27 Dec KRISHNAMACHARYA MARKETING GURU JUST LIKE IN THE PAST…

If you’ve been in the Yoga community long enough, chances are you’ve heard chatter over the pros and cons of the Yoga Social Media Pose.

Are all the Yoga pose posts on Instagram and Facebook good for Yoga, or is it an exploitation? Is it a negative commercialization of Yoga?

Back in the day, yogis and gurus obviously didn’t pose for photographs. They did, however, hit the streets to show their craft. One could argue that their purpose was not to gain fame, nor even to attract new students, rather they only wanted to showcase the power of Yoga and gain respect for their teachings and practice.

One could also say they were marketing and advertising themselves in the streets because they did indeed gain new pupils to their school and they did get people to try Yoga.

They were just using the available tools at that time, to spread the word.

One such Yogi as Krishnamacharya 1988-1989 considered as the father of modern yoga and one of the most influential yoga teachers of the 20th century. Krishnamacharya, like many yogis, was known for amazing, near magical body control, called Siddhi. In the streets among a crowded audience, he would close his eyes and ask people to feel his pulse. His pulse would fade until it disappeared. There was no pulse at his wrist or neck and absolutely no breath. Krishnamacharya maintained this state for a couple of minutes.

Call it convincing the public of the power of Yoga, or call it great marketing, may the debate continue.

One thing is certain, modern Yogis will keep posting Yoga Poses, viewers will click Like, and this little ritual will keep yogis doing what they do. If anything, it is one of many exposures that will draw a larger audience to the world of Yoga.

Instagram and Facebook are the biggest platform that as Yoga Teachers we use to promote ourselves. I believe there is nothing wrong with that, as long as there is a Real teacher behind that post, behind that beautiful Yoga pose in an exotic place. And Just with time you can confirm that reality. Make sure to have a true message when you do your post, make sure people will know who you truly are.

It is not a secret that more consumers are buying goods and services based on what they see in their instagram feed.

The shift is happening for good reason, and it’s forcing us to adapt.

Believe it or not, it is working and there is nothing wrong with that!! A picture might be worth a thousand words, but in the world of yogis on Instagram, a photo could mean a whole new career. Over the last 2 years yoga enthusiasts have flocked to instagram to document their perfect planks lunges and Handstands. As the movement grows at an exponential rate, so do the business opportunities.

I believe that is just as it was in the past with Gurus and Horal Tradition, we just have now amazing tools to promote ourselves and to create community through social media as well as in a Studio where you hold your regular Yoga classes.

Of course, not everyone is a fan of yoga in social media and I firmly believe you CANNOT learn yoga through pictures or 15 second videos, not at all!!

I won’t be teaching on social media, just wanna inspire. If you wanna learn Yoga, better go to classes.

By Carlotta Castangia