Dan Carter, or Danimal as his students know him, adjusts Anita in Down Dog Split. Photo courtesy of DuHon Photography.
Make no mistake about it: Those that choose yoga as a career are entrepreneurs in every sense of the word.
To teach yoga for a living you must be passionate. But, you must also be creative and adaptable in your approach to making money.
While sites like CNNMoney claim that our industry supports a median salary of over $62,000 and a top pay of over $115,000, these numbers perhaps don’t tell the whole truth.
The fact is this: even in high end markets like New York City, most instructors only make in the range of $20 – $50 per group class.
Do the math on that and you would be lucky to pull in 39k a year doing three classes, five days a week. That same figure on the low end of the pay grade would be more like 16k.
Plus, no health insurance, sick leave, or vacation.
Wait. There’s even more bad news.
Studios understand that more money can be made on teacher trainings than on group classes, which leads to more teachers entering the market, increasing the supply and reducing the money available to instructors.
So, does this mean there is something wrong with the numbers?
Well, yes and no:
Yes, if you think that being a yoga instructor is like your average 9-5 salaried job where all you really need to worry about from a financial standpoint is getting hired.
No, if you understand diversification and are willing to hustle.
But, what specifically can I do to make it, you ask?
Great question. We reached out to 12 top instructors to get their advice on what it takes to be successful as a yoga instructor.
Here are their answers…
Natalie Backman, Owner of Natalie Backman Yoga
Calabasas, California
With sixteen years of practice and five teaching, yoga is more than a profession for Natalie. It is her passion, purpose and spiritual path. Residing in Calabasas, Natalie primarily teaches in Malibu, Calabasas and Agoura Hills, sharing yoga with local studios, recovery centers, schools, athletic teams, senior living communities and private clientele.
She takes students on local and international retreats as well as contributing to the Sankalpa Shakti Teacher Training. Natalie is also the founder of Imagine Fest, a Malibu based yoga & music festival benefitting Unlikely Heroes, a non-profit organization which rescues and rehabilitates child victims of sex trafficking. Learn more at www.ImagineYogaMusic.com.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
Be creative. Be resourceful. And stay committed to a lifelong path of learning.
The most important obligation we have as teachers is to continue to learn and grow through ongoing study and practice.
Practice for yourself EVERY DAY.
Find a teacher that can keep you challenged and inspired as well as ahead of your own students on the path – lest you risk them surpassing you.
Think outside the box.
Explore opportunities to share beyond the studio setting.
Develop workshops, retreats, special events and trainings and reach out to underserved populations.
Weave your unique talent and perspective into all that you do.
Avoid compromising your authenticity in order to fit into the latest trend.
Prioritize your purpose over your popularity and trust that what you have to offer is of significant value.
Nick Palladino-King, Founder of The Big Yogi and Co-owner of Tribe SF – Fitness and Yoga
San Francisco, California
At 6’7’’, 225 pounds and an attitude on life that is anything but small, Nick teaches others how to reduce stress, increase happiness and master their own lives through yoga, strength training and life coaching. As a former corporate manager and college athlete, Nick has lived first hand with the pressures that stress, deadlines and expectations can create in life. In response, he has spent the last decade studying how to improve health and the human experience.
Nick is the co-owner of Tribe SF – Fitness and Yoga. He is a public speaker for companies, events and private seminars in the Bay Area and is seen as a leader in the field of corporate wellness, mindfulness and stress management. He also resides as a lead yoga teacher trainer for Sri Yoga.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
You have to get out there and teach! That is the first step.
You may have to volunteer, teach friends or do work trade at first in order to gain experience and get your foot in the door.
Be willing to sub and take any class you can get, at first.
In addition to this, I would suggest finding different types of teaching gigs, don’t just go for public teaching.
Do privates, break into Corporate wellness and do workshops and small group stuff.
If you can get 2-3 hours a week of each of these, you can easily start to build your schedule and make an income that will support you.
The biggest lie I see in the teaching world is that it’s hard to make a living as a yoga teacher.
I totally disagree!
I was able to make about $50k in my first year of teaching using the approach above and made over $100k in my 3rd year.
8 years later, I own my own studio and still employ a mix of public, private and corporate classes allowing me to do good for the world and well for my family at the same time!
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For more great tips on how to increase your yoga instructor salary, check out Nick’s blog here.
Dan Carter, Owner of Danimal Yoga
Washington, D.C.
For Dan yoga means community. When he moved to Washington D.C. he found himself drinking too much and not exercising nearly enough. Reigniting his practice provided him with motivation, routine and friendship; He even credits it for leading him to his partner Cassidy. Since then Dan’s leaned on his practice when tragedy strikes and it has continued to heal and drive him.
