Yoga is something you like doing. It’s impossible to deny the euphoria that follows a successful yoga lesson. But, at some point, the inevitable question arises: “How much income does a yoga professor make?” Is it possible to make a livelihood as a yoga instructor?” There are bills to pay and mouths to feed, so things must get done yogi times.
What are you going to do?
It’s simple to say, “Follow your passion, and don’t worry about the money.” But, unfortunately, we must face the facts of life. You don’t want to lose your primary source of income, plunge headfirst into the unknown, and find yourself in a terrible financial situation. Furthermore, if money becomes an overwhelming burden, you will start to despise your profession as a teacher.
We prepared this post to assist you in determining whether or not teaching yoga may be a rewarding and long-term profession for you.
Before we go any further, let’s look at how the yoga business is performing in general.
Recently published surveys by the yoga journals Yoga Journal and the Yoga Alliance estimate that yoga practitioners spend $16 billion a year on yoga lessons, clothes, equipment, and accessories. This represents a considerable increase over the previous four-year total of $10 billion.
Meanwhile, CNN puts becoming a yoga instructor as the tenth best career out of the top ten. Given the expanding yoga business and being a yoga instructor is one of the most acceptable occupations available, it may be tempting to drop everything and go full-time into the teaching profession.
However, let us delve a little more into the subject.
Yoga instructors do not often make a lot of money in their profession. In reality, their earnings are pretty variable. According to PayScale, yoga instructors make an average hourly wage of $24.96 per session. Pay rates for yoga instructors range from $12.66 to $49.94 per hour, with lower rates being about $12.66 and higher rates reaching $49.94.
Yoga teaching is a highly hands-on profession, and the longer you’ve been doing it, the more experience you’ll have and, as a result, the more suited you’ll be to instruct. Compared to recent yoga teacher training graduates, the more experienced yoga instructors who earn higher rates are likely to have been in the business for a significant amount of time. As a result, they already have a stable clientele and are in more demand.
Even if $24 an hour sounds like a reasonable price, you must factor in travel expenses and time, as well as the amount of preparation time required before class. The majority of the time, yoga instructors are not compensated for their travel expenditures. This might cost you a significant amount of time and money because you will not always be able to find work at your local yoga studio or fitness facility.
Some institutions give their yoga instructors a fixed wage, while others compensate them based on the number of students. Both payment options have their advantages and disadvantages. If you are well-established and well-liked, being paid per head is unquestionably more rewarding. However, there is a danger that if no one shows up for class, you will not be compensated for the time you spent preparing for and driving to class.
Keeping this in mind, the number of students who show up for courses fluctuates depending on the year and the weather conditions. Some students, for example, will not show up for a class over the summer vacation period. Because of this, your earnings will fluctuate throughout the year.
Also, keep in mind that you will not be awarded premium positions at yoga studios or gyms right out of the gate as a novice yoga instructor. If you want to put yourself out there, you will almost always have to accept whatever offer comes yours. From there, you may gradually increase your level of popularity. Your pupils serve as your brand ambassadors. The way you behave yourself in class will be disseminated by word of mouth among your classmates. Once you’ve built up a large enough following, you’ll begin to receive more requests to teach.
The location of your yoga studio might also impact the amount of money you earn as a yoga instructor. The need for a yoga instructor will increase in diverse regions, particularly in metropolitan areas. More demand equals more job possibilities, but the cost of living may also arise due to the increased demand. The good news is that if there is enough demand, you have the option of doing seminars and private lessons to augment your current income.
As a result of the ease with which one may become a certified yoga instructor, the market for instructors is fast becoming oversaturated. Competition is tough, and you will be required to continuously establish yourself to your community and create your reputation over your first few months, if not years, in business.
To distinguish yourself from the hive, you can choose to specialize in a particular area of yoga that you are interested in—for example, kids yoga, pregnant yoga, or acro yoga, to name a few options. You’ll have to carve out a niche for yourself in the yoga community. Which segments of the population would you like to concentrate your efforts and skills on?
Another approach to distinguish oneself from other yoga instructors is to become an expert in a specific area such as Anatomy and Physiology or Philosophy. When it comes to these disciplines, someone who is well-versed in them might be engaged by many yoga schools at the same time to teach only that subject. Additionally, you can hold workshops or lectures on these topics.
Yoga teachers are often self-employed, which means that the businesses that hire you are not required to provide you with one month’s notice or any compensation if they decide to terminate your employment. As a result, employment is considered an unstable source of income. If you are aware of this, you would not want to leave your day job and wind up with no work at all.
Deciding to pursue a profession as a yoga instructor may be difficult, both financially and emotionally, and it can lead to feelings of regret and resentment. As an alternative, a professional move should be a slow, deliberate transition that gives you enough time to establish yourself in the yoga community.
Before you can quit your job, you will need to put in the necessary effort to enhance your abilities as a teacher, expand your professional network, and establish yourself as a stable member of the business. However, in the end, this deliberate and systematic decision may turn out to be the most acceptable decision you’ve ever made.
