Growing a practice community
Create a place where people return, relationships deepen, and the practice becomes part of everyday life.
You’ve led events and have people who want to keep practising with you. Now there’s an opportunity to build continuity: a community where people learn, belong, and contribute.
This is also a rich next step in your development as a facilitator and leader.
Connect with your vision
Why would you like to grow a practice community? What do you hope it will bring to your life — and to the people who join?
Let that vision guide your choices about the gatherings you offer, the culture you nurture, and the energy you invest.
Resource: Your vision — recorded video
Clarify your intention
What kind of space are you creating? What can people expect when they join?
Be clear about the practice you offer and the intention behind it. Establish agreements around consent, confidentiality, and feedback. Address patterns that disrupt the practice, and stay responsive to what you learn.
Clarity helps people orient, participate, and trust the space.
Find collaborators
Perhaps there’s another SAS graduate you’d like to share leadership with. Or people who want to practise more often and are willing to help organise, host, and reach newcomers.
Invite people to contribute in ways they enjoy: welcoming participants, doing groceries, finding a venue, or helping with communication.
Choose collaborators with care and clarify responsibilities. Shared contribution deepens belonging and allows the community to grow beyond what you can carry alone.
Create a rhythm people can return to
Build on the connections already forming. Offer a regular evening, a monthly gathering, or a series that fits your capacity.
A reliable rhythm helps people make the practice part of their lives. Stay connected between gatherings, keep welcoming newcomers, and listen for what your community needs next.
Charge in a way that supports sustainability
We highly recommend charging for your gatherings. You’re developing as a facilitator and leader, and investing time, energy, and care in your community.
A healthy balance between what you give and what you receive helps sustain both your leadership and the field you’re creating.
Choose a price that values your contribution and covers your costs. A sliding scale can support accessibility. Multi-session passes can offer a lower price per gathering while encouraging people to commit to regular practice.
Deepen the practice — and your leadership
As your community develops, teaching becomes more essential. You’ll help people understand the foundations, develop their capacities, and enter greater depth together.
Consider offering a closed group where you teach the basics of TC and SL. Meeting with the same people over a series gives learning, trust, and relationships time to deepen.
Leading regularly will also bring challenges: low attendance, different experience levels, or difficult group dynamics. Our monthly leadership calls offer space to explore these experiences, receive support, and learn alongside other leaders.
Reach new people with TC
Collaborate on a weekend immersion
Consider organising a weekend immersion in collaboration with TC. Our wider reach can help introduce new people in your city to the practice—and to your local community.
We’ve seen how a weekend deep dive can strengthen relationships, deepen people’s enthusiasm, and support local communities to grow.
After the event, participants receive a follow-up email linking to the community map, where they can find your community and continue practising with you.
Invite people to a free TC online event
TC’s free online events offer an accessible first experience of the practice. Share them with people who are curious, and invite them to continue locally afterwards.
We’ll also feature your community’s details on our website so people can find you.
Help people find you locally
Choose a few ways to reach beyond your existing audience and make it easy for interested people to find your next gathering:
Eventbrite or Meetup
Create a local listing with a clear description of the experience, who it’s for, and how to join.
Flyers
Share invitations in cafés, yoga studios, community centres, and other places your potential participants visit.
Bring-a-friend tickets
Invite regular participants to bring someone new at a reduced introductory price.
Workshops in other communities
Offer a taste of the practice at Ecstatic Dance gatherings, tantric festivals, or other local events.
Eye-gazing events
Offer a simple experience of connection in a busy part of your city, with clear invitations and consent to participate.
Stay in touch
An email list, WhatsApp group, or Telegram channel gives people a simple way to hear about upcoming events and stay connected.
Ask permission before adding people, explain what you’ll share, and keep invitations regular enough that people remember you.
Resources to support you
Your vision
Resource: Your vision — recorded video
Session formats
Ideas for regular gatherings, closed groups, and teaching the foundations of TC and SL.
Challenges 101
Guidance for navigating low attendance, different experience levels, and difficult group dynamics.
Intention and boundaries
Support for clarifying your purpose and the agreements that help your community thrive.
Other strategies to grow your community
Practical ways to reach new people and stay connected with your audience.
Need support?
Ellen is here to support you. Come to an office hour with your practical questions, ideas, or leadership challenges.
There are two options each week: one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
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