Dan calls his students, friends and family his pack because of his passion for animals. He loves everything from domestic dogs to wild sharks. He’s volunteered at animal shelters since he was a teenager, worked at Discovery Channel for four years and is the king of viral animal video on the web.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
It’s important that yoga instructors know their value.
If you’re teaching for free, it should be to support a charity or cause that you’re passionate about.
Otherwise you should be properly compensated.
Teaching for free or at a depreciated rate, for those who have the means, undervalues you and the entire community of yoga teachers.
Connie Viglietti, Co-founder of Emaya
Brooklyn, New York
Connie Is an artist based In Brooklyn, NY. She and her husband, Anthony, enjoy their kids, Maia and Hudson and dog Kali, traveling and playing footy together. Besides acting, singing and Yoga Connie serves as a birth doula, lots of irons in the fire makes for a very busy life, the way she likes it. She likes to sing, bake and cook, and go to the beach. Connie has the privilege of learning from a gorgeous community of teachers and students. She teaches children, adults, and pregnant goddesses.
She lends her skills in the class room, teacher trainings and workshops, rejuvenates and inspires leading yoga retreats, de-stresses and brings laughter to corporate classes, and introduces children to the joy of yoga. Connie has trained with Lauren Hanna and Johanna Bell with Sonic Yoga, Will Duprey and Susan Duprey with Hathavidya and Juliana MItchell’s Carried Downward Breath in New York City, Guatemala, Vermont and Miami. www.connnieviglietti.com
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
Practice. A daily sadhana is essential to learning.
Obviously you are learning more and more about the postures and breath through a daily practice but most importantly you are connecting to your self and your own voice.
Who you are and what you offer is so unique and special.
The more you know who you are the easier you will attract your students. The more you know who you are the more confident you are in your body and voice.
The more you know who you are the more interesting your class will be and people will come for YOU.
Anyone can teach yoga. But the way you teach? No one can do that but YOU!!!!
Dayna Culwell, Owner of Yoga With Dayna
Austin, Texas
Dayna Culwell has over 1,000 hours of teacher training. She received her 200 hours teacher certification in 2013 by Yoga Alliance. She continued her training under the emerging field of Yoga Therapy, studying with professors Chase and Elizabeth Bossart and Robin Guenth, of San Francisco. She graduated with a certification as a Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT, in May 2017. Dayna continues to study with Dance choreographer and Yoga therapist Linda Lack in Los Angeles, California.
Dayna has particular training in “bigger bodies”, in chair yoga, in yoga for anxiety and depression, in ayurvedic nutrition training, and in yoga designed specifically for people who are in the process of healing from an injury or trauma. Dayna teaches chair yoga at Brookdale Living, at her personal studio, and at residents’ homes in the Lake Travis area (with travel fee). Her longer term goal is to start a program for chronic pain recovery at the local hospital. Her passion leads her to clients with scoliosis, having lived with scoliosis herself since she was a teenager.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
You must have savings to live off on for about 5 years.
Seriously, I had made a good living in pharmaceutical sales before getting certified to teach yoga.
With the expenses of that and certification as a yoga therapist, my expenses piled up.
However, I was prepared and lived off savings for the first 5 years while I established myself.
Network: Join the Chamber of Commerce, BNI (Business Networking International)–look up BNI on the web, Inquire at local gyms and accept every class and sub position possible.
Create a basic website (Wix is good), get inexpensive business cards (VistaPrint), join and get listed in Yoga Journal, offer a few free classes (or classes for charity) to your neighborhood.
Ask happy clients for a referral. Check for rent space at local Pilate studios or Acupuncture offices.
Find a mentor. Learn from them and send them referrals when appropriate.
Always keep learning and establish yourself in a niche area (example: yoga for arthritis or back pain)
I’m now earning about $45,000 but with expenses, it comes down to about $25,000.
This is no joke.
The market is saturated with teachers who will teach for next to nothing.
My calendar is completely full with private and group classes, but it is still challenging to cover basic costs such as: car payments, gas and insurance, Yelp, Constant Contact, Mindbody software, supplies for your studio, Quickbooks, your cell phone bill, Spotify (for music for class), and rent.
It can be done, but you MUST have savings to live on at first.
The reward for all this: amazing wonderful experiences helping people who really need caring yoga teachers and yoga therapists.
