How to Name Your Yoga Business

Tips for choosing the perfect name for your yoga business

Creating a name for your yoga business is such an exciting and creative project. It’s one of the first steps to beginning your yoga business and creates the foundation for your ‘brand’, so it does require some personal reflection and strategic planning.

Watch the video below or scroll down for all the transcript notes and questions for reflection.

How to name your yoga business

Naming your yoga business often begins as a deeply personal project, but your name also has to transcend the personal and be relatable and memorable for your potential students. This is why it’s really useful to take some time to ask yourself a few key questions and then reach out for some public collaboration.

So, before you land on a name, I have a few tips, key questions, and areas to consider when naming your businesses that I hope helps you in the creative process and leads to great success!

(note, we also go on a wee tangent about social media vs websites – I hope you find it illuminating!)

1) What Are Your Core Values and Vision?

Tip: Choose a name that aligns with your core values and the business’s unique vision will feel authentic and resonate with clients.

Questions:

• What values or qualities do you want your business to represent?
• How does your vision for the future of your business influence the type of name you want?
• Will you be a locally focused business, do you want to grow to a national or international business, do you want to start with prenatal yoga and then build up to postnatal yoga, kids’ yoga, family yoga etc.?

 

2) Who is Your Target Audience?

Tip: Consider names that appeal directly to the intended audience, whether it’s beginners, experienced practitioners, specific age groups, or a particular group of people (athletes, corporate, prenatal, etc.)

Questions:

• Who do you want to attract to your yoga classes?
• What kind of language or style would resonate with this group? Casual or quirky, traditional or esoteric, businesslike and profession?

 

3) What is Your Style or Specialty

Tip: If you specialize in a particular type of yoga or you have a specialty or niche approach, a name that hints at this can set clear expectations.

Questions:

• Are you offering Vinyasa, Yin, or perhaps accessible yoga? How could a name reflect this?
• Do you focus on elements like mindfulness, strength, relaxation, or healing?

4) Where is Your Business?

Tip: Decide if you want the name to reflect your local community or if you’d prefer a name with broader appeal.

Questions:

• Is the business local or community-focused? Would including a geographical reference be helpful?
• Do you want to expand in the future, or move, or travel for a few years and teach, and would a localized name limit that?

5) Keep It Simple and Memorable

Tip: Short, clear names tend to be easier for people to remember and share. Consider that some Sanskrit words are hard for people to remember and spell.  As well, combining words might cause confusion, especially in a domain name or social media handle – like Yoga + Anna making Yogaanna, or the + energy + yoga making Theenergyyogi.

Questions:

• Is the name easy to pronounce, spell, and remember?
• Could a potential student understand it’s a yoga studio or yoga business based on the name alone?

6) Check Availability

Tip: Research to make sure the name isn’t already in use to avoid legal issues and ensure brand uniqueness.  There are some yoga names that are quite overused, so do a bit of research to find out what names are in use in your community already, and how you can differentiate your business.

Questions:

• Have you checked if the business name is available to register with your state or federal business registration? In Australia check with Register.business.gov.au
• Have you check if the business name is available on social media and as a web domain?
• Are there any trademark or registration conflicts?

7) Brainstorm, Collaborate, Take Your Time

Tip: Sometimes you’ll land on a name that feels magic for you, but others can’t relate to.  Sometimes names grow on you, while others don’t feel right after a period of reflection.

Try not to get bogged down if you are having trouble deciding. Set your names aside for a spell and return, or put your ideas out to family, friends, and (this is important!) people who might be your target demographic and get their feedback.

Questions:

• Have you tried saying the name out loud, imagining it on a website or logo?
• Have you shared potential names with trusted friends or potential students to gather feedback?
• Consider doing a contest with potential students to win some free classes in trade for being part of the naming process? Make it a fun and collaborative experience and your students will get invested in your business!

8) Where might I draw ideas from?

Is there something unique about your location, area, teaching style, or your focus or philosophy as a teacher that you think you could highlight?

Consider:

• Your name: Yoga with Heather, Yoga with HeatherA, Flow Yoga with Heather, etc.
• Your yoga style or niche: Dynamic, Flow, Gentle, Vinyasa, Hatha, All Bodies, Inclusive, Family Yoga, Trauma Sensitive, LGBTQ Yoga, Yoga for Men, Yoga for Menopause etc.
• Something specific – for example where you teach or when you teach Sunrise Yoga, Park Yoga, Downtown Yoga.
• Your location: your city, town or suburb, the local landscape (mountains, beach), nickname for your area like Bush Capital Yoga (Canberra), Emerald City Yoga (Sydney).
• Points of reference: street name, a noticeable element (e.g. a brightly coloured front door), near a local landmark.
• Something unique about you: your background, languages, heritage, your curly hair, your favorite colour, your favorite animal, etc. (e.g. I  might use Silver Hair Yoga, or True North Yoga or something else Canadian-ish).
• How you want people to feel or experience yoga: relaxed, strong, self care, restored, mindful, growing, aligned, cozy, connected, at ease, etc.
• A yoga pose or concept: frog, tree, 8 limbs, up dog/down dog, half moon, non-harming/Ahimsa, friendliness/Maitri, lovingkindness/Metta, etc.

Double Check Your Name:

• You aren’t appropriating or disrespecting elements from another culture or tradition.
• You aren’t using a name that is already in use in your area.
• You can secure the domain and social media handles for this name.
• Your new name has room to grow if that is your aim.

Get Naming Your Yoga Business:

As I said above, naming your yoga business is a creative and exciting process, but keeping an eye on the legalities, the marketability, and how your potential students will receive and respond to your name area all areas to explore as part of the process.

I hope that these tips have been useful to help you to think strategically and creatively about naming your business and can help ensure the name you choose reflects your authentic identity and resonates with your future students.

A yoga name that connects you with your values, your vision, and your students is the ‘right’ name for your business!

Want some help in naming your business, building your marketing and branding, and getting your yoga business started on the right foot?  We can help!  Check out our Yoga Biz Coaching options here

Find more discussions on yoga business, philosophy, and yoga teaching skills on our YouTube channel here