Your Guide to Yoga Studio Safety (And How To Prevent Similar Accidents)

There are over 100,000 yoga teachers in the US. But yoga teacher training is not where the lessons end. You also learn a lot of lessons when you teach in yoga studios.

Although yoga teaching takes practice, you cannot afford trial and error when it comes to yoga studio safety. When a student comes to a yoga class, they are essentially entrusting you and the space. So, what can you do to make sure it is safe?

Common yoga studio accidents include yoga class injuries, slips, and falls. You could also end up with a claim if someone gets injured. Read on to learn everything you need to know about yoga studio safety and how to protect your students and volunteers.

Know Your Students

People of all levels can walk into your yoga studio. It is not enough to ask if they have done yoga before or if they have any injuries. It is also essential to tailor your class to any limitations.

Being able to adapt your practice to help prevent injuries is important in maintaining a healthy exercise plan for all. For example, a study found specific postures can lead to fractures for those with osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Know the poses and modifications for what you plan to teach. Ensure you keep an eye on any students who have injuries, and be sure to adjust students if they are not in the pose correctly.

The easiest way to ask for injuries is at the beginning of class. You can do this when students have their eyes closed if someone feels uncomfortable disclosing in front of others. Alternatively, you can include a health questionnaire when someone signs up for classes at your yoga studio.

Safe Yoga Studio

No matter what your teaching space is like, you need to keep it tidy to prevent injuries. Have an area to store equipment that is not obstructing any walkways. Also, be sure to clean up any spillages immediately.

It can be challenging with a hot yoga studio as students can sweat a lot. Encourage students to bring towels and provide cleaning products to sanitize mats after class. Slips and falls are one of the top personal injury claims.

Some yoga studios also ask students to provide their yoga mats for safe hygiene practices. Whatever you decide, have a consistent cleaning routine that meets hygiene standards. You do not want students to receive dirty mats or practice in a messy yoga studio.

Quality Equipment

Provide yoga equipment in your studio to help students keep safe. This could include knee padding, straps, and blocks. The equipment allows students to move into poses without sacrificing form.

Regularly inspect any yoga studio equipment to avoid injury risk. Your yoga studio should offer more than a home yoga studio. Provide good quality equipment to show you care about your students and their safety.

Clean the equipment after each class. Update any equipment that breaks. Frayed straps or cracked blocks can quickly lead to injuries in classes.

Class Sizes

It can be an exciting time when your yoga classes gain traction and students keep returning to your classes. They may have begun by simply searching ‘hot yoga studios near me’ or ‘yoga studios near me,’ but it is a positive sign when they return.

However, it is essential to keep a realistic number on how many students can attend your class. You need to hold space and care for each student in the class, which can become problematic if it is overcrowded.

An overcrowded yoga studio can also lead to more injuries if students are incredibly close together. There is also the risk you miss students who are not in the correct position, and they may get injured.

Check if there are any capacity limits for your yoga studio. If there is not, make your own. Another solution is to have two yoga teachers in the class to focus on adjustments.

Class Level

Between 2001 and 2014, there were around 30,000 yoga-related injuries in the US. Yoga continues to grow in popularity, with many people from all backgrounds trying yoga. So, it is likely that injuries will grow if students try classes too advanced for them.

It is important to know individual student limitations, but you also want to pick the correct class level. There is no point in doing an advanced ashtanga class if most students have never tried yoga before.

The best solution is to hold classes that cater to different levels, reducing the chance of injuries. However, there are usually students who will attend different levels anyway. Always offer modifications and adapt the class if you feel it is too advanced for the students.

Documents and Insurance

Ensure your yoga studio has the proper permits for your area and state. Also, be sure to purchase the correct insurance in case an accident does occur in class. There are different insurances available, with some focused on specific businesses, such as gyms.

You can take prevention steps, which reduce the chance of accidents, but sometimes accidents happen. However, you can be prepared with accident insurance to prevent more damage from occurring.

There are many reasons why you need accident insurance. For example, accident insurance helps cover costs if someone does get injured at your yoga studio. This means your policy would cover the out of pocket medical expenses related to the students’ injury.  The accident policy keeps claims off of your general liability policy and further helps keep costs down for you as the business owner.

Get Yoga Studio Insurance

Now you know some steps to improve your yoga studio safety. If you take these safety steps, you will feel confident, and students will feel supported. Prevention is key, so ensure your yoga studio is safe from the beginning with the right accident insurance.

pomi is here to help your yoga studio with the best insurance options. Have peace of mind that your yoga studio will be covered with our help. Contact us today to get started.