News

04/01/13

 

 On her new album Anna and the Cupcakes, Bari and band deliver 10 songs of infectious melodies that range stylistically from roots pop-rockers to blues to country-tinged kickers. On Anna, Koral serves up a tasty selection of songs & music and movement, including the title track about disappearing cupcakes, a scampering gingerbread man, (“Gingerbread Man”), a zooming rocket ship (“Rocket Ship”), and the poppy/happy cover of the folk-rock band the Avett Brothers’ “Kick Drum Heart,” among others. 

 

”The Best Music: Close your eyes while you bop to this CD and you might trick yourself into believing you’re at a folk rock concert and not in your toy-strewn living room!”- Nickelodean Parents Connect

At the bands popular live shows children may pop like popcorn, surf the waves, run like the gingerbread man and they may even learn to “jam with the band.” 

 

04/01/13

the White House

Hello friends! Hope this note finds you well.

This girl is on fire. :) I’m so excited to announce I will be doing music & kids yoga sets throughout the day at the White House Easter Event on the Great Lawn on April 1st. YAY! Cannot wait!

We also have other great gigs coming up including theaters in NJ and Westchester and NYC as well as JAZZ Fest, a special appearance at the Yoga Journal Conference in NYC and lots more.

We are meeting many new teachers & parents interested in Kids Yoga, thanks in part to my presentations on teaching yoga to children and my activity book that features kids yoga, music and movement.

Check out my Kids Yoga * Music *Movement Activity Book here.

03/10/13

Julia Kadarusman is an E-RYT 500 and founder/co-owner of Onyx Mind Body yoga and pilates studio.  As the lead for YAMA Talent’s Consulting Department, Julia specializes in helping yoga teachers and studio owners create powerful strategies that take them to their next level of success. 

 

She calls upon 20 plus years as a corporate marketer, brand and business developer at a top global entertainment firm to her work in the yoga business.

03/10/13

 

BRANDS

 

adidas, Anue, Hanes Hosiery, Lole, Gaiam, Ganesha Performance, MBT Shoes, Minute Maid, Montage Resorts, NESH, Shining Shakti, smartwater and Yoga Journal.


STUDIOS


Emerald Yoga, Jaya Yoga Brooklyn, Laughing Lotus NYC, OM Yoga, Real Pilates NYC, Savannah Yoga Center, Stone Center for Yoga & Health and Yoga Union.


MEDIA

Dakrasheta, Dr. Oz, flavorpill, Harper’s Bazaar, Hay House, Lionsgate, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, Pregnancy Magazine, My Yoga Online, New York Times, Random House, Exercise TV, Fit Vid and Veria Living TV.


EVENTS


Asia Yoga Conference

Athens Yoga & Pilates Symposium

Austin Yoga Festival

Barcelona Yoga Conference

Barcelona Pilates Convention

Being Yoga Conference

Bhakti Fest

Caribbean Yoga Conference

Dallas Yoga Conference

eca World Fitness

Floyd Yoga Jam

German Yoga Conference

IGNITE I Can Do It Conference - Hay House

Integrative Nutrition Conference

Iowa City Yoga Festival

Korea Yoga Conference

Mexico City Yoga Conference

Nantucket Yoga Conference

Texas Yoga Conference

Toronto Yoga Conference

Vancouver Yoga Conference

Vibhasana Yoga Conference

Victoria Yoga Conference

Wanderlust Festivals

Yoga at the White House

Yoga at the Great Lawn

Yoga Journal Conferences


 

03/10/13
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We are excited to announce that we've added another high flyer to our team, the oh-so talented Kate Conti of KC Public Relations. Kate will be handling our internal PR as well as those of our top clients. She is also available to help other yoga & fitness businesses in need of PR.

 

With more than 15 years of marketing and public relations experience most recently for The Sports Club/LA and Reebok Sports, Kate, is a natural, skilled communicator who delivers results. She combines in-depth knowledge & extensive media relationships in the arenas of beauty, health, fitness, and yoga, and, is committed to five-star service. 

More on Kate and KCPR:

 

Previously, Kate held several management roles at leading public relations agencies, including Cone Communications, Schneider PR, Kortenhaus Communications, and MS&L, where she represented brands including Atomic Ski, InterNutria, Circa Jewelry, Gillette, Mattel, Swiss Army, Mitchell Gold Bob Williams, Montage, Hasbro, Au Bon Pain, California Pizza Kitchen, KnowFat Lifestyle Grille, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin' Donuts, The Sports Club/LA-Boston, and Wellspace. In addition, she led the public relations in New England for Deloitte & Touche.

 

Kate currently resides in the South End of Boston, and spends weekends on Nantucket, Ma. and Stowe, Vt. In her spare time, when she is not securing stories for her clients, Kate enjoys practicing yoga, running, biking, learning to surf, skiing, traveling, dining out, cooking, reading magazines, and spending time with friends and family.

 


01/31/13

 Learn from YAMA Talent visionary & founder, Ava Taylor, and YAMA Talent Consulting expert, Julia Kadarusman, how to approach and improve your earnings as a yoga teacher.


 TELESEMINAR

 

Saturday March 9th, 3PM-4:15PM
$25 Early Bird Registration, $30 After March 8th
Dial in from anywhere in the world!

 

If you are frustrated as a yoga teacher with your total earnings for 2012, and don’t know how to go about increasing your revenue for 2013, then this teleseminar is for you! 

 

If you want to earn more by making subtle shifts and understanding the hidden obstacles that are in your way, this teleseminar is for you.

