25 Ideas for Yoga Workshops That Build Community and Grow Your Classes
Becca is the author of Teaching Yoga: Creative Cueing for Safer Mixed Level Classes. A long-time studio owner and teacher trainer, she now teaches in OKC and creates resources for other yoga teachers.
I love yoga workshops! In this post, I’ll list over 25 ideas for yoga workshops based on my real-life experience. I want you to be successful, so I’m including title and content ideas, too! I’ll also cover how I market my shops to students and venues.
As you brainstorm ideas, remember that your topics must align with the community and your personal brand. Are the students of similar age and fitness level? Is the group, goal-oriented, spiritual, down-to-earth, fitness junkies, or super social?
Whatever topic you choose, make sure it’s one you are passionate about!
I’ve separated these workshop ideas into five different categories, including:
Pose & skill-based
Yoga with food and drink
Mindfulness and wellness
Seasonal & holiday
Community
Pose & Skill-Based Yoga Workshop Ideas
These are great for goal-oriented students who are focused on certain challenging poses. Younger clients love the handstand and arm balance workshops! Older students often like the balance and mobility-focused offerings.
Arm Balances
Title Ideas:
Take Flight: An Intro to Arm Balances
Crow, Side Crow & More: Mastering Arm Balances
Arm Balances with Core Activation
Content Ideas:
Whatever title you pick, an arm balance workshop will include many of the same activities. Students must understand the need for a proper warm-up before attempting arm balances. If the hips are not warmed up, then the knees and lower back are at risk as students try to force themselves into the poses.
Warm up the wrists, shoulders, core, and hips with a standing flow that includes Sun Salutations. Watch the group; there is an art to warming up enough without wearing everyone out.
Include some hip openers like Squat, Wide-Legged Forward Fold, Pigeon, and Cobbler in your preparations.
Teach some strength-building sequences that students can do at home to gain the strength needed for arm balances. These might include planks, side planks, Downward Dog variations, Dolphin, and Handstand preps.
Challenge students with some deep core work. These postures require a strong and engaged core.
Use blocks, bolsters, blankets, and the wall to modify and support students learning arm balances for the first time.
2. Backbends
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Title Ideas:
Unlock the Spine: Safe and Supported Backbending
Backbend Bliss: Unlock Your Spine with Strength and Grace
Energize Your Spine, Elevate Your Life: Backbends for Vitality
Heart Wide Open: Energizing Backbends to Awaken the Body
Content ideas:
Warm up the shoulders, open the chest, and awaken the core.
Start with the easier backbends like Locust and Cobra, and slowly work towards poses like Bow and Wheel.
Teach students how to prepare for Wheel, Camel, and Bow. Move through a rotation of poses that open the shoulders, stretch the thighs, and awaken the core. After each rotation, try another backbend variation. Include preparation poses like Downward Dog, Dolphin, Lunges, Pigeon, and Lizard.
Provide a handout with specific warm-ups and preparations needed before practicing challenging backbends.
Explain how engaging Jalandhara Bandha tones the throat during backbends, which deepens the work in the upper back and also keeps the neck safer. When coming into backbends, we want to lift our hearts first and then our heads. For a review of this teaching point, see my video below. The discussion on toning the neck starts at 1:49.
Take the time to explain how engaging the glutes is helpful during backbends as long as it isn’t overdone. This is an important skill to learn to avoid hurting the lower back. For a review of this teaching point, see my video below starting at 4:55.
Learn about proper backbend alignment in Locust pose. For more free teacher training videos sign up for my free course.
3. Handstands
These very popular yoga workshops are often sold out at gyms and studios. You can change the name, give it a different focus, and offer it a couple of times a year.
Title Ideas:
Handstand Foundations: Balance, Breath, and Body Awareness
Inversion Immersion: A Handstand Workshop for Beginners
Get Comfortable on Your Hands! A Beginner Handstand Clinic
Foundations for Handstand Success
Content Ideas:
Start with wrist and shoulder warm-ups. Include a standing flow that opens the hips and chest and warms the shoulders and hamstrings.
Include core awareness and engagement exercises.
Review safety issues, including how to cartwheel or roll out of a handstand if you begin to fall.
Plan a list of drills to teach during the workshop and prepare a handout for the students. Example drills: Warrior 3 variations, Downward Dog with feet on blocks, wall walks, L-Handstands (with feet on a chair or the wall).
These shops often include partner work as students spot each other at the wall.
4. Balance
Ideas for yoga workshops focused on balance can be created for different age groups and fitness levels. For an older group, the focus can be on core activation, glute strengthening, and poses like Tree and Eagle. For a goal-oriented younger group, a peak pose challenge, such as Dancer, is a fun option.
Title Ideas:
Strong & Steady: Building Better Balance
Balance Basics: Simple Tools to Improve Stability, Strength & Focus
Poise and Power: Cultivating Balance in Dancer Pose (advanced)
Open the workshop with positive, encouraging words about how anyone can improve their balance with work and focus.
