How to Start a Flying Yoga Studio

Yoga remains one of the fastest-growing niches in the fitness industry. In 2020, the industry was valued at around $41 billion. And by 2027, the global yoga market size will be around $66.2 billion.

And with the average yogi spending around $90 a month on yoga classes, the yoga industry presents a great business opportunity to venture into. The demand is there and is considerably growing in popularity.

So, if you are a certified yogi and you have a passion for helping other yoga enthusiasts achieve their fitness goals, you should consider opening a yoga studio.

In this guide, we will discuss the steps to follow to open a flying yoga studio!

 

1. Choose the Right Location

When it comes to starting a business, the location that you choose will determine whether your business will succeed or fail. And the same case applies when you are starting a flying yoga studio.

Ideally, the location that you choose should align with your target demographic. You will need to ask yourself whether that location has enough clients to keep your fitness business running.

Once you’ve settled on the right location, you should then go ahead and identify a facility or space, where you will be running your classes. When you are starting out, it will be advisable to co-share space with another fitness studio like a gym, before renting your own building.

Renting a partial spacing temporarily will allow you to get your classes off the ground, without having to spend too much. And once you’ve amassed a sizeable client base, you can then shift to your own building.

Regardless of whether you decide to rent your own space or share space with another business, make sure the spot is easily accessible via public means of transportation. It should also have adequate parking space to accommodate your clients who come with private means.

 

2. Acquire the Necessary Certifications, Licenses and Permits

Once you’ve identified the perfect spot to set up your classes, you should then go ahead and acquire the necessary licenses and permits.

At the end of the day, a flying yoga studio is just like any other business. Therefore, you will also need to acquire the requisite permits and certifications, to ensure you are operating a legal business.

So, which permits and licenses do you need to open a fitness business like a flying yoga studio?

Well, different states have different licensing requirements. So, make sure you check with your state for local licensing and regulatory requirements.

In most cases, you will need a business permit, which is like a basic requirement. And if you are planning to rent your own space to run the classes, then you may also need to acquire a certificate of occupancy. A certificate of occupancy will confirm that your fitness business aligns with all the zoning laws, building codes as well as government regulations.

You may also need to acquire music licensing. Music licensing permits you to play music in your studio. There are several bodies that issue these music licenses. So, you simply need to choose the body that aligns with the type of music you intend to be playing.

Besides the permits and certifications, you will also need to protect yourself with the right insurance coverage, most importantly liability insurance. Regardless of how careful or experienced you are, accidents and incidents can happen anytime.

Liability insurance will help to protect you and your business against lawsuits and you will need relevant aerial yoga qualifications and association membership to acquire the correct insurance for your new business.

 

3. Select Your Flying Yoga Niche

There are plenty of niches within flying yoga. And while you can still run a generic flying yoga studio, you will struggle to set yourself apart from the competition. To this end, it will be advisable to choose a specific niche and then focus on that audience.

These range from strictly yoga that only use the hammock for alignment purposes only, such as an Iyengar studio might do with ropes and blocks; right through to full on fun acro style classes which focus more on the fun exercise aspects.

One growing niche that you can consider focusing on is Aerial Pilates.

Aerial Pilates is more of a blend between Aerial Yoga and Pilates. It entails doing various Pilates exercises using yoga swings or yoga hammocks. It’s designed to combine the benefits of aerial yoga and Pilates, resulting in a full-body workout.

Choosing your niche will help you to determine the equipment you will need to purchase, the marketing language you will use as well as the training programs that you will be designing.

 

4. Purchase the Necessary Equipment

By now, you already have a clear idea of the type of flying yoga studio you want to set up as well as where to set it up. You’ve also acquired the necessary licenses and permits.

At this point, you now need to purchase the equipment necessary to start your flying yoga studio.

The main piece of equipment that you will need is a flying yoga hammock kit along with an installation guide.

A complete flying yoga hammock kit will include:

 

· The yoga hammock or yoga swing
· Ceiling hooks/mounts
· Daisy chains
· Carabiners or S-hooks
· Yoga Mats, blocks/props and so on..

 

The yoga hammock or yoga swing is a piece of nylon fabric equipment where your clients will be holding on, as they do various workouts.

Flying yoga hammocks and yoga swings are available in different options, therefore, you will choose that which aligns best with your target audience, the amount of space that you have and colour scheme.

Carabiners are usually made of iron or aluminum. You will use the carabiners for rigging your flying yoga hammocks. As for daisy chains, you will be using them to adjust the height of your flying yoga swings, depending on the needs of different students.

You will use the ceiling hooks or mounts to attach the entire flying yoga swing set up to the ceiling. When properly attached, ceiling mounts can support a weight of approximately 500kg or 1000 pounds.

After all, the heaviest person ever recorded weighed approximately 635kg or 1,400 pounds, meaning your mounts can safely support 99.99% of your students.

 

5. Hire a Professional Rigger or Installer

Before installing the yoga swings, make sure you get permission from your landlord. Once you’ve acquired permission from your landlord, you should then consult a professional yoga swings rigger or installer.

A professional installer will check the integrity of the exposed beams or ceiling, to determine whether it can handle the added weight of your flying yoga students. If the ceiling as it is cannot support the extra weight, the professional installer will make the necessary recommendations of how to enhance its stability.

Also, a professional installer will make sure the yoga hammock installation safely. The safety of your students should always be a priority.

During the yoga swings installation, make sure you leave enough space from one hammock to the other. There should be a minimum of four to six feet between each station. Leaving enough space between the hammocks will prevent collisions, which may lead to serious accidents.

Also, it will help to reduce stuffiness and other discomforts that may arise due to overcrowding. You should consider staggering the stations to ensure maximum utilization of available space.

 

6. Set Up Pricing and Memberships

At this point, your flying yoga studio is set up and you are ready to start offering classes. But before you market your studio, you first need to determine the pricing and membership packages.

The prices that you set will determine whether you will attract clients or not. So, how do you make sure you set the right prices? First, you should check what other similar facilities are charging.

Such information will give you an idea of how much to charge. You should consider introducing different pricing packages, to take care of different students. For instance, you can have an hourly package, daily package, weekly package and monthly package.

With such packages, someone who simply wants to check out your services can simply sign up for a one-hour or one-day package. And if your services are satisfactory, they can proceed to the weekly package and later on to the monthly package.

A tiered pricing package will help you to attract all sorts of clients, both short-term and long-term.

Also, it would be advisable to start with discounted packages, to get the first clients through the door. However, make sure the discounts or promos that you run create a fear of missing out (FOMO).

For instance, you can state the first 10 members to sign up will enjoy a 50% discount. Doing so will create of sense of urgency and push prospects to sign up quickly, as opposed to keeping the offer open to everyone.

 

7. Market Your Flying Yoga Studio

When everything is ready, you will now need to spread the word. You want as many people as possible to know about your flying yoga studio before the grand opening. So, you need to ensure you market it assertively.

Some of the marketing strategies that you can use to promote and market your flying yoga studio include:

· Partnering with local social media influencers
· Paid advertising on various online platforms
· Distributing flyers and leaflets in the neighborhood
· Hosting a challenge or contest

 

Wrapping It Up

Like any other business, opening a flying yoga studio is not an easy task.

But with determination, hard work, patience and the willingness to overcome obstacles, you can launch and run a thriving yoga studio.

And it may turn out to be the best decision that you’ve ever made in your life.

 

Good Luck!!