Rachel Scott on Teaching, Training, and Growing in Yoga

The Healing Years in Vancouver

In 2003, I got married and moved to Vancouver, Canada, where my life pretty quickly fell apart. Newly divorced, in a new country, and emotionally raw, yoga created a very important space for self-reflection and healing.

Exhausted by the auditioning and rejection of the acting world, I became increasingly drawn to the personal and spiritual work of yoga. I had started working in the yoga business back in NYC to put myself through my yoga teacher training, and was hired to work for a large corporate yoga company in Vancouver.

I became the Director of Teachers College for YYoga, where I created their 200-hour yoga teacher training program and oversaw the development of their CE programs.

Back to School

Though I was having a great time in my role, I became increasingly aware of the gaps in my knowledge. I had pretty much hacked my way through creating a 200-hour program, and I knew there had to be a more efficient way to create education.

Also, I was very interested in online course development and wanted to understand how to structure and create online programs. So I went back to school to earn my MSci in Instructional Systems and Learning Technologies. While earning a master’s while working full-time wasn't easy (there were a lot of 6 am mornings studying at Starbucks), a new vision for my future began to form. I knew that I had a good brain for organization, and I began to see a path where i could leverage these

skills to help more organic-minded studios and teachers develop and structure their own educational programs. I wanted to help other yogis ‘catch lightning in a bottle” and turn their passion into well-designed education.

The Crossroads

Now I faced a new challenge: do I stay in my amazing, secure job with my wonderful community? Or do I branch out as an entrepreneur with all its risks and uncertainties? Adding stress to this choice was that I was looking into options for becoming a single mom and I didn’t want to leave my job and lose maternity leave.

I had also been experiencing some tension in my job, to which some readers may relate: when you are an employee, everything that you create belongs to the company. I had been putting my heart, soul, and hard-earned yoga and educational knowledge into a company for their benefit, but if I left, I would have nothing to show for it.

My boss at the time also didn't really see the point of keeping me around. After all, hadn't I already created the YTT programs? She could pay someone else less to manage the programs now that the creation was done. After a few failed pregnancy attempts and some earnest soul-searching, I decided to move forward from my motherhood dream and I left my job.

My Message to Founders

Stay close to your WHY. Don't rush. Build something that reflects you, not what you think you're supposed to build. If you're in service, your work will be fueled by purpose, not pressure.

Lessons I've Learned

My yoga business started with investing in myself. I have put a lot of time and money into my own education, both in yoga as well as for earning my Masters. I continue to study to this day and am usually enrolled in some kind of online yoga course. Though I know it can feel risky to drop thousands of dollars on one's own education, my experience has been that self-investment is always worthwhile.

My early struggles as an actor taught me grit and hustle. Roles weren't handed to me, approval was vicarious, and I had to keep going through rejection after rejection. In those days, I spent a lot of time and money investing in classes and productions to improve my skills and follow my vision.

These experiences taught me to be scrappy, which is an invaluable skill to cultivate when you're going out on your own. It's important to know if you're someone who prefers to work for a larger entity (like a studio) where there is more stability, or to make work on your own. For me, I like working hard and prefer to be the direct beneficiary of my own work. Most of my sales come through Google Search (people looking for YTT support) and through my YouTube channel. I am a big fan of organic marketing (if you put well-written and helpful tools out there, you will create your community over time) rather than paid marketing (beyond boosting posts or the like).

I hired a marketing firm that charged a mint and was completely ineffective. I'm sure that there are some good common-sense uses of SEO and hashtags that will help you out, but don't get obsessed about marketing. Consistently provide value over time.

The most important shift in my mindset occurred when I realized that rather than trying to "sell stuff’ or "get clients,” I wanted to be “of service.”

Being of service to others connects me to a deeper purpose and helps me to show up in my relationships looking to add value rather than get paid. While it's of course important to be compensated, I initially found it too easy to fall into a scarcity mindset.

When I shifted my POV to service, marketing felt a lot more authentic because I was focusing on what I could provide to others.

Also, a service mindset has given me the freedom to give away a lot of knowledge and content for free (my YouTube: rachelscottyoga and at rachelyoga.com), which has helped create trust and credibility. Businesses take time to build. Stay connected to your deep "WHY": how does your business help you to be of service? How does it help you personally to realize and express who you are?

And what can you do to stay in a space where you continue to be fed by your vision?

When we act in alignment with our deepest values, we are renewed by our work and have energy for the marathon. It's great to pause and ask yourself, "how does my business serve my life and who I want to be?" and to re-adjust your vision as needed!