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For all of its talk about enlightenment, balance, and equanimity, today’s yoga is very much a business—not that there’s anything wrong with that. After all, great teachers deserve a great following and a great deal of money that can support their time, patience, and willingness to touch dirty feet and sweaty bodies.

During my five years at Yoga Journal, I watched once no-name teachers rise to stardom and a healthy income. How did they do it? Well, that’s the question I get asked most often by instructors who are looking to take their business to the next level. The following is by no means a fail-safe guide—just a few paths to fame and a little fortune I took note of while I worked as Yoga Journal’s food, beginners’ yoga, media reviews, and travel editor.

1. Stick to a Tradition: Gaiam, bodywisdom media, Acacia, and all of the other yoga video distributors look at yoga styles as brands. As do many publishers, magazines, and producers. In many ways, it’s a marketing game that tries to sum up your work in one word or less. That’s the cynical way of looking at it. But there’s also a lot to be said for immersing yourself in a long tradition with a deep point of view that you can then share with your students. Not only will your studies take your practice far, but your students will see you as the real deal, someone to come back to week after week.

2. And Then Make It Your Own: Know one tradition (or two or three) inside and out, and then articulate your point of view. Case in point: Sarah Powers. The woman’s pulled together Buddhism, Yin Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and Traditional Chinese Medicine like they were woven together on the back of her hand. Albeit, it’s a lofty aspiration to create any kind of new yoga style or brand, and most people don’t do a very good job of it. Instead, take something like, say, Iyengar Yoga, and end each class with a sweet mindfulness meditation. In other words, little variations go a longer way than big ones, like, oh, Bikram-Yoga-meets-talk-therapy. Successful combos: Yoga and weight loss; yoga for computer users; yoga for athletes.

3. Become a Yoga Celeb’s Star Student: I hate to say it, but as with many industries, it’s all about who you know. Pick a master instructor within a certain style (think Anusara, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Restorative, or Yin) that really speaks to you, and follow them. Take all of their teaching certification classes, get to know them, and offer to assist their workshops. They should be instructors who have their own videos, write for a yoga magazine, teach at national conferences, or have written books published by Mandala, New World Library, Rodmell Press, and Shambhala, for example. Soon enough, they may be asking you to model in their books and videos, and assist their conference classes. Get in on a video—even if you’re in the background demonstrating poses—if the opportunity arises.

4. Model for Yoga Journal: Fill out Yoga Journal’s model audition application, email photos of you doing the required set of poses, and be patient. Editors hang on to each and every application, and revisit them throughout the year to pair up a story to an appropriate model. You’d be surprised at how few people audition, so your chances of passing the test are pretty good. You have to have a great yoga practice, lovely alignment, the ability to hold a pose for 5 or more minutes at a time, and some patience. (It can be years before a story that fits your practice needs to be shot.) Also, it greatly helps if you live in San Francisco. Email me, and I’ll send you the application and put you in touch with the right editor.

5. Offer to Sub Yoga Journal’s Office Classes: If you live in San Francisco or plan on visiting the city soon, contact the magazine. (Email me, and I’ll introduce you to the appropriate point person.) Editors, writers, art directors, marketers, and conference organizers take the daily classes. These are the people who, once they get to know you, your practice, and your teaching, can bring you into the national limelight by mentioning you in the magazine or inviting you to teach at a national conference.

6. Write a Book: This path is more of a challenge than the others, as it requires well-thought-out ideas, good writing skills, and commitment. I could write a whole book on writing a yoga book—most of my job consisted of reviewing them—so drop me a line if you want to know more about how to go about writing, who to approach for editing, and the folks at the prominent yoga publishers.