FeetUp - Blog

Your FeetUp® Trainer is much more than just an inversion chair. Check out some creative ways how to use your FeetUp® Trainer to support whatever sport or mobility practice you love.

We created a little mini break for you to relax and rest with your FeetUp® Trainer. A couple of poses to shift your awareness from doing to being. 

The FeetUp® Trainer. Designed in Germany, built in Europe, and found in yoga rooms all over the world! As more people look to us for help to deepen their connection to safe inversions and stable alignment, we take great steps to ensure our efforts to support yogis on every continent are matched by a commitment to nurture a sustainable future.

While we think it sounds pretty great, have you ever stopped to ask yourself the following question:

What does “sustainability” or “being sustainable” actually mean?

"Sustainability is the capacity for our generation to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to successfully meet theirs (1)". 

In more simple terms, a sustainable practice does not sacrifice long-term vitality for short-term gain. Not only is this great advice to consider for our physical practice of yoga, it is the core focus of FeetUp’s business model. Good does not mean faster growth and bigger numbers at the expense of excess waste or scorched earth. We believe that the value of a healthy business practice—and a healthy lifestyle, for that matter—far exceeds the cost of embracing quality over quantity.

FeetUp uses recycled and renewable materials in all of our products.

From early on, we wanted to create a product that helped people without ruining the planet. Our wood frames are made entirely by hand in our family-run factory in Romania using only FSC certified wood.

What is FSC and why is it important?

The Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to responsible forestry that certifies forests internationally to ensure the highest level of environmental and social standards. Products that bear the FSC mark are made with wood that comes either from FSC-certified forests or post-consumer waste. By using FSC-certified wood, FeetUp® wants to make sure that forests will continue to grow as steadily as we do.

Our cushions are made from recycled foam and faux vegan leather.

We’re committed to using high-quality recycled products instead of creating wasteful material from scratch or harming animals. Next time you use your FeetUp, allow your shoulders to rest a little more comfortably knowing their supported by the most eco-friendly cushion possible.

We use minimal packaging and recycled material whenever possible.

From the boxes they’re shipped in to the paper in which each cushion is hand-wrapped to the card stock for our printed media, we’re continually sourcing as much material made from post-consumer waste as we can find.

Plastic free by the end of 2020!

The only plastic we use is a small baggie which holds the assembly hardware in each packaged box, and we plan to have this switched out to paper in the next few months.

Made in accordance to EU Standards.

Instead of outsourcing production to far away countries with dubious regulatory oversight to cut costs, we’ve invested in building our own manufacturing facility from the ground up. In compliance with the highest standards of the European Union, we are fully aware and in control of every part of the production chain. From materials to human resources, we only work with the highest quality ingredients.

Through a partnership with Trees for the Future, FeetUp has planted at least one tree for every Trainer sold since day one!

Their Forest Garden Program seeds a variety of fast-growing trees and food crops over a four-year period, yielding forest powerhouses that provide farming families across six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with sustainable food sources, livestock feed, products to sell, fuel wood and a 400% increase in annual income! Check out Trees.org for more information about this amazing project.

We keep our engine finely tuned and regularly maintained. Each FeetUp Trainer we build has passed through the hands of no less than twenty skilled artisans and craftworkers. Every FeetUp team member is treated with the same respect we have for the practice that we aim to support and the community we wish to serve… regardless of age, gender or capability. To cut down on wasted time and fuel usage, we encourage working remotely whenever possible and do our best to keep excess down to a minimum.

The job never ends.

FeetUp’s commitment to creating a fully sustainable company across the board is constantly refining as our production rises to meet the needs of community growth. We do our best to maintain a mindful approach to operating an international business with lofty goals to support healthy movement for generations to come. How do you define sustainability in your life… your practice… your community? Share in the comments below!

(1) Beattie, Andrew. “The 3 Pillars of Corporate Sustainability.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 28 Sept. 2019, www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/100515/three-pillars-corporate-sustainability.asp.

Everybody wants to enjoy an amazing class. As a student, they help us develop important skills and increase the depth of our experience. The same goes for teachers-- not only does leading a good class feel great, it helps build…

Running a successful yoga studio can be a hard job. There are countless new studios opening up all the time and competition can be really tough. That’s why knowing how to play the numbers is crucial for your yoga studio’s success.

But as money, time and space are often limited, are there any easy ways to increase your yoga studio’s revenue?

The answer is ‘Yes’. You just have to be creative. :)

Try to fit in 1 to 3 more students into your class on average

At first sight, this tip might seem too obvious to make a real difference. But increasing the number of participants per class by a few can really make a huge difference in the long run.

