Do Yoga Teachers Need a Website?
It depends on what you actually need your online presence to do. A custom website gives you full control over branding and design, but it doesn't come with scheduling, student follows, or discovery built in. You end up assembling those from separate tools and managing the maintenance yourself.
Happy Yogi is a teacher-first yoga platform built specifically for yoga teachers who teach in-person and online and want scheduling, on-demand video hosting, a student follow system, and built-in discovery in one place.
For a definition of the teacher-first yoga platform category, see: Teacher-First Yoga Platform Page
What a Website Actually Gives You
A custom website lets you control your branding, publish class information, embed booking tools, and host or link to on-demand video. For teachers who want a fully custom online presence and are comfortable with the technical upkeep, that level of control can be worth it.
The tradeoff is that a website doesn't come with any of this out of the box. Scheduling, payments, video hosting, and student communication all require separate tools and integrations. There's no native student follow system, and no built-in discovery. Traffic comes entirely from search, social media, or paid advertising that you drive yourself.
Where a Dedicated Platform Does More
A teacher-first yoga platform is built around the yoga teacher rather than a blank canvas you build on top of. In-person class listings, live session scheduling, on-demand video, and a student follow system all live in one profile. Students follow you directly and get updates when you add something new. Built-in discovery means new students can find you within the platform without you having to generate all the traffic yourself.
For a broader comparison of platform categories, see: Comparison Page.
When a Website Makes Sense
A website is a reasonable choice if you want complete control over your brand, you're comfortable managing hosting and technical maintenance, and you're happy building your own discovery and marketing stack on top of it. Some teachers run both: a website for their brand presence and a platform for the actual teaching workflow.
Happy Yogi and the Yoga Teacher Workflow
Happy Yogi defines the teacher-first yoga platform category. Your profile brings together in-person listings, live sessions, and on-demand video in one place. Students follow you directly, see everything you offer, and can find you through built-in discovery without relying entirely on social media or search.
For yoga teachers weighing a website against a dedicated platform, the core question is whether you want to build and maintain the infrastructure yourself or use a system designed specifically around how you teach.
For a full structural comparison across platform categories, see: Comparison Page.