will walk up to a marathon and a half over a weekend, raising awareness of the cause and educating even more people.
I can’t do it without your help.
I hope that I can count on your support.
You can make a donation to my fundraising campaign by clicking here, then clicking on the pink "Donate Now" button. If you prefer to write a check, just contact me and I'll send you the information and form. You can send me an email from this page (press the "send email" button under my picture in the top, right-hand corner of this page).
Chances are someone in your life has been touched by breast cancer. Perhaps it’s impossible not to be affected directly or indirectly by cancer—it is so widespread, after all. May each dollar you give to the Avon Walk be a constructive and powerful action that speaks boldly of a cure sooner rather than later.
In the book Meaningful Marketing by Eureka! Ranch Founder and CEO Doug Hall, data-proven truth #10 is "Demo or Die" which means instead of talking about your work, show prospects the effectiveness of what you're selling. According to the author, showing is 50% more effective than talking.
If you've every set up a booth at a health fair next to a massage therapist, you know this difference first-hand. Massage therapists demonstrate the effectiveness of their work with that handy 5-minute chair massage. Meanwhile, yoga teachers and the like have brochures or try and talk through what they do.
Which do you think has a greater impact?
Hall gives four practical ideas for demos:
Get the customer to test-drive
Show and tell your demo
Use technology to bring the demo to life
Use technology to remind customers of the demo
How do you show people about your work instead of telling them? For the wellness world, the four ideas can translate like this:
Give a free sample class to encourage a test-drive
Give a group demonstration of your work (Phoenix Rising Yoga therapists do this very well. They are trained on giving demo presentations)
My favorite technology for bringing the benefits of yoga to life is the Healing Rhythms biofeedback system. You can hook people up to this during a health fair and show them the biological effects of yoga breathing. That'll make all massage therapists jealous!
YogaHub is a master of using technology to remind customers of demos. Check out the cool way they did an online raffle to give out prizes. Pay particular attention to the end to see reminders at work.
The demo is especially helpful if you notice people aren't quite getting the gist of what you're trying to explain.
An example of a demo that I used in my own business was the Encore Event held last week. There was confusion on what the heck a virtual yoga conference was, so YogaHub and I did a free one-day test drive, then gave people the option after the demo to sign up for a special promotion called March Magic.
That's an important point - when you do demos make sure you have a good system to take people to the next step of actually purchasing your product or service.
Do you have some great demo ideas you've used in your business? Share them with us by commenting below.
After the last blog post, I got lots of feedback. "Megan," I heard again and again, "Shaun White is a snowboarder, not a skier!"
Whoops. My mistake.
I'm dating myself. Back in the day when I would (infrequently) hit the slopes, I strapped on those wooden sticks called skis and slid down the mountain with less grace and ease than I would have liked.
That thing called snowboarding hadn't even been invented yet (or at least I never saw it). Anybody going down a mountain, then, is categorized in my mind as "skiing."
I have an outdated mental model of winter sports.
There are times when we operate our business with an outdated mental model, especially when it comes to what it means to be a yoga teacher or a wellness professional.
The mental model, for example, that says "teaching yoga is postures taught only in the confines of a studio" is outdated. Do not let yourself be trapped by four walls. The work you do is much, much, much, bigger than that.
With instant accessibility, people's busy schedule, the economic situation, and the ability to reach a far bigger audience than you could even in the biggest cities of the world, the Web has redefined how we reach out to others with our work.
The world is changing. Skiing now includes snowboarding and teaching yoga now includes teaching virtually.
How has your business leveraged this new studio without walls? Have you been taking "snowboarding" lessons, or are you still skiing down the slope of your work the way you've always done?
Here's an invitation to take a lesson on virtual opportunities - at no cost.
After a very successful virtual yoga conference last month where participants raved about the ability to learn, earn, and grow in this new venue, YogaHub and I decided to have a no-cost encore event.
We took some of our favorite workshops from the yoga conference, added an open round table discussion about creating virtual communities, and viola - you now have access to a free day-long event for your personal and professional development!
In this event, you'll
Learn how to manage moods with a chakra clearing yoga series taught by Amy Weintraub.
Listen to Nischala Joy Devi as she reveals how to directly access the lessons of Patanjali's yoga sutras for yourself.
Participate in an open, round table discussion about what it takes to establish a virtual community of like-minded people.
Gain insight on living with intent in the modern world with Felicia Marie Tomasko, the editor-in-chief of LA Yoga Ayurveda and Health as she teaches Ayurvedic Rejuvenation for Daily Life.
Relax deeply with a Yoga Nidra session lead by Jennifer Reis.
There's more to the event than just great workshops, though. It's an opportunity for you to get a handle on the new way of doing business. Use this event as a model and ask yourself:
How can I take what I teach and apply it virtually?
What are other teachers doing that I can learn from in this cyberspace?
Where can I plug my work into an existing web-based learning space?
We're getting ready to take proposals to find speakers for next year's virtual event, so it would be helpful for you to experience the encore event in case you want to be on the roster for next year.
I find the virtual world has so much more space for wild ideas, great heights, and new moves that redefine what we call "teaching yoga". Sort of reminds me of the athletic moves from that great SNOWBOARDER, Shaun White.
Be well and happy,
Megan McDonough
ps. Remember, there is no cost for this encore event. And you can pass this email along to as many as your yoga and wellness-loving friends as you want so they can enjoy the event as well! Click here to register.