Rony Ghoraishy, Owner of Yoga By Rony
Los Angeles, California
Rony fell in love with yoga the first time she stepped foot on her mat 15 years ago. Yoga is the one thing that has helped her stay grounded through all of life’s trials and tribulations. She is E-500 RYT certified in Hatha Yoga through Corepower Yoga, Loyola Marymount University and Wanderlust Hollywood. She specializes in Vinyasa Flow, Yin/Restorative Yoga, Yoga Sculpt and Aerial Silks.
Rony focuses primarily on private yoga lessons where she tailors the class specifically to the client’s needs and personal goals. She has successfully merged her passion of travel with her passion to teach yoga and has lead numerous international retreats yearly to Tulum, Costa Rica and Bali, in addition to monthly themed day-retreats from her home base in Los Angeles, California.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
Be committed to your excellence and be clear about what your intention is in teaching yoga.
I’ve always had a passion for teaching and felt so in alignment when I was in a class helping students.
I had a career in real estate and was teaching yoga on the side for five years before transitioning to yoga full time.
I was committed to making yoga my career so I took the steps in doing so and stepped away from real estate when I was financially stable with my yoga income.
It wasn’t until I began a consistent clientele with private yoga sessions, corporate classes and yoga retreats that I was able to make a living teaching yoga.
Although it took many years to get to where I am at, I wouldn’t change my journey one bit.
My real estate career allowed me to treat and see my yoga career as a business and for that I am extremely grateful!!
If I had advice for new yoga instructors it would be to stay passionate, stay hungry and build your name so that people want to work with you privately.
Renee Gauthier, Owner of Renee Gauthier Yoga
San Diego, California
Renee is a certified E-RYT 200 yoga teacher, trained in hatha, vinyasa, restorative & prenatal yoga. She also has a degree in education/counseling which has been so essential to helping her understand how to infuse yoga off the mat in daily life. Renee LOVES sharing the gifts of yoga because this practice has been ESSENTIAL to her own wellbeing. She is also a mom, loves to dance & be outdoors, and live with her hubby & beautiful daughter in sunny San Diego, California.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
Wow! What’s the 1 best thing to remember as a new yoga teacher?
Honestly, I say just get out there and start doing it! I’ve been teaching yoga for over 10 years, and mostly private yoga and retreats for the last 5 years.
In the beginning I had to face a lot of my own doubts. “Do I know enough? Am I good enough? There are so many other yoga teachers out there, why would they come to me? But I’m not an expert… Don’t I need another training?”
And the list goes on.
So my biggest piece of advice would be to just show up. And if you’re nervous and scared, lean into that, breathe into that, and practicing moving through it.
Share what you do know, and think of teaching yoga as a continuous learning lesson.
Honestly, you’ll learn so much more by actually teaching than just doing training after training.
Also, remember that as a teacher, you have something unique to share that nobody else can offer.
Nobody else can teach, share, connect in exactly the same way. Students are drawn to yoga teachers not only by the style of asana, or the helpful cues and adjustments, or your playlist.
Students are looking for an authentic connection with their teachers. And part of that connection is being able to connect with ALL of you.
So remember that your story, your journey, your work and life lessons before teaching yoga, all play into what you can offer your students.
And the other more practical side, and super important as well, is to know your worth.
There’s a tendency to undercharge and even teach for free. Which is great if you can afford it, and if teaching yoga is just your hobby.
But if you really want teaching yoga to be your career, then you gotta get compensated enough to pay the bills.
And not just pay the bills, but live a life you love (and not get burnt out struggling to get by).
So think about the business side of your yoga as alignment, setting up the foundation of a sustainable career.
Invest time and energy into learning how to operate your business.
And if you approach the business side of teaching with curiosity and enthusiasm, you just may have fun with that too!
Emily Sussell, Founder of Private Yoga Brooklyn
Brooklyn, New York
Emily Sussell is a yoga teacher specializing in private instruction in Brooklyn, NY. She is the founder of Private Yoga Brooklyn, through which she serves busy professionals with in-home, individual yoga instruction. Emily is also the founder of Abundant Yogi Coaching, an institute that provides yoga entrepreneurs with the skills they need to thrive financially.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
I love to help yoga teachers avoid going broke and make great money because I learned the hard way and came out on the other end of it earning $10k/month teaching private yoga lessons.
The biggest mistake most yoga teachers make that causes them to go broke is investing all of their money in teacher trainings but not investing in business coaching and marketing education.
The second biggest mistake they make is falling into the trap of the “group class hustle” model.
Even if you fill your schedule to the brim with group classes in the highest paid studios in the highest earning cities, you will never earn much money and will limit your ability to grow financially.
You’ll also end up exhausted, sick, and will probably struggle to pay for quality health insurance.