Introduce the concept of rib breathing. Explain how it is easier to keep our core engaged when we breathe in this way. Practice breathing in the first part of the workshop. For ideas on how to teach this, see my video on Tree here.
Include toe exercises and stretches during the warm-up, and explain how important the toes are for balance.
Core engagement and awareness exercises ( see my core video here). Explain how the core and the glutes work together, and both must be working to balance.
When balancing, introduce the concept and use of drishi (where to look and focus).
After the warm-up, have everyone try a simple balancing asana such as Tree. Then, after all the exercises and concepts are covered, have them try the same balancing pose towards the end of the workshop to see if they find something different in the experience.
Yoga + Food & Drink Workshops
Yoga workshops focused on food and drink are fun, social, and perfect for weekend events or special occasions. These workshops are often more about a fun experience than serious yoga. Asking regular clients to bring friends to these events is often effective for building classes. Be sure that the event fits with your brand. Also, be mindful of the popular events with alcohol. Make sure to have some alcohol-free events so those in recovery can also be part of the community.
5. Yoga + Wine or Beer
Title ideas:
Vinyasa & Vino
Flow into Happy Hour
Breathe, Bend, and Beer
Wine Down Yoga
Sip and Stretch
Content ideas:
A gentle flow that works for most levels, followed by a social hour with wine, beer, & snacks.
Partner with a local brewery. Depending on the space, teach a class either inside or outside, and then have a social hour.
Partner with a wine expert and host a wine tasting. This can be done with small tastings throughout class or as an activity after class.
6. Yoga & Chocolate
Title ideas:
Yoga & Chocolate
Unwind with Yoga & Chocolate
Yoga & Chocolate for the Senses
Breathe, Move, Taste
Reconnect with Your Senses: Yoga & Chocolate
Savor Something Sweet On and Off the Mat
Content Ideas:
Combine a gentle yoga class with a mindful tasting of locally made chocolate.
Practice being completely present with tasting. How does the chocolate smell? Does it melt in the mouth? What is the texture? How do you describe the taste?
Use truffles for an upscale experience.
Combine this chocolate tasting with teachings about mindful eating in general.
Teach a gentle flow first, then do the chocolate tasting, and include time for socializing.
7. Yoga & Food
These events help build community and encourage healthy eating and choices.
Title ideas:
Yoga & Brunch, Lunch or Dinner
Yoga & Potluck
Flow & Feast
Stretch & Savor
Teach an all-level yoga class followed by a potluck. These are popular and successful as annual events.
Partner with a local restaurant to cater food at your yoga venue. Great for seasonal events.
Partner with a local restaurant, community college, or someone’s large private home/yard for yoga and cooking demonstrations. Healthy meal prep with recipes is a popular activity.
Yoga Workshops for Mindfulness and Wellness
This type of workshop appeals to spiritually minded communities and those interested in wellness topics.
8. Yoga & Journaling for Self-Discovery
Teach a gentle, accessible class and then guide the group through journaling.
Provide a journaling notebook (include the cost in the registration) and provide prompts, pens, and stickers.
Partner with a therapist who enjoys and has experience working with groups.
9. Yoga & Essential Oils
Theme the yoga practice around the Chakras and offer essential oils for the different energetic centers.
Towards the end of class, use oils for self-massage in preparation for Shavasana.
If you need help, partner with an essential oil representative with whom you think your community will be in alignment.
10. Intro to Pranayama & Meditation
For beginners, rotate through gentle stretching routines, breathing exercises, and short meditations.
Pick one style of meditation to present and practice throughout the workshop.
Breath meditations are often the simplest and most accessible for beginners. Begin with basic pranayama and then slowly shift into meditation.
Give participants permission to get up and quietly walk to the back or into the other room if needed.
11. Candlelight Restorative
Pick 3-4 restorative poses and provide the needed blankets, bolsters, and blocks.
This is a nice workshop to offer on the winter solstice.
Encourage the participants to truly, deeply relax.
Offer herbal tea or hot chocolate after the practice is over.
Make sure people are awake enough to drive before they leave.
12. The Chakras
Presenting a yoga workshop on the Chakras offers so many possibilities. I’ll list some of the most popular ideas.
Title Ideas:
Chakras 101: Discover Your Body's Energy Centers
Intro to the Chakras: Balance from the Inside Out
The Yoga of Energy: Exploring the Chakras through Movement and Breath
Content ideas:
Create a 2-3 hour workshop covering all 7 Chakras. Explain each Chakra in-depth, then practice the poses related to it.
Design a 7-week series and present 1 Chakra each week. Practice asana and meditations related to the Chakra.
Present handouts that cover the details of each Chakra. Include Chakra details such as the meaning, location, function, properties, characteristics, color, essential oils, and related pranayama, meditations, and asana.
Holiday & Seasonal Yoga Workshop Ideas
No matter where you teach, you can pitch to management the possibility of an annual workshop based on holidays and times of the year. When done well, these events become part of the community, and people look forward to attending them each year.
