How to Choose Your Online Business Model as a New Yoga Teacher
Nov 17, 2025
Stop copying what everyone else is doing. Start choosing the business model that matches your nervous system, your energy, and your Sacred CEO path.
I remember the moment I realized my business model was broken.
I was doing it again >>> creating and buiIding the way others taught me. I had poured myself into creating an online course because “everyone said” that’s how coaches and yoga teachers scale. I filmed, edited, uploaded, promoted… and still felt exhausted, disconnected, and confused about why something that worked for others felt so wrong for me.
The truth? I wasn’t building from my energy. I was building from someone else’s blueprint. And when you build your business from a misaligned model, you don’t just lose momentum — you lose trust in yourself.
Once I stopped forcing myself to create my business like everyone else and started listening to my nervous system, my intuition, and my wisdom… everything clicked. I learned how to choose a model that fit my capacity, creativity, and community. And if you're craving clarity you can actually feel in your body,
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Why Choosing the Right Business Model Matters
Here’s what most new yoga teachers never hear:
Your business model determines your:
- nervous system state
- schedule and capacity
- income consistency
- relationship with your students
- long-term growth
- burnout or breakthrough
Most teachers choose a model by copying what they see on Instagram. That’s why they stay overwhelmed.
Choosing the right model isn’t about trends — it’s about energetic congruence: Does this model support the way you naturally create, teach, hold space, and rest?
When your business model matches your nervous system, clarity becomes natural.
The 4 Core Online Yoga Business Models
Below are four foundational models yoga teachers use to grow online. We’re keeping this simple and tactical so your nervous system can actually relax and decide.
1️⃣ Membership Model — Community as Currency
Definition: A recurring monthly space with live classes, recordings, themed journeys, and/or trainings.
Energetic Meaning: Heart chakra energy — connection, devotion, rhythm.
Energy Output: Medium to high — consistent nurturing, planning, and engagement.
Customer Journey:
- Discovers you through a free class or post → “I like her energy.”
- Joins your membership → finds consistency and community.
- Ascends into retreats, advanced trainings, or higher-touch containers.
Best For You If: You love community, routine, and holding space over time.
2️⃣ Coaching Model — Transformation Over Transaction
Definition: 1:1 or group coaching where you guide clients through a specific transformation (healing, clarity, business, confidence, etc.).
Energetic Meaning: Solar plexus energy — leadership, confidence, empowerment.
Energy Output: High, but focused. Deep work with fewer clients.
Customer Journey:
- Finds you through your quiz, a podcast, or a free call.
- Joins your 6–12 week container.
- Experiences deep transformation and moves into your mastermind, advanced container, or retreat.
Best For You If: You’re a natural mentor, guide, or space-holder in intimate settings.
3️⃣ Class Model — Teaching as Transmission
Definition: Drop-in or recorded yoga, meditation, breathwork, or movement classes.
Energetic Meaning: Root chakra energy — foundation, stability, practice.
Energy Output: Medium — steady output every time you teach; more scalable when paired with a funnel.
Customer Journey:
- Takes one class → feels safe, seen, and inspired.
- Becomes a regular student.
- Upgrades to class packs, circles, or memberships.
Best For You If: You’re newer to online business or you love the rhythm of teaching as your foundation.
4️⃣ Monthly Circle / Group Model — Sacred Space, Shared Growth
Definition: A recurring circle, gathering, or group focused on healing, spirituality, yoga philosophy, embodiment, or business.
Energetic Meaning: Sacral chakra energy — connection, collaboration, co-regulation.
Energy Output: Medium — requires presence + facilitation, but less content volume than a full membership.
Customer Journey:
- Attends a free workshop or special event.
- Joins your monthly circle.
- Receives support and connection, then naturally evolves into membership, retreats, or coaching.
Best For You If: You’re a space-holder at heart and love conversation, reflection, and relational growth.
Not Sure Which Model Fits You?
Discover your Sacred CEO Archetype and get your 30-day Success Plan:
Coaching Moment with Carla
“Your business model isn’t your identity — it’s your rhythm. When your rhythm matches your nervous system, momentum becomes your natural state.” — Carla Cline Thomas
Most new yoga teachers aren’t actually confused — they’re overwhelmed. They don’t lack passion; they lack direction. They don’t need more ideas; they need a model that feels like home.
What your students need from you (and what you need from yourself) is:
- Clarity about how you serve.
- Confidence in your direction.
- Consistency built from rhythm, not pressure.
This is why choosing your business model is one of the most regulating decisions you can make. Clarity creates safety. Safety supports visibility. Visibility fuels momentum.
Soul Energy Activation™ — Energetic Yes, Energetic No
Use this simple nervous-system practice to feel it before you commit:
- Sit tall with your feet on the ground. Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly.
- Inhale deeply through your nose for 4 counts, exhale completely through your mouth for 8 counts. Repeat this for 8 to 11 rounds.
- Bring one business model that to mind at a time (membership, coaching, classes, circles).
- Notice your body’s response:
- Chest tightens → likely a “no” for now.
- Belly softens → your system feels more “yes.”
- Shoulders release → your body feels safe exploring this path.
This week's Affirmation:
“The business model I choose breathes with my energy. I allow myself to align with the path that feels honest, sustainable, and authentic.”
Discover your Sacred CEO Archetype and get your 30-day Success Plan:
Soul Challenge — 7-Day Model Clarity Sprint
- Days 1–2: Choose the model that gave you the strongest somatic “yes.”
- Day 3: Build one simple offer aligned to that model (no perfectionism).
- Day 4: Share it publicly — email, social, text your people.
- Day 5: Ask for honest feedback from at least three students.
- Day 6: Run your T.A.D.A.™ loop — Track, Analyze, Decide, Adjust.
- Day 7: Refine, repeat, and celebrate what you learned.
Tag me @carlaclinethomas and use #SoulBizBlog so I can celebrate your clarity and courage.
Final Words — Your Business Model Is Your Frequency
Choosing your business model isn’t just a strategy decision — it’s an energetic one. The right model doesn’t drain you, confuse you, or push you into constant pressure. It feels like breath. It feels like truth. It feels like your next becoming and a great remembering.
You don’t need to figure this out alone. Start with clarity about your energy, your leadership style, and your natural rhythm.
Take the 90-Second Yoga Biz Energy & Clarity Quiz →
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