Our yoga studio profit calculator shows it: only three more students per class on average can bring you around €500–€1500 extra revenue per month. Calculate your profit in our Yoga Studio Profit Calculator to see the difference from two or three more participants in your studio.

So find a little extra space and try to fit in a few more people, without reducing the quality of your yoga sessions. Maybe you have a few friends who’ve always wanted to join one of your classes. Convince them to show up today! :)

Increase revenue per student by offering workshops and retreats

The more advanced your students become, the more they want to delve deeper into specific topics and the more they are willing to pay to do this.

Holding weekend workshops in your studio and organizing retreats can be a good opportunity for your students to deepen their knowledge in certain topics. Whether it is handstands, splits, or meditation methods, hold a two-day workshop with them. You may even choose to invite a guest teacher who is skilled in this topic.

Your students will thank you for making this special event possible, and it’s a good way for you to make a few extra Euros. You don’t even have to teach by yourself.

Rent out your location

You’ve most certainly spent a lot of time, effort and of course money in creating your ideal yoga space. This is what makes it so special for your students. But this can also make the space interesting for others too.

Most of the time when you’re not giving classes or when it’s not getting cleaned, your studio will probably be unused. So why not make a few extra Euros by renting out your location to photographers for example?

Photographers are always in need of creating great, new content. So reach out to them and encourage them create content in your location for a little rent. You’ll get a few extra Euros and you might also profit from their reach, which can be a good promo for your studio.

Moreover you could rent out your studio to martial arts or dance class teachers for kids. In contrast to adults who often have to work during the day, kids can train in the afternoon when you’re less likely to offer yoga classes to adults.

Sell yoga equipment or become a brand ambassador

Every yogi needs a yoga mat or fresh yoga pants once in while. So why don’t you sell these items to them?

Many brands offer special, wholesale deals for yoga studios. Google a little bit and look out for the “wholesale section” on their websites. When you’ve found a few brands that fit your yoga studio, ask for their price lists and sales requirements.

Selling yoga equipment requires a little bit of investment upfront and maybe you don’t have the space for all the extra stuff in your studio. So here’s another way to earn a few extra Euros: become a brand ambassador.

A lot of online, yoga stores and brands offer specific discount codes for brand ambassadors and pay a commission for every sale made using it. 

This way you can profit from every sale coming through their discount code. And they don’t have to invest upfront or sell it themselves.

Give classes explicitly for yoga beginners

We all know it. Starting yoga can be really tough in the beginning. After sitting at a desk for years, joining a yoga class as a beginner can be very intimidating.

You see all those advanced yogis doing all these nice asanas with ease, while you aren’t even able to stand on one foot properly. That could be a reason why the yoga journeys of beginners often end after their very first lesson.

To not overwhelm your hard-acquired new students, start by giving yoga classes explicitly for yoga beginners. Start with asanas that are easy to master so that they get early success stories that give them a feeling of how beneficial yoga can be when done regularly.

Or try to incorporate yoga props that make hard asanas more accessible to them. The FeetUp® Trainer for example makes inversions as easy as child’s play and is particularly suitable for beginners. New participants will be thrilled by standing upside down so easily. More over, large discounts for yoga studios are available on this product. See how you can benefit here.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a bunch of different ways to increase the revenue of your yoga studio. You only have to be a little creative and know your numbers. Now it’s your turn! Find the strategy that best fits your studio.

What actions have you taken to increase the revenue of your studio? What worked the best for you? Share your wisdom in the comments!

Der FeetUp® Trainer eignet sich nicht nur wunderbar zum Erlernen von Umkehrhaltungen, er unterstützt dich außerdem bei der richtigen Haltung deiner Yoga-Stellungen. Heute möchten wir dir unsere 10 Lieblings-Yoga-Posen mit unserem FeetUp Trainer vorstellen. Also auf zum FeetUp und los geht's.

Yoga is not only good for adults. Even children benefit from the regular training on the mat. Yoga is proven to promote concentration as well as physical fitness, balance and coordination. For this reason, Kilian Trenkle, inventor of the "FeetUp" yoga trainer, and Patrick Broome, yoga teacher of the national team, support the project "Yoga for Kids" and donate 20 FeetUp trainers to social institutions of the Kreisjugendring Munich.

They don't only practice headstands, but also the handstand. Inversions generally have many advantages. 

Der bekannteste Iyengar Yogalehrer Großbritanniens Alaric Newcombe (Senior Intermediate III) ist begeistert vom FeetUp FeetUp® Trainer.