no $ in yoga; new attempt at survival

[Radharani]

I mentioned this below (in the thread Yoga with Horses), but - been through some major job changes lately.  Quit the detested oncology position the same day my step-mom died (October 30).  Still doing the Psychic line (in lieu of being able to legally practice Psychology due to licensing restrictions).  Meanwhile lost many of our yoga students due to poverty, just when we were starting to think it would really work out despite our bad location.  We were teaching a family of special-needs kids who were doing GREAT and then they had to quit due to medical bills.  Several other students dropped out due to lack of money or having to work additional hours.  

This has been quite a blow, as I had finally found my vocation as a yoga teacher after 36 years of practice, and had also hoped my partner would be able to quit his low-paying and dangerous construction job. We were quite confident, but given the economic reality in this town it appears that we probably cannot make a living teaching yoga.

SO - recently opened a new business, "Clean & Green by Design" which involves house cleaning with nontoxic products, and design services such as painting.  I consider it "karma yoga," and the great thing about manual labor is that you can silently chant japa while doing it!  So I'm enjoying the work very much and just really hope I will get enough business to pay the bills.  It has been slow so far and I have truly run out of other options...

We still intend to open our new studio (in the house we built) in June and we will continue to teach yoga on the side even if we end up having to do it for free!

[Bodhi Tree]

Way to improvise and be creative in your solutions, Radharani. The eco-friendly movement is the way to go, and your "Clean & Green by Design" sounds catchy, especially, I imagine, for upper-income Floridians. Target those rich, liberal households who want to help the Earth with their money!

Good luck, Godspeed, and keep the faith (stillness in action).

[mr_anderson]

good luck radharani! :-) I wish you all the best with your new venture.

[k123]

Hi Radharani

I think that is a fantastic idea and would definitely use that kind of service if I had the money and it existed on this side of the pond. I bet there are loads of people who will use it, and as you say it is great karma yoga.

All the very best luck with it!

[Radharani]

Thank you so much for your encouragement, my dear friends!  Bodhi, as a matter of fact, I have "targeted" that particular market in my latest advertising campaign, where I have postcards sent to the upper income homes in my city. Hopefully they will share your enthusiasm.  thanks again, everyone.

[adishivayogi]

sometimes on my days off ( i work 14n7) i will go stay in the woods the whole week without any food and come back suprisingly not very hungry. i feel if you're doing yoga or meditation all day food can be replaced(atleast in part at this stage) by prana

[Radharani]

quote:Originally posted by Gabe Miller

sometimes on my days off ( i work 14n7) i will go stay in the woods the whole week without any food and come back suprisingly not very hungry. i feel if you're doing yoga or meditation all day food can be replaced(atleast in part at this stage) by prana

Gabe, thank you for your contribution!  That's very interesting.  I do sort of wonder, though, what it has to do with this thread?  unless maybe you're saying, save $ by not needing food.  Actually food is the least of our expenses and we even grow some of our own.  Too bad that trick doesn't work for things like mortgage, taxes, etc.  

[lalow33]

Hi,

Have you ever thought of offering yoga packages on living social or amazon local?  It's a way to advertise and get some people in the door.

[Anima]

Hi Radharani,

That is a creative way to generate income-thank you[]

I also enjoy cleaning a lot at work, its a good way to stay focused and chant the Lord's name.

[Radharani]

quote:Originally posted by Anima Deorum

Hi Radharani,

That is a creative way to generate income-thank you[]

I also enjoy cleaning a lot at work, its a good way to stay focused and chant the Lord's name.

Dear Anima,
thanks!  Yes, one of the things I love about cleaning (and other manual labor, like shoveling horse manure, pulling up weeds, etc.) is that it provides such a great opportunity for chanting the Names.
But, this is an old post and unfortunately the cleaning business went belly up.

[Radharani]

quote:Originally posted by lalow33

Hi,

Have you ever thought of offering yoga packages on living social or amazon local?  It's a way to advertise and get some people in the door.

I was on Amazon Local for a while, also Google Adwords.  Have done lots and lots of advertising.  I think we are just in a bad location.  And, shortly after I set out to "manifest" my new studio on the beach, 3 new ones opened up there (one right next door to the building I had intended to buy!), and there are now about 10! they charge like $5 and offer childcare...  I did establish a nonprofit to teach on a donation basis but nobody was really interested.  Meanwhile I've had to go back into medical transcription and I'm also studying to get certified in medical coding, so don't have time/energy to teach anyway.  Actually it's been hard to even find time for my own practice!

[NoDogma]

If you're a interested in cooking and can come up with tasty stuff,  then a good idea is to open a vegetarian cafe. You can make it Yoga-centric. Yes, it is a lot of effort to operate a cafe and so you can keep it 'lunch only' like open from 11 to 3 daily and closed on Sundays. In this small town, a lot of places are closed Sundays and at least few restaurants are open only for lunch and they seem to do well. There is a veg chai house which is doing too well to be true although it is open something like 8AM-9PM.

Of course, the locality needs to have the kind of crowd which is attracted to such places.. a university town comes to mind.

[Radharani]

quote:Originally posted by NoDogma


If you're a interested in cooking and can come up with tasty stuff,  then a good idea is to open a vegetarian cafe. You can make it Yoga-centric. Yes, it is a lot of effort to operate a cafe and so you can keep it 'lunch only' like open from 11 to 3 daily and closed on Sundays. In this small town, a lot of places are closed Sundays and at least few restaurants are open only for lunch and they seem to do well. There is a veg chai house which is doing too well to be true although it is open something like 8AM-9PM.

Of course, the locality needs to have the kind of crowd which is attracted to such places.. a university town comes to mind.

thx for the suggestion - that would be a great idea for somebody who had the investment capital, and the location!  which we don't.  You know, in this little redneck hick town, nobody has even managed to keep an India restaurant open for more than a year or two; the locals don't like anything too "exotic," and vegetarianism, like yoga, is viewed as possibly satanic, LOL!  I've continued this story in my other thread, "Making Peace with the Psychic Job" if you're interested.