13. New Year
Title ideas:
New Year Challenge: Ignite Your Practice
The Year of You: Yoga for Inner Clarity and Courage
Sacred Beginnings: Welcome to the New Year
Content Ideas:
Design a challenging asana flow appropriate for the group, followed by journaling with prompts.
Make a practice tracker handout where students can track their goals.
Create a 3-part workshop. Start with asana, then practice pranayama and meditation. End with journaling and goal setting.
Have the students create affirmations for the new year.
Offer a time for community sharing, but don’t put anyone on the spot to speak.
Combine with an art and yoga theme, and make vision boards after the yoga flow.
14. Valentine’s Day
Over the years, I’ve presented many Valentine’s Day partner yoga workshops. Not only do they often sell out, but people love signing up for these. Note that people with no yoga experience often sign up with a “date night” in mind. Partner yoga can be a gentle, mindful practice that is accessible to everyone. However, gymnastic-style moves can also be difficult, such as one person practicing Downward Dog or Crow on another person's back! Decide what you want to do and be clear in your marketing so that the group is compatible.
Title ideas:
Valentine’s Day Partner Yoga Workshop
Partner Up: Yoga, Breath, and Laughter
Hearts Open and Hands Together: A Partner Yoga Workshop
Content Ideas:
Begin centering seated back-to-back and breathing together.
Practice the standing poses back to back or holding hands.
Have the partners simply mirror each other in some of the poses.
Offer the partners ways to check and correct each other's alignment in the poses.
Cue the partners to breathe together in the poses.
Near the end, before Shavasana, suggest the option of eye gazing. Have the partners sit comfortably and really look into each other's eyes.
Offer the option of holding hands or touching pinky fingers or toes during Shavasana.
The Seasons & Solstices
The change of the seasons is an opportunity for reflection and renewal. Combine asana, journaling, and meditations for a transforming experience. The annual Winter Solstice meditation at my studio became a popular re-occurring event.
Title Ideas:
15. Winter Solstice Candlelight Yoga
16. Find Your Inner Fire (deep winter)
17. Spring Renewal: Reset Your Practice
18.Shine Your Light with the Summer Solstice
19. Let Go and Flow (Fall)
Community Yoga Workshops
Workshops focused on the community help to bring new people into your classes. Invite friends to these events and build relationships while having fun.
20. Yoga & Art Night
Partner with a local artist or even an art therapist. Teach an accessible gentle yoga class and then create art. Reflect on your yoga experience within your art. Other options include creating vision boards, coloring mandalas, or painting from a prompt with watercolors.
21. Yoga & Live Music
Partner with a local acoustic musician or band. Either flow with the music or have the live music start after the yoga class.
22. Charity Events
Combine a yoga workshop idea with some kind of charitable or fundraising activity.
Partner with a local nonprofit.
Yoga on Location
These events work especially well when followed by social time or a meal.
23. Yoga on a rooftop
24. Sunset/Sunrise Yoga in a special location
25. Yoga at a City Garden or Museum grounds
How to Pitch a Yoga Workshop to a Studio or Gym
When I owned a yoga studio, I received many requests to host workshops from yogis and practitioners. Although the people making the requests were wonderful and well-meaning, I often turned them down because it wasn’t a good fit for our community. The biggest mistake yogis make when pitching a workshop is not researching the venue first for the community's interest and recent offerings. Remember, not every yoga community is into essential oils, sound healing, or drum circles. Yoga is a big tent with a wide variety of communities within.
After researching the venue, start creating a professionally written proposal to give to the owner or manager. Just calling or showing up for the manager's class usually won’t work on its own. As I said above, they are likely getting A LOT of requests. Make your request stand out by having it in writing.
What to include in your proposal:
State who the target audience is for the workshop, including demographics.
Write a catchy title for the workshop and a short description
Explain what the students will learn or experience.
Decide on the length of the event.
Create an example flyer that is on brand for the venue. This is one less thing the manager has to worry about.
Propose a price, but be open to negotiation.
Offer to help promote the workshop on your social media or through your email list.
Marketing Tips for a Successful Yoga Workshop
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of starting early when promoting these events. Many people in your community must hear about the event multiple times before they register.
Email remains one of the best ways to get the word out and increase registrations. Create at least a three-email sequence starting 10-12 weeks before the event. If it's a large annual event, start early with a “save the date” message.
Old-school printed flyers still have value in some communities where students can pick up flyers before and after classes. Posting them around the venue is also a helpful reminder.
Social media can be effective, but only as part of a robust social media strategy. If you haven’t been building up your channels, focus on emails instead.
Announce the event before or after classes.
Talk one-on-one with students about the upcoming event after class and ask them to bring friends when appropriate.
Be Creative, Build Community, and Have Fun!
I hope you’ve found some ideas that work for you in this post! I encourage you to choose a few ideas for yoga workshops that align with your community and create a wonderful experience for your students.
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