Should You Bend Over Backwards for a Yoga Blog?

It seemed like a no-brainer. I was a journalism major, a writer, and a yoga teacher—a scenario where it would make perfect sense to have a blog.

Yet for three years, I wrestled with the thought of blogging. I was anxious, intimidated, and scared. I would read other blogs and would think, “I could do this,” but there was a little voice inside my head that kept shutting me down. I was standing in my own way.

Until one day, I finally turned that little voice off, told myself to buck up, and started a blog. It was scary to put that first post out there and share a piece of me with the world. And still to this day, after publishing a particularly personal blog post, I’ll wake up the next morning with a vulnerability hangover. For me, the pay-off is completely worth it—but is blogging for you?

Blogging in theory can bring a lot of business benefits aside from giving yourself an outlet for creative expression. You can be paid to write blog content, you can advertise yourself more easily, and you will make it easier for yourself to be found for future blog and even yoga instructor opportunities. Here are five questions to help you decide whether you want to launch into the yoga blogosphere.

1. Are You A Writer?

Personally, I’m much better at expressing spiritual ideas in writing than I am in spoken word. I can’t always share as freely or succinctly when speaking as I can when writing. For me, it made sense to blog, so I could share my beliefs and messages in the clearest possible way. If this describes you as well, then a blog may be your preferred medium.

2. Do You Have A Message You Want To Share?

Blogging isn’t just posting random words on the internet. There are many other social media methods for sharing short thoughts. Blogging requires the sharing of more in-depth information, which could be based in fact or opinion. It is a platform for individuals to share freely and interact with readers directly; so make sure you have a message that you can stand behind and share. Remember this will act as another arm for your yoga business, so your message will need to be consistent with your classes and persona as a yoga instructor.

3. Do You Want To Reach A Larger Demographic?

If the answer here is a clear yes, then you probably want to launch a blog. If you’re a local yoga teacher and you love teaching one or two classes per week, then a full fledged blog might not serve you as the most effective way to promote yourself and ideas—because, by all means, it is an effort and takes time to see results. This leads to my next question.

4. Are You Ready To Put In The Time And Effort?

As with almost everything in life, consistency is key. Blogging requires effort, creativity, money, and dedication. You can’t just publish one blog post and expect great things to come your way. The internet is a living, breathing thing, and it feeds off content. Your blog must consistently deliver solid content to succeed. This content can include spiritual inspiration, class themes, or yoga sequences—whatever speaks to you. My blog is a mix of everything I love, including yoga, cooking, travel, spirituality, and fun. Make sure your blog is fun for you or else you will quickly abandon it. Thinking about blogging should be exciting, not cumbersome.

Here are some of the other blogs I have written for beYogi:

• An Easy Yoga Sequence For Your Health 
• How to Introduce Sound Healing in your Yoga Classes
• 6 Secrets of Successful Yoga Teacher

5. Are You Comfortable With Computers/Technology?

Blogging requires some level of computer literacy. Depending on how you set up your blog, it can be more user-friendly; but you will still need to upload pictures, do some editing, and generally make your blog’s interface look aesthetically pleasing & professional. You can hire a web designer to assist you in the initial creation, but the most cost effective bet is to be able to learn enough about websites to do it yourself.

To try out blogging, consider your Facebook or Instagram account to be a mini-blog. Now you business Instagram has the option to host some of your blogs on their new Instagram Guides Feature.  See how those work for you. If you feel comfortable posting content regularly and you get a good response, maybe it’s time to make the jump and start your yoga blog!

less wifi, more chai-fi. spending some necessary time writing this morning. #write #blog #express #yoga #breathe

A photo posted by amy dannheim (@miamy) on Nov 12, 2014 at 7:16am PST