My top advice for yoga teachers who want to make a great living teaching yoga is first to invest in business of yoga mentorship with an experienced teacher who has built a successful yoga business her self.
We learn from example, so it’s extremely important to be mentored by a yoga teacher who is not just an excellent teacher but a smart and successful “yogapreneur”.
My other strongest piece of advice for yoga teachers is that they limit their group class involvements and focus instead on building their own private clientele, working more similarly to a personal trainer or private psychotherapist.
When you focus on your own private practice you can charge the rates you want to and raise them when you want to.
You can make 3-4x as much as you would teaching in studios, and you can scale your business whenever you’re ready to and as often as you’d like to.
Yoga teachers who want to focus on growing a private clientele but feel blocked by their limited knowledge of marketing should invest in working with a business of yoga coach.
Alison Kate, Owner of Alison Kate Wellness
New York, New York
Alison Kate is a NYC based Body-Mind-Spirit Wellness Guide. Using a holistic approach, she guides people towards optimum wellness – feeling vibrantly alive, passionately joyful, and radiantly healthy. Alison is a Certified Yoga Teacher, Hypnotherapist, Meditation Instructor, Healthy Lifestyle & Personal Transformation Coach, and PLR Guide.
She offers physical, mental, and spiritual practices customized for each client’s unique circumstances, needs, and desires. This holistic approach results in clients quickly feeling better in their bodies, caring for themselves more deeply, and approaching the external world in new ways that improve relationships, work, and overall lifestyle satisfaction.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
My best tip for new yoga instructors who are trying to make a living teaching yoga is to assess where you feel the most energized and happy.
Find the area, niche, or arrangement you love and pursue that!
For me, when I teach too many group classes, I start to feel burnt out because it feels like I’m giving presentation and it depletes my energy.
It’s not how I prefer to give.
In private sessions, I get to dive deep into the person’s physical, emotional, and/or spiritual concerns and customize a practice that helps them heal and expand in the ways they specifically desire.
This service feels like the best energetic match for my personality, my dharma, and my lifestyle, so its sustainable work in the long-term.
With one-on-one work, I am fed and continue to feel excited to show up.
So, if teaching a ton of group classes is your jam and lights you up, pursue that.
And, if you want something quieter and more introspective, seek that.
As we all know, there seems to be endless kinds of yoga and types of practitioners, and now more than ever, there is also a vast array of kinds of work offering yoga and the related practices.
So, find what works for you best, so you enjoy doing it.
It may take some time to get into the exact area you most deeply desire, but it will be worth the wait.
Because when you work in a way that you love, you will never want to leave.
Dana Arbel, Founder and Director of Operations for DiRTYOGA
Phoenix, Arizona
Dana Arbel found healing through yoga. After years of struggling with identity, body image, and mental health, yoga gave her the tools to cultivate peace within. Dana trained at Urban Yoga in 2011 under the tutelage of Dave and Cheryl Oliver. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Arts, Dana’s teaching emphasizes individual expression through movement.
As a first generation American with a multiethnic identity, Dana grew up searching for her place of belonging. Creating a space that is inclusive and welcoming to all is built into the blueprint of DiRTYOGA. Establishing a strong sense of self while cultivating community drives Dana to continue teaching and shining!
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
As a new teacher, continue to expand your practice.
Do not let your classes become your time to practice. We’ve all done it, had students stay a few extra breaths as we enjoy the pose with them.
It is important to find your own practice time, that will allow you to be an amazing teacher.
If you take care of yourself first, you will be ready to share the goodness with others.
Sierra Codalata, Owner of Sierra C Yoga, LLC
Denver, Colorado
A serious injury at the age of 20 led Sierra to yoga. At the time, she was a dancer and a dance instructor, with an extensive background in movement theory and technique. The hip injury interrupted Sierra’s coursework but she eventually completed a BS degree in Kinesiology at Indiana University. In the program she learned a great deal about how bodies work. More than ever, she was determined to find a way to make her body move and dance like it once had.
Armed with all the patience she could muster and a boatload of modifications, Sierra began the practice of yoga. Over time, she started to move more easily and with less pain. Hugely impressed by the ability of yoga to retrain the body, she committed to studying this ancient practice and to bring the benefits to others. While in grad school for an MFA in Dance, Sierra found a teaching studio that specialized in yoga with modifications. She completed her yoga instructor certification at that studio and in 2016, filled with passion and invaluable personal experience, Sierra launched her business as a private yoga instructor in Denver, Colorado.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
Diversify, Find your niche, and Honor your energy
Diversify by connecting (really connecting authentically) with others outside of Yoga – Chiropractor, Massage Therapists, Acupuncturist, and Doctors are where I get most of my referrals.