 

Many yoga teachers struggle with learning how to live at their highest (and happiest) financial potential.  In response, we have distilled some of what we have learned as innovators about this valuable topic into an information packed session. In this teleseminar, we will outline:

 

  • The top 3 mistakes yogis make when approaching money matters
  • The top 5 strategies yogis can apply to improve their financial health
  • Best negotiating tips (talent perspective)
  • Best negotiating tips (studio perspective)
  • Thought provoking ideas to get you working towards your fiscal dreams
  • Overview of the latest non-traditional revenue streams for a yogi
  • Q&A

 

Register here, and you will receive, via email, a phone # and pin # to dial-in to the conference prior to the tele-seminar.  We will “meet” you there.

01/28/13

 

 

Since we run a booking agency, I am often questioned by potential clients & curious Yogi’s about how to break into the national conference and festival circuit. 

 

I typically start off by asking “WHY?”  I like to make sure that the circuit is actually something that is a necessary to your long term strategies toward your goals.  The national conference & festival circuit can be a stepping stone towards a larger piece of the yoga pie but it isn’t as glamorous or life changing as it seems (airports every weekend; long durations away from home.)  Conferences and Festivals usually don’t pay well until you are a very well known teacher and it takes awhile to break into that category to begin with.  It could take up to 2 years to secure a conference or festival berth.  Most events book well over a year in advance, so you’ve got to start pitching yourself NOW, knowing that you may not appear in the lineup until the following year.

 

I like to be very clear about what the reality of the circuit is and make sure that it is necessary.  Especially as there are so many career paths for a teacher to be successful & financially sustainable these days.  National events are helpful but certainly not the “be all end all.”

 

10 years ago – owning a studio was what everyone thought the next logical step in growing a yoga business was, now it’s being on the circuit and it simply isn’t true.

 

I reached out to some of my contacts who are bookers at high profile events, and asked them “what they are looking for in a new presenter?”  Here is what they said:

 

1      Presenters who are “different.”  Which to me DOES NOT mean that you need to create some “yoga slash surf-scuba-zumba-lates,” though fun unique innovative types/applications of yoga DO get noticed, and bookers DO need to mix up the offerings.  Different can also be in the conversation that you are going to have with your students.  We can assume at this point that if you think you and your message are seasoned enough to teach on the national circuit, you can also “innovatively sequence” with the best of them – so rather than focusing on the asana tell the bookers, what are you actually going to say.

 

2      Presenters who have referrals from distinguished teachers.  Kind of like applying for a job!  Does Seane think you are the “sh*&?”  Will she say so in writing?  Bookers are often making decisions based off of written materials only - so an awesome referral from a well established teacher can go a long way towards establishing your credibility and proving that you can actually do what you say you can.  

 

 

3      Presenters who can DRAW in the city where the event is being held.  Conferences & Festivals want to see that you can draw students – which means “get bums on yoga mats & sell tickets.”  To prove this point, you will need to highlight your attendance numbers;  which can either come in the form of large consistent class attendance numbers, or large scale yoga events that you have taught at.  Experience teaching large groups or on big stages goes a long way in the eyes of bookers who are creating large group yoga events.  (We are not fans of teachers being judged by how big their classes are – we prefer to look at retention – but for this specific type of work, you need to prove that people will actually show up to practice with you.)  You will also need to highlight the reach of your platform – which relates to your draw:

 

              How many Fans/Friends/Followers/Email Subscribers/Pins - do you have?   

              The assumption exists that the bigger your platform is, the more visibility the

              event will receive and the more tickets will be sold because  your name is on

              the billing.

 

If you are feeling queasy at this point – the National Conference & Festival circuit may not be for you. 

 

So now that you know what the bookers are looking for, here are some tips on how to pitch them!

 

1      Choose events that make sense for you – in cities where you have a relationship or have data that shows you can draw there. 

 

2      Send great and simple materials.  Bookers are busy and receive a lot of inquiries.  Give them what they need:  referrals, platform stats, attendance stats and what makes you different!  Tell them a little bit about your signature teaching style and also what workshops you would like to do at their event.  Get specific and personal with the topics.  Tell them briefly what the workshop will feel like physically, what the conversation is you will have, and what the students will walk away with.

 

3      And, please, please please follow up!  Just because you sent the email once doesn’t mean that your work is done.  You have got to follow up and email them over and over and over again until you hear back.  Even if the answer is NO – tell me something, give me feedback.  But, you must be persistent.

 

4      Hire an agent :) or, an assistant to help you with the pitches, follow up and negotiating.  It’s nice to have a buffer between the events and yourself and also to have someone who is focused solely on this aspect of your career, once you’ve decided you really need it.

 

 

11/08/12

An apple a day keeps the IRS away.  Well, I wish it was that easy - but, as I rode home from applepicking last week with a big sack full of fresh apples, that old colloquialism about prevention popped into my mind.  "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," meaning do what you can to prevent injury NOW, rather than treating the symptoms and dealing with the repercussions LATER.  It's actually the true definition of wellness - and, part of the reason that we all practice yoga.  So, how 'well' is your business?

As a small business owner, it is often difficult to be able to look ahead at preventive measures for we often are caught in a cycle of reacting.  React - react - react, rather than think ahead and plan.  Great decisions are rarely made in a reactive state.  I urge you to look at what apples there are that you aren't eating - what systems & processes are missing, what tough conversations are you not having, what under performing employees are still on staff, what contracts are unsigned, what budgets aren't you looking at, what vacations aren't you taking, that are effecting the FUTURE health of your business?

I don't think mama was always right, but I do believe that taking preventive think forward measures now, will help minimize costly disruptions later.

Be well,

Ava