With more and more people looking for natural health and wellness solutions, there’s never been a better time to teach Qi Gong! As a Holden QiGong Certified Teacher, you’re in a unique position to share tools and practices that truly empower your students. However, in order to share your knowledge, you need to be able to attract students and grow your Qi Gong teaching business. 

Fortunately, there are a lot of proven ways to connect with students and spread more Qi. In this blog post, we discuss five key elements for growing your Qi Gong teaching business. 

You’ll notice that some of these elements relate to ‘internal’ steps you can take to connect with more students. Others have more to do with ‘external’ strategies and actions. Together, these recommendations can go a long way to helping you share the practice that we all love.

We hope these tips further empower you to spread more Qi!

1. Step into Your Power as a Teacher

Before you can fully succeed in attracting students, you must first cultivate an empowered mindset. 

If you’re just getting started with teaching, it’s normal to have feelings of doubt or insecurity at times. If you’ve ever had thoughts like “am I really knowledgeable enough?” or “why should people listen to me?” you’re not alone. In fact, many teachers experience thoughts like these, especially in the beginning.

The truth is, we all have wisdom and knowledge to share. If you’ve completed Lee’s Teacher Training Program, you have a unique set of skills and practices that can benefit the world. 

Instead of thinking about what you can’t teach, try to focus on what you can. Remember, most of your students aren’t experts. If you can share some basic practices and talk about the underlying philosophy of Qi Gong, you’ll make a deep and transformative impression on new students. 

You are worthy of teaching. You have valuable knowledge to share and your students are fortunate to receive your lessons. Step into that truth and it will become a lot easier to get in front of the classroom and teach others. 

2. Start Teaching Some Free Classes

Although Qi Gong is growing quickly in popularity, it is still not widely known. Therefore, many students will be wary of investing in classes without experiencing Qi first.

One of the best ways to create connections with new students is to offer free classes. Perhaps, consider teaching at a local park one or two days a week. Invite your friends and acquaintances and tell them that their first couple of classes are free. Once people experience the benefits of Qi Gong, they’ll be much more likely to become consistent, paying students.

At Holden QiGong, most of our students discover Lee through one of our free introductory offers like the two-week trial, YouTube videos, or our 5-Day Qi Gong Challenge. By providing positive experiences upfront, you can quickly build a loyal student base.

3. Build an Email List and Keep Your Students Updated

Once you connect with students, it’s important that you stay in communication with them. After all, if you’re going to invest time attracting students, don’t you want them to keep coming back for more Qi?

Once you start offering classes, be sure to give your students an opportunity to sign up for your email list. This can be as simple as passing around a clipboard and pen or leaving a sign-up sheet at the back of the classroom. If you’re offering classes online (i.e. Zoom), gathering emails is a must!

Once you have a small email list, start sending out a ‘newsletter’ to keep students in the loop on your upcoming classes and events. This step doesn’t need to be complicated. You can start by sending emails from your Gmail account once a month and then implement software tools as you grow.    

4. Teach to a Variety of Audiences

In the beginning, it can be impossible to know who is going to resonate with your message the most. To figure out which groups of people connect with your teaching style, you need to do a little experimenting.

When Lee was getting started, he taught Qi Gong at any business that would let him. In fact, Lee recalls teaching at a fitness center, a Jesuit retirement center, a summer camp for kids, and a corporate office all in one day. Talk about a variety of audiences!

When you teach, pay attention to how your students respond. Integrate their feedback into your lessons in order to continually grow as a teacher. 

The more groups you teach, the greater your chances of finding students who connect with your teaching style and come back for more Qi.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Charge Money

Many new teachers feel resistance to charging money for their classes. Often, this feeling is connected to the feeling mentioned above—the fear of not being “qualified” to teach Qi Gong.

When it’s time to start charging money, remind yourself that you’ve dedicated significant time and energy to become a Holden QiGong Certified Teacher. You are truly on the path of Qi and have valuable practices to share with the world. When you return to this truth, it becomes much easier to ask for money in return for the classes you offer. 

Additionally, when your students start paying for classes, there’s a funny thing that often happens. They value your lessons more than when they were free. This prompts them to pay closer attention and really focus on dropping into the experiences you facilitate.

Sometimes, teachers ask when it’s the best time to start charging for classes. 

Generally, it’s best to start charging after you’ve given them a ‘free taste,’ or an intro class, and before they’ve become too accustomed to free classes. It’s fine to offer free classes while you’re still in training, but once you’re certified, start charging students after their first couple of classes. It can be a small ‘per class’ fee, but try to set the expectation that your classes cost money.

At Holden QiGong, we’re grateful to each and every one of our Qi Gong Teachers! There are now more than 1,000 of you out there, and we’re so happy that you’re on the path of spreading Qi with us.