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EDITORIAL: Welcome from the President of NAMASTA

Studio owners, bodywork professionals, mind-body teachers, retreat organizers, wellness enthusiasts:
Welcome and thank you for subscribing to the NAMASTA Newsletter!.
Our activity is one of the few that didn’t have a unified and specialized trade organization that it could rely on for its professional needs.

Think of NAMASTA as a resource for you, an opportunity to enhance your business sense, get valuable tips on how to satisfy your customers better and keep them, and find the running of your activity less stressful and more rewarding while staying faithful to the ethics of the community.

We understand the economics of a business like yours. Although many of us in the field of mind-body shy away from the label "small business", this is essentially what bodywork practices, mind-body studios, schools, private classes and retreats are. The differences with traditional small businesses?:
- you have a very personal relationship with your clients;
- you often have little time, interest, or energy to invest into the "business" side;
- without a continental organization, your ability to access specific benefits and group discounts was limited until now.

That is why we have made a special effort to survey your needs and respond with the following solutions:
- a newsletter full of information. This issue is a sample of the type of information Newsletter readers get every few weeks.
- agreements negotiated at a national level with large organizations that can provide you with effective marketing tools, discounted health care, affordable legal services, wholesale supplies, minimal cost long distance and other services you may need for your activity. In many cases, these benefits can also be used for personal needs.
Although there is absolutely no commitment for newsletter readers to become members and for members to pay for anything besides the membership dues - only members do get access to these specific agreements.

NAMASTA’s membership dues for one full year are lower than the cost of one hour of business consulting and some of the services could help you save hundreds of dollars per year. By joining now, you won't miss out on the many benefits of membership. View the membership as an investment in your future!

We are committed to a socially responsible behavior. A portion of NAMASTA’s profits goes to fund scientific research into these disciplines and other causes of value to the wellness community.

If you would like more information on NAMASTA's services, please visit the Services Section of this website.
If you would like to become a member of NAMASTA, simply choose your membership level or directly click on the signup button at the top of this page.
You are of course welcome to call us toll-free at 1-877-NAMASTA (1-877-626-2782).


We sincerely hope you will enjoy this issue and welcome your feedback!

Kind regards,


Bernard Slede
President
NAMASTA

MARKETING: how to attract and retain clients cost-effectively
In this millenium, even for mind-body activities, e-mail communication is a part of how to stay in touch with your clients: new schedule, new teacher, new events, holidays, promotions . . .


A Direct Marketing Association survey showed that
58% of respondents saw increased revenues from e-mail marketing promotions. And MembersFirst, a company that sells services to large exercise facilities, says clients who used e-mail to alert parents about new childrens programs scheduled during vacation week saw a 38% increase in participation.
Traditional e-mail programs like Outlook or webmail services like Yahoo or MSN hotmail fail to do the job correctly. They don't handle volumes, are difficult to illustrate with graphics and you can't tell how many people actually saw your e-mails. Also, with simple e-mail programs, you can't manage permissions - for instance allowing recipients to seamlessly "unsubscribe" from your mailing list. This is a big deal as you don't want your e-mail to be unsolicited (spam).
E-mail marketing is invariably more effective and more cost-effective than other forms of marketing communications.
NAMASTA's newsletter itself is actually sent using an e-mail marketing system. There are many good online e-mail marketing systems out there that help you build a list or rent one and manage it without adding software to your PC.
After reviewing multiple e-mail management services available, we are presenting some of the key points you should pay attention to and which one we selected.

• Can you do everything yourself or do you need to pay somebody to design the e-mails?
  For instance, GE Marketing Network's system does not allow you to publish everything yourself and we feel it is priced for medium-to-large size entities. If you are looking for full service and have the corresponding budget, they are a strong contender. Telephone: 866.275.4376.
• Is phone support included?
  However skilled you are, we guarantee you will need some telephone assistance to build and manage your newsletter and mailing list. Microsoft's ListBuilder charges an extra $9.95/month for phone support on top of the $29.95/month service fee. Similarly, we found a provider based in Australia that doesn't appear to have a toll-free number for North American customers !
• Are you getting the
  opportunity to try out the service before you commit? Topica Email Publisher is feature-rich and allows you to send up to 10,000 e-mails for
  $24.95/month and gives you one month fre.e. Click here to get a free trial of Topica Email Publisher.

RETREATS: Keys to organizing a successful Retreat
There are many types of retreats: single focus, like Yoga, blends like Yoga and Tai Chi, and retreats where Yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi are one of many activities
offered. Here are some useful tips if you are organizing or considering to organize retreats.

• Price your services right: Susie Ellis, Senior Editor of Spa Finder magazine says the "best buys" section has generated tremendous online traffic at www.spafinder.com. To offer a perceived bargain, offer variety (see other tip), great customer service and keep your costs low.
• "Hold your retreats according to a regular schedule so people know when your retreats are", suggests Annalisa Cunningham, a member of the NAMASTA Advisory Board. Annalisa, who offers a substantial discount on her consulting services to NAMASTA members, says that the regular schedule allows you to build momentum. "You don't need to have 30 people signed up to hold a retreat" she adds. Annalisa Cunningham is the author of the authoritative Guide to International Yoga Retreats and also belongs to the Advisory Board of Healing Lifestyles & Spas Magazine.
• Keep your costs low. Use NAMASTA partner services lavishly as we have selected them for their low-cost and reliability - and they also contribute to NAMASTA. If you expect out-of-area clients, you should certainly consider using this low cost US long distance service, which will help you save hundreds of dollars over the course of the year: 2.7 cents/minute domestic, 15 cents to Costa Rica and only 49 cents a month for a toll-free number.


