by Amanda Kingsmith | Oct 24, 2016 | Blog, Business, Lifestyle
For those of you who have been following along since the beginning, we are back with another exciting of M.B.Om!
For those you who are new to the podcast – welcome! I’m so excited that you’ve found M.B.Om + that you are keen to master the business of yoga with me.
The break I took after season 1 was much needed after the whirlwind that was the amazing first season of M.B.Om. It gave me time to re-calibrate and figure out where M.B.Om is going. My vision for what this platform will be is so much bigger than just the podcast, and while I’m excited to get there, I’m also loving the podcast. I learn alongside each and every one of you, which is the coolest part! So we are back with another exciting season that I can’t wait to share with you.
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by Amanda Kingsmith | Oct 23, 2016 | Blog, Business
I had the pleasure of doing a weekend long workshop with Amy Ippoliti at my hometown yoga studio in Canmore, AB in 2015. I was captivated by her spunky teaching style, and her knowledge of both yoga asana and the physical body. I watched her help people get into poses they had never been able to do, and I witnessed people feel poses in their body in a whole new way. It was inspiring, and as I watched her work her yoga teacher magic, I thought to myself, “I want to study with this woman someday”.
I have yet to study with Amy, but reading her book, “The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga” felt like a step in the direction of gleaming a bit more of her yoga wisdom.
When I heard that Amy had co-written (with Taro Smith) a book on yoga AND business, I was elated. Everything she talks about in her book is the exact reason why I started M.B.Om. Since I began my journey as a yoga teacher, I’ve felt as though there is a massive disconnect between teaching and the business of teaching.
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by Amanda Kingsmith | Oct 15, 2016 | Blog, Business
What is eCommerce?
eCommerce is the term which refers to any transaction made online. Of course, as many of you will already know the most popular example of eCommerce is online shopping. Online shopping is defined as the buying and selling of either products or services online. However, eCommerce isn’t just about online shopping, there are actually other forms of eCommerce which could come in handy for any business you want to run online.
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by Amanda Kingsmith | Oct 1, 2016 | Blog, Business
I’m on several different Facebook groups, I even run a few. Connecting with other people in the industry is a passion of mine. Some of the online groups are geared towards yoga teachers while others are geared towards yoga studio owners. I’ve left many of them or blocked seeing members posts because of one thing: negativity between studio owners and teachers. Running a yoga business, whether someone is a teacher or a studio owner, already comes with it’s own fears and challenges and the last thing I want to subject myself or my business to is negativity.
How does the yoga industry get here? Aren’t we all supposed to practice ahimsa? Fortunately, I am blessed to have great teachers, but I have also hired some “bad” ones. There’s been teachers that used the studio without asking, let people come to class for free, didn’t honor their commitments, lied to myself and students, didn’t show up for their class, and frankly didn’t understand that the studio is for the benefit of the students not the teachers. I’ve also heard or met horrible studio owners, ones that: never paid teachers, changed pay, lacked communication skills, and some that were flat out jerks.
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by Amanda Kingsmith | Sep 26, 2016 | Blog
“The mystery and challenge of yoga is that much is discovered through a rigorous physical practice, yet its greatest power lies beyond the realm of the body. Yes, at its most basic, yoga is a series of physical poses, but a practice aimed solely at physical thresholds is limiting. You might be strong, or flexible, or able to stick a beautiful handstand in the middle of the room, and that’s fulfilling and impressive on one level, but ultimately, so what? I love the feeling of being strong and in shape as much has anyone else. But as I’ve learned, it’s incomplete. Having a masterful yoga practice is about creating a whole new paradigm for yourself as human being – not just a human body. The work you do on the mat facilitates your whole life.”
I had seen a few posts on Instagram about Baron Baptiste’s “perfectly imperfect” and how good it was, but I wasn’t sold. I have never done a Baptiste training, and I had it in my mind that the training was overpriced and pretentious. I was browsing a book store in NYC and came across “perfectly imperfect”. I was struck by the branding on the outside, and after reading the inside flap of the book, I decided to give it a try.
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