Allow them to experience your work with either a Sample session or Trade OR meet with them on a fairly consistence basis to talk about your businesses.
I have connections with these individuals, not only because they can potentially refer clients to me, but because it makes me more credible to have people I refer MY clients to.
I’m not a jack-of-all-trades and my clients feel confident in who I send them to because they know I’m doing what’s right for them (and not my pocket book).
Also, don’t feel like there is only one way to offer Yoga.
This is why finding your niche is so important. Knowing what you want to do MOST with your yoga business will help you define what your niche is – from there, meet people, take steps, create workshops/offerings to attract those clients.
Others will still contact you, even if they are not in your niche. This simply makes things more efficient and easier to handle as a solopreneur – much easier then to attract ALL THE PEOPLE!!
This is so important when it comes to how you spend your time and how you spend your ENERGY.
Sure, I have enough time to have 9 1-hr sessions every day, but do I have the energy for that? Absolutely not (if you do, go for it!).
You might know right away, it might take some time to figure out, but WHEN you figure it out – honor your energy by keeping a schedule you know you have the energy for.
Yes, I could do 9+ sessions a day. But I know that the last 3 or 4 aren’t going to get my best and I’d feel horrible about it.
If you honor your energy, you honor your clients and they will be happier for it!
Renee Kennedy, Founder and Owner of Yoga Connection LLC
New York, New York
Renee is the proud founder and owner of Yoga Connection LLC. She discovered her own yoga practice over a decade ago, and has been teaching since 2012 when she completed her 200-hour certification at Kaia Yoga with Gina Norman and Stan Woodman.
Always a student first, Renee has pursued additional studies in Yin Yoga with Joe Barnett, Restorative Yoga with Jillian Pransky, Private Yoga with Francesca Cervero, and Functional Anatomy & Kinesiology with Jason Ray Brown.
What advice do you have for new yoga instructors who want to make a living teaching yoga?
My advice is to be patient with yourself!
Don’t be afraid to hold onto a “day job” that will pay the bills while you build your teaching practice.
It takes a LONG time to gain experience, attract a following of clients, and craft a schedule that allows you to support yourself without burning out.
So many new teachers get certified and immediately dive into teaching full time, only to exhaust themselves quickly and give up.
Allow yourself time to make a slow and mindful transition so you can navigate the balance of teaching, maintaining your own practice, and interests outside of yoga.
Conclusion
Ask yourself this: what is the difference between a career and a hobby?
One way to answer this question is that a hobby does not need to generate income.
The benefits to this is that you can focus all of your attention on what you love about the activity and not do anything that you don’t enjoy.
On the other hand, you may not be able to spend as much time on your hobby if you must generate your income elsewhere.
But, making a career out of your passion requires you to make certain choices based on money.
If you do want to make teaching yoga your career, there seems to be 5 main areas where the experts agreed:
- Find your niche. Ideally, you should be passionate about what type of yoga you want to teach and the format(s) (group classes, retreats, private classes, etc.). This may take some trial and error and exploration, but it makes being able to hustle easier when you love what you are doing.
- Diversify your income. Relying on one source (such as a single studio) can lead to financial instability.
- Know your worth. There will be yoga instructors that will give it away for free, and this is okay if done to get your foot in the door or for a cause you are passionate about. But, being able to negotiate an appropriate pay rate is crucial to you being able to make a good living. You may have to experience some self-doubt and the “imposter syndrome” at first, but embracing what is difficult and continuing to move forward is the best mindset to be in.
- Find time to practice for yourself and continue to deepen your practice. This will help you grow as an instructor and keep you connected to the core principles of yoga.
- Have patience and invest your time and energy wisely. Understanding how to run your own business is crucial and having some savings or alternative income to live on can relieve much of the financial pressure in the early stages. Also keep in mind that not all teacher trainings have a good return on investment — perhaps look instead at investing in business coaching/marketing advice.
Hope this helps you on your journey to becoming a yoga instructor.
But, before you go…
Is there something you believe is important to making it as a yoga instructor that the experts didn’t mention?
Share your thoughts in the comments below…
Author: Christine Mathias
Hi, I’m Christine Mathias, licensed attorney and owner of Stretchtopia. With over ten years of legal experience, I use my skills to help businesses and nonprofits thrive. Using my experience running a workplace yoga organization, I am excited to help other yoga business owners tackle their legal issues and other organizational, financial, and marketing obstacles.
