Did I just want an excuse to geek out about how much I love teaching yoga? Absolutely.
Does this change the undeniable truth that there are specific, overlapping skills I possess that come in handy for both teaching yoga and performing media relations? Absolutely not!
How it all started
Vinyasa yoga has been part of my life since 2013. I began the practice as a way to “undo” the physiological and psychological effects of working at a desk on a computer. And, yes, it delivered far beyond my expectations. It changed my life.
During the early stages of the pandemic, like many folks, I found myself soul-searching hard. What big move was I going to make in my life? My best friend Ana encouraged me to sign up for a 200-hr yoga teacher training. So, as things began to open back up, I enrolled, and by November 2021, I was a certified yoga teacher.
I teach at a few places in the community, but my favorite style to teach by far is heated vinyasa. The studio I was trained in offers this style. It’s also in a strip mall and sells Lululemon. As a self-proclaimed ‘creative’, I never thought I’d ever teach at a yoga studio that feels so corporate, yet here I am, loving every chance I get to be there.
I’ve since learned that I thrive in high-expectation, structured environments. It’s within the structure that I find myself upholding these standards but also doing it in a way that is authentically and creatively my own. And, to this day, the best classes I’ve ever taught were at this studio.
Without further ado, 3 ways in which yoga teaching and Digital PR overlap…
Every detail impacts the experience. And, the experience matters.
In a 95-degree (Fahrenheit, lol) room, when you direct people to a 1-minute forearm plank, you can make or break the experience for students in so many subtle ways. Or, more directly, I can either torture students or bring them to a flow state (if you’re not sure what flow state is, read this, it’s a concept that’s incredibly important to me, and what I try to help students achieve through this experiential design).
Before each class, I design the experience: a philosophical theme, colors (love Hue lights), an explicitly timed playlist, and a sequence that all cohesively works together to create an energetic container that brings students to a higher state of consciousness and a closer feeling to bliss.
In media relations, the experience you provide the media is everything. That’s why it’s important to think of the details: what time of day I reach out, what I reference within the email, what font I utilize, etc. I’m also concerned with providing a pleasurable experience during the collaboration phase as well. I want a journalist or editor to have a nice time working with me. All these little details in media relations matter, just like in a yoga class.
Clear, concise, and direct language is a must.
Maintaining an experience that gets people to a flow state requires minimal, yet direct cues, that get yoga students from point A to point B with minimal confusion. When developing direct language and effective communication, I look to teachers like Yoga with Adriene. There are many reasons why Adriene is Youtube’s favorite yoga teacher, and her communication is definitely a key part of it.
These same principles are undoubtedly followed when writing a good, persuasive pitch email. In most cases, emails should be brief, direct with what it is asking/offering, and written in a friendly, yet professional manner.
Mindfulness, non-attachment, and acceptance are key.
This final point is more heady and elusive, but perhaps the most important aspect of all, because they are applicable to all parts of life, not just yoga and PR.
You see, just like pitching media isn’t easy, neither is teaching yoga in a public setting. In fact, it might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. For one, I have to really put myself out there, not just with the energetic container I designed and my teaching style but also show up unapologetically as myself. I have to accept that not everybody will like me. Regardless of how students might feel toward me, I must be responsible for them, building an environment of safety and trust.
Rather than clam up or be in my head about the implications of this, I must stay in the present moment, let go of any attachments to how I feel I should be perceived, and accept who I am at my core.
And, the same could be said of digital PR. Sometimes it’s tempting to worry about what a journalist might think of your pitch email or campaign (or even in this case, what a colleague might think of a blog post), but time is undoubtedly better spent moving forward anyway. That’s something I’ve never regretted doing.
Namaste, y’all.