Haiden Hibbert
The yoga industry has quickly moved online as more people look for ways to stay healthy, fit, and focused from the comfort of their own homes. Whether you are a seasoned yoga instructor or just starting to build your online yoga business, one of the best ways to retain students and grow your business is by creating a private online community for them!
This community should be a space where your students can connect with other like-minded individuals, share their experiences, challenges, and successes, and receive personalized guidance and support from you.
In this post, we’ll talk all about how to build a private online yoga community, from choosing the right tools to launching and promoting your membership.
Let’s start with some ideas on what you can include in your community membership!
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Table of Contents
1. Exclusive access to live-streamed classes
Hosting regular live yoga classes is a great way to keep your community engaged and connected. You can use a free video conferencing tool like Zoom.
Live classes also allow for real-time interaction with your community members, which can help you build deeper connections and provide more personalized feedback.
MemberSpace customer and online yoga instructor, Gemma Nash Yoga, uses this best-practice for her yoga community. Her website states, “as a member, you are also invited to join a free online Thursday evening Zoom class every week with me.” In addition to this class, her community gets access to a library of more than 50 on-demand yoga classes!
Take a peak at her community below:
2. A community forum or group
Along with live and pre-recorded classes, having a community forum or group can create a space for your members to connect, ask questions, and get support from one another. You can create a private Facebook group or a forum on your website, and encourage your students to participate and share their experiences. This can also offer a way for you to keep in touch with your community and get feedback on your offerings.
Another MemberSpace customer, Jenni Rawlings, gives her community members access to a private forum built with the MemberSpace and Circle integration.
Here’s a look into her community forum, where her members can introduce themselves, ask questions, chat about her online classes, and more.
As another example, Jenny Ella Yoga has a community where she offers her members access to a private Facebook Group, as well as a content library of yoga, pilates, and meditation classes and tips. 
3. Workshops, retreats, or events
Hosting workshops or retreats every now and then can also help keep your community engaged and excited about their practice. These can be themed around specific topics such as arm balances or inversions, or they can be focused on developing specific aspects of the practice such as flexibility or strength.
Workshops can also offer an opportunity for your students to connect with one another and share their progress.
4. An inspiring yoga newsletter
As a yoga teacher with an online private community, you have the perfect opportunity to share your knowledge and help your students improve their practice. By offering a yoga newsletter, you can stay in touch with your community, offer valuable tips and advice, and keep your students motivated and inspired.
Whether you’re sharing new poses, discussing the benefits of meditation, or offering nutrition advice, your newsletter can be an essential tool in building a strong, supportive yoga community. Best of all, it’s an easy and effective way to stay connected with your students and help them achieve their yoga goals.
5. Community challenges
Encouraging your community members to participate in yoga challenges is a fun way to keep them motivated and inspired. You can have weekly or monthly challenges that members can participate in and, in turn, earn prizes or recognition.
Sharing accomplishment stories with the community will encourage everyone to continue on their wellness journey.
6. In-Person classes
If you also host classes at a brick-in-mortar studio, one of the most exciting things you can offer your online community is the opportunity to practice yoga together in person.
This is the business model Lindsey from Live Yoga implements. Her community members get access to live online classes, a library of on-demand yoga videos, and in-person classes for local members.
“Creating an online community has been incredibly fulfilling, staying connected and practicing together through live classes has and continues to be hugely rewarding.”
7. A members-only podcast
By hosting a podcast exclusively for your community, you can create a space where your members can feel heard and valued, and where they can learn and grow alongside other dedicated yogis.
Whether you use the platform to share guided meditations, dive deep into philosophy, or simply share some personal anecdotes and insights, a members-only podcast is a great way to offer something extra special to your community.
How to Start your Yoga Community
Now that you have some inspiration on what to offer your online yoga community, it’s time to put your plan into action! With the right tools and strategy, you can have your yoga community up and running right away.
Step 1: Pick a yoga community platform
MemberSpace is a powerful tool that allows you to create a private membership site for your yoga community. You can use MemberSpace to offer exclusive content, such as newsletters, podcasts, and videos, to your members, as well as accept payments and manage access to your community.
Here’s how it works:
- Sign up for a free MemberSpace account.
- Connect MemberSpace to an existing or new Stripe account and get paid as soon as a community member signs up. If you don’t have an account, it’s super easy to set one up.
- Create free or paid membership plans and we’ll automatically unlock access to your yoga community when a member signs up.
- Restrict access to specific content, pages, or entire sections of your website and grant access when members join your community.
Step 2: Figure out your community’s niche
Are they expecting moms doing prenatal yoga to prepare for birth? Are they interested in a specific type of yoga, like aerial yoga or Qi Gong? Or maybe they have a specific goal, like doing yoga for weight loss.
Forming your community around a central topic will make crafting your content and attracting members much easier.
For example, one of our customers, Lily Dwyer Begg Yoga offers a prenatal yoga community to help moms-to-be “find their village.”
Step 3: Launch & promote your community!
Once you have your platform in place and niche selected, it’s time to launch and promote your community. Start by inviting your students and others who may be interested – such as friends, acquaintances, and social media followers – to join your group.
Once your community has some members, you can start creating content that is tailored to their needs, such as videos, guides, or podcast episodes. Finally, promote your community on your website, blog, social media channels, and email newsletters to attract new members.
And be sure to bookmark this post so you can refer to it when you need ideas on what to offer your community members!
Final Thoughts
Building a private online yoga community is not just about providing yoga classes, but also about creating a nurturing space for practitioners to connect, learn, and thrive together.
By implementing these ideas, selecting the right platform, and launching your community with a clear vision, you can foster a supportive and engaging environment for your members. Take the first step today and start building your community with MemberSpace!
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