Being an instructor or owner of a yoga studio is wonderful – you get to hold classes for people who are as passionate about yoga and living a healthy lifestyle as you. However, part of living a healthy lifestyle is protecting yourself from germs and bacteria, and the heat and sweat in every yoga class can put that healthy lifestyle in jeopardy. By enforcing these five policies in your yoga studio, you will be able to minimize the spread of germs:

  1. Take off your shoes. While yoga is most commonly performed without shoes on, take it a step further and don’t allow shoes onto the wood surface where the class is held. Shoes can drag in dirt, fecal matter, and other germs that will latch onto a person’s skin and make him or her sick.
  2. Bring your own mat. We’ve talked about this one before. Once germs and bacteria make their way into a mat, they can survive there for weeks to months. Combine that with the sweaty yoga studio environment, and yoga mats could be hazardous to your health. Make sure you ask students to always bring their own mats and store them in a durable yoga bag.
  3. Zero sickness policy. Many people try to soldier on when they are sick, which is commendable. But when it comes to a group setting like yoga class, it’s best to stay at home. Make sure you spread the word that your studio has a zero sickness policy to prevent the spread of germs to other students.
  4. Sanitize hands. Even if you do your best to make your studio a germ-free zone, there will still be a chance for catching germs. Put hand sanitizer near the entrance and exit of the classroom as well as in the bathrooms. Also, ensure there’s always antibacterial soap in all the bathrooms to eliminate the risk of getting sick. 
  5. Add cleaning to class time. Rather than saying namaste and packing up to go home, add cleaning to the end of your class. Ask people to wipe down their mats and the area they occupied during the class. Carving out that time will make more people take the necessary precautions for fighting back against germs.

By being more cognizant about germs, you can make your yoga studio a safe haven to keep your students healthy. For added protection, buy yourself a germ-resistant, durable yoga bag from our shop! We’ve always got germ protection on the brain, so we created our line of products with you in mind. Check them out here.