I have the “business” side of teaching on my mind. As a community I don’t think this is something we should shy away from – the more transparency within the yoga teaching world, the more we can advocate for ourselves and each other. So today I’ve listed out what I’ve learned about the “business” of yoga below, including pay scales as I understand them.
I hear this phrase from teachers quite a lot: “I don’t teach yoga for the money, I teach because I feel like it’s something I can offer the world.”
While I think this is a beautiful sentiment in many ways, I also think it’s equally important to be paid fairly for the time, energy, and effort you put into something. It’s really quite hard to make a living off of teaching yoga. Many people do it on the side of their other jobs or passions. But if you’re interested in understanding how you might make a living off of it, I’ve shared what I know below.
The intention of this post today is simply to shine some light on the norms of the industry, as I’ve experienced them. I hope this knowledge better prepares and empowers you for the business conversations you’ll inevitably face as a yoga teacher.
To start, let’s talk about how much you can make teaching a studio class. This is a number that varies quite a bit, depending on your experience and where you are living.
Teaching a studio class: Pay scale ranges from $20 - $100 / per class. Some studios offer a flat rate. Some studios offer a base rate and then a dollar amount “per head” – aka you are paid per student who attends. (There are pros and cons to each approach, which maybe I’ll talk about later.) The location of where you teach really matters. When I was living in an urban area I made quite a bit more teaching than I do in a more suburban city. Some teachers pay you for all your time worked (prep, check-in and check-out) and some do not. Understanding all of this will help you understand if you’re being paid fairly.
I think it’s important as a teacher to remember a few things about your salary. Just like in any other job, your starting salary is negotiable. Do your research on norms for your region and your experience, and don’t be afraid to have a conversation with the studio owner about your pay, advocating for what you believe is fair. Additionally, you should be requesting at least an annual review of your performance and your salary. If possible, make this a condition of your employment at the start of the relationship. If you are showing up and creating positive impact in the studio, you’re deserving of a pay raise. This can be uncomfortable, but it should be the norm in any industry, not just yoga.
Most yoga teachers I know who do it full-time don’t make their income purely from teaching studio classes. (It’s really hard to do.) So, how do you make a living as a yoga teacher?
Typically, full time teachers supplement their income through a few other channels:
Teaching Private Classes: Charging anywhere from $60 - $200/hour for 60 minutes of individualized instruction with a student. Either in a private studio or at a yoga studio where they split the profits with the studio. Usually a 70% to the teacher, 30% to the studio split. Sometimes a 60/40 split.
Teaching Workshops: Variable in terms of time and length. Usually the workshop is focused on a specific topic area. Assuming the teacher is hosting this in collaboration with a studio, then the split listed above remain the same. Or, if you are teaching independent of a studio, you only pay for the operating costs and keep the profit.
Leading Retreats: Usually multi-day events hosted by multiple teachers, on-site at a studio or local venue, or at a travel-to destination. Income is variable, but if hosted without a collaborating studio then teachers make the full profit after operating costs.
Hosting Pop-Up Community Events: Typically in collaboration with local businesses. Options for income include having the business pay the teacher directly, or a ticket profit split of 70/30 or 60/40.
Partnerships & Sponsorships: To be honest, I don’t know as much about this side of the yoga business, because I’m not in it. But with a certain amount of acclaim, a yoga teacher can profit from sponsorship through brands, etc.
So, how can you be successful in hosting events like the ones listed above? Well, teaching in a studio is the first step and the gateway to these other business channels. It’s very important to note that teaching at a studio is how you build an audience and community of people who are interested in investing in these other channels. You need to start with an audience to fill “seats” or you need to collaborate with a business that can fill seats on their own.
Additionally, think about developing your “yoga voice” and your personal brand. Who are you as a teacher? What do you offer? What makes you unique? What are you passionate about teaching? The answers to these questions will help you pitch yourself to businesses and studios who you might want to collaborate with, and owning your own brand will draw students to you.
Start by teaching at a studio. Build your skills. Find your niche, your focus, your passions and your strengths, and then start to expand from there.
Remember, in any business conversation, treat it with love, compassion, and curiosity. Hopefully your studio is there to partner with you. Yoga studios aren’t typically the most lucrative business. So hopefully they are doing what they can, and it’s equally important to respect their restrictions. As I mentioned, knowledge and understanding are a great starting point to feel empowered and respected.
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