Social media can be a hot topic for yoga teachers. I, like many yogis I know, have mixed feeling about it. I dislike the way the aesthetic aspects of yoga are emphasised above function and feeling. And posting images of myself day after day feels excruciatingly narcissistic.  But having a presence on Instagram and Facebook can certainly be advantageous in terms of attracting students and gaining work. So how do you build a following without compromising your values?

Here are a few tips to help you navigate the world of social media as a yogi.

Understand Your Audience

Who are you looking to attract on social media? If your ideal students are beginners, present yourself and yoga in a way that’s accessible: images make that people think “Oh, I could do that” (not “holy wow! WTF?”). Make your captions relatable and use language that’s easy to understand, rather than lots of Sanskrit or anatomical language.

On the other hand, if you’re hoping to reach strong yogis, go nuts with the wow factor. Maybe you’re trying to reach athletes, or people wanting to manage stress, or older people. Whoever your audience is, make sure you’re speaking to them, not to all your yoga teacher friends. If you’re not sure yet who your ideal students are, read this article on finding your niche.

Trust your Moral Compass

I don’t know about you, but I find it demoralising when I browse Instagram and find the yoga content attracting the highest engagement is mostly thin young women posing in their underwear. I don’t want to judge others, and in fact I admire their self confidence… but I wouldn’t feel comfortable posting images like this. To me, the sexualisation of yoga is off-putting and disrespectful.

I’ll also never post an image of a pose that looks great but doesn’t feel great: to me, that’s just not yoga.

Work out your own true north, not only in terms of how much skin you show, but more broadly, how you present yoga. And if something doesn’t sit right with you, don’t post it – even if you know it’ll attract lots of likes.

Be Real

Don’t make your profile a highlights reel of your life. Show your humanity and reveal your vulnerability. If you have insecurities about your body, or you’re struggling with something in your own practice, open up about it. Your audience will love you all the more! If your practice is feeling stagnant, share your feelings and let our readers know how you plan to combat this. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from your tribe.

Add Value: Educate, Entertain, Inspire or Inform

Each time you prepare to post on social media, consider why you’re doing it. What is it that you hope to achieve with this post? Provide content that offers value to your audience. This could fit into a few broad categories:

Educate

Give your audience some insight, such as teaching them how to activate particular muscles in an asana. Or share the meaning of a Sanskrit word or a philosophical concept.

Entertain

Yoga is important, but that doesn’t mean your content always needs to be serious. Make your readers laugh!

Inspire

Social media can be a tool for motivation. This doesn’t have to mean posting images of super-challenging postures (though it could). It could be talking about how meditation, or using a neti pot, or having a gratitude practice has changed your life. Inspire your community to establish habits that support their wellbeing.

Connect

Share something about yourself that helps your audience get to know you better as a person, not just a yoga machine. Social media is meant to be social: think of it as building community, not gathering followers.

Inform

When and where are you teaching? What events do you have coming up? How can your community find more of you? Note: this shouldn’t make up the bulk of your content! Your key focus should be building community, not marketing.