How did you arrive at this work? What shaped the yoga teacher you are today?
Yoga teachers can become very good at talking about yoga while quietly disappearing behind it. We explain the benefits of our classes, share yoga philosophy and promote our timetable, but often say very little about the person doing the teaching.
Yet your story matters.
There are many yoga teachers offering the same fundamental practice. Your experiences, interests, values and journey help someone understand why you might be the right teacher for them.
Your Origin Story Creates Connection
People naturally create stories about one another.
Someone visiting your website or discovering you on social media will form an impression of who you are, what you value and whether they might feel comfortable in your class.
Sharing your origin story gives them something real to connect with.
It can create recognition: I felt like that too. I struggle with that. Maybe this class really is for someone like me.
This is particularly powerful when speaking to people who are completely new to yoga. As experienced teachers, it is easy to forget what being a beginner actually felt like.
Your origin story can become the bridge between where they are now and the yoga you want to share with them.
You Have More Than One Origin Story
Your origin story is not simply the story of why you became a yoga teacher.
You probably have many.
There is the story of how you first discovered yoga. There is the story of why you trained to teach. There are also stories explaining how your teaching has evolved and why you are now passionate about particular practices, communities or areas of yoga.
Different stories will resonate with different people.
When promoting a beginners’ class, your story of being new to yoga may be most relevant.
When someone is considering deeper study, your journey into teaching may matter more.
When promoting a specialist workshop, retreat or training, share the story that explains why this particular subject became important to you.
The question becomes: which part of my story helps this person understand why I am the guide for this particular journey?
A Simple Four-Part Structure for Your Origin Story
You do not need to write your autobiography every time you tell a story.
A useful origin story can be built around four simple stages:
Something was one way.
Where were you at the beginning? What was happening in your life, practice or thinking?
Something happened.
What created movement or interrupted the status quo? Perhaps you attended your first yoga class, met a teacher, experienced an injury or discovered a particular practice.
Something was revealed.
What did you realise or experience that you had not understood before?
Something changed.
What happened because of that realisation? What did you begin doing differently, and how did it eventually lead towards the work you now share?
This structure keeps your story relevant. You do not need every twist, turn and mildly interesting subplot. You need enough context for someone to understand the transformation.
What Should You Put on Your Yoga Teacher About Page?
The About page is where many yoga teachers become spectacularly stuck.
Either we write a miniature CV filled with qualifications, or stare at the blank page wondering what anybody could possibly want to know about us.
Your audience does not need your entire life history.
They need enough to understand who you are, what brought you to this work, what matters to you and why you teach the way you do.
Your origin story can provide that thread.
The same principle works for a ‘Meet Me’ social media post. Rather than simply listing how many years you have taught and which qualifications you hold, tell people something that helps them recognise the human being behind the yoga teacher.
In Your Student’s Story, You Are the Guide
There is an important distinction to make when using storytelling in your marketing.
In your origin story, you are the central character. You experienced something, learnt something and changed.
But in your student’s story, they are the central character.
Your role is different. You become the guide who introduces them to the practices, teachings and experiences that may support their own journey.
This is why a marketing story needs somewhere to go.
After sharing your experience, create the bridge back to the person reading it. Show them how what you discovered now informs what you teach, then offer them an opportunity to experience it themselves.
Your story becomes both connection and invitation.
Your Marketing Does Not Need to Be Louder
There is already an extraordinary amount of noise competing for people’s attention.
Your yoga marketing does not necessarily need to become louder, brighter or more polished to compete.
It may simply need to become more human.
Your origin stories reveal why you care about the work you do. They help potential students recognise themselves in your experiences and understand what makes your approach distinctive.
So rather than hiding behind yoga, occasionally allow people to meet the person sharing it.
Your story might be the doorway that helps somebody feel yoga could be for them.
RELATED: Step into Your Unbound Self
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