• Give enough advance notice. Tannis Kobrinsky, who organizes retreats that blend Pilates, Hatha Yoga and Gyrotonics (visit healthabitravels.com) says that "I plant seeds about upcoming retreats and journeys up to a year in advance, which piques potential attendees' interest, and allows time for information to reach the largest audience possible".

If you would like to learn more, get the personalized guidance of Annalisa Cunningham who recently published "How to Organize A Successful Retreat" a popular 8-week distance learning class. More info.

TRENDS: Pilates, Tai Chi and Yoga are the exercise activities with the highest growth

As mentioned in the Resources section of the NAMASTA website, there are few and conflicting estimates as to how many people actually practice a mind-body activity.

A recent study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association gives new numbers and shows that Pilates, Tai Chi and Yoga are by far the exercise activities with the highest growth.

According to that study, Pilates training grew 40% to 2.4M practitioners in the USA in 2001, while Yoga and Tai Chi combined grew 32% to 9.7M*.

As always, the statistics themselves should be used with caution, but the growth numbers are a clear confirmation that wellness activities are taking hold in North America.

Meanwhile, cardio kickboxing, step aerobics and fitness bicycling all receded by as much as 7% between 2000 and 2001, and gymnastics lost 17% to 5.6M participants.

Some will lament the fact that Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates are becoming mainstream and that the traditions may be lost or diluted as a result. What is certain though is that the professional community should be prepared to face more changes.

In the case where there is additional growth, the numbers will sharpen the competition between studios and gyms and may lead to accelerated franchising phenomena as has been the case in the world of fitness. If the growth wanes, mind-body professionals must equally be prepared with adequate cost control and marketing approaches.
In either scenario, NAMASTA hopes to provide you with insights to continue to grow in your profession.

*: Statistics: US population, 6 year or older, number who practice at least once a year.

COMPETITIVE EDGE: CPR training for mind-body staff
Most health clubs require that personal traing staff keep a current CPR certification. This provides an extra layer of safety for their clients should anything go wrong. For your professional activity, it may be a good idea to get CPR-certified or recertified. CPR classes teach you to call emergency services first (911 in the US), understand the signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest or stroke and the ABC technique:
- A stands for opening the airway;
- B for checking breathing and performing rescue breathing;
- C is for checking for signs of circulation and performing compressions and ventilations.
Rescue techniques for choking adults are also taught.

Possible actions:

• If you want to schedule CPR classes for a group of professionals, you can check your local directory for CPR classes or in the US visit the American Heart Association.
  
  
• Purchase a defibrillator.
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  RISK MANAGEMENT: are your contracts valid?
  In the course of our investigation on the topic of whether staff at studios, retreats or massage offices are employees or contractors (Special Report now available to Professional Members), we discovered that many mind-body professionals do not have the appropriate contracts in place for their particular situation and state:

  • waiver of liability
  • contract between facility and independent contractor
  • lease, etc...
  Two of the main issues with legal services are:
  • awareness: do I know whether I am doing things correctly with regard to corporate, labor and tax laws?
  • cost: can I really afford to pay hundreds of dollars for what could be a minor issue?
  In order to provide members and non-members with a cost-effective solution, NAMASTA has struck an agreement with a company listed on the Stock Exchange. The service starts from under $80/year and includes many free services such as attorney reviews of legal documents and individual consultations for new legal matters.
  
  For details, simply visit our services section.
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  HEALING: Using Reiki for TMJ by Laura Sadler
  
  
  Laura Sadler is a Certified Massage Therapist, Reiki Master and Yoga Instructor in Los Angeles. Laura became a healing arts practitioner after experiencing job related stress and from living with chronic pain due to sports injuries. In this article, she explains the healing power of Reiki, "a subtle yet powerful modality that can help alleviate stress, pain, and balance the body's energy". For more information contact Laura at 323.935.7569 or visit www.massagespirit.com..
  
  

  How A Young Woman Got Her Life Back
  
  When Maggie arrived for her first massage therapy appointment three months ago, I asked her my usual questions. How was her health? What did she want to focus on in the massage? She was extremely thin but otherwise appeared in good health. Then Maggie explained to me what she'd been going through, and I was shocked.
  
  A Problem of Complicated Proportions
  
  She told me that she suffered from Temporomandibular Joint disorder (TMJ) and hadn't been able to eat solid food for months. Temporomandibular Joint disorders and diseases are characterized by pain in the jaw and associated muscles, limiting the range of movement normally required for speech, facial expression, eating, chewing, and swallowing.
  
  Maggie had developed TMJ after undergoing an operation on her cervical spine. The surgeon had accessed the ruptured disc through the front of her neck and after the surgery her neck muscles began to spasm, ultimately manifesting the TMJ symptoms. Additional post-operative disorders appeared. Maggie experienced ringing in her ears (a condition known as Tinnitus) and developed Mastoiditis, which produced such profound dizziness that she was unable to work or drive for more than a few minutes at a time.
  
  Read the rest of the article at www.massagespirit.com.
  
  

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