(Newswire.net — August 1, 2017) — Not long ago, the idea of teaching yoga for a living may have seemed like an unrealistic concept. While it is one of the more rewarding, healthy, sociable and interesting jobs out there, it is hard to imagine that something like that could pay very well. But with yoga’s explosion of popularity in Western culture over the last 20 or so years, it is now legitimately one of the most popular and beneficial fitness regimens in the world, and yoga therapist salary when teaching could be potentially very profitable for successful yogis.
Yoga for a Living
These days, yoga instructor certification classes are producing hundreds of new teachers every month who hope to share their love of yoga with the world and get paid for the pleasure. One of the most appealing aspects of teaching yoga for a living is the strong connection that practitioners feel to yoga. It is not just a fitness regimen to those who love yoga; it combines a level of spiritual, physical and emotional well-being that cannot be found in just about any other source.
But that does not mean that you should rush to quit your day job just because you have a desire, yoga pants and a great relaxation mix. Just as teaching yoga has a number of non-traditional benefits as a career, it also poses many unexpected and difficult challenges. Perhaps the most glaring and immediate challenge is the difficulty presented by trying to monetize something like yoga, which is so inherently adverse to the concept of capitalism.
Yoga by the Numbers
A recent CNN article that ranked the “top 100 careers with big growth, great pay and satisfying work.” Coming in at number 10 on their list was the career of Yoga/Pilates Instructor. It had a short, but accurate description of the career that read: “Yoga instructors balance their time between teaching classes that bring the physical and spiritual together, planning what goes into each class and getting the word out about a studio.”
The article then stated that the average salary for a yoga teacher was $62,400 per year. For those who have actually taught yoga professionally, hopefully you can stop laughing long enough to read further. This median income is a very misleading number in a career with as much income disparity as yoga instruction. Payscale currently has the total yearly income for yoga instructor ranging from $24,331 – $101,616.
How to Make It
Teaching yoga is not like any traditional full-time job in which you clock in, work for eight hours, clock out and collect a paycheck at the end of the week. You may have to teach three classes at one studio, teach two more at another and mix in a few personal sessions all in the same day. Even still, most who are just beginning will find themselves barely scraping by even working 50 hour weeks.
The key is to be creative. Personal sessions are usually the most immediately profitable, but you will want to do some online classes as well to get your name out there. Online sessions are the future, and many smart teachers make twice the money in half the time by successfully marketing themselves as a brand and building a following.
Diversification is also important, since you may not be able to land a full-time gig or make enough money working full-time hours early on. You may start an online business selling yoga mats, leotards for girls, scented candles or other items that may appeal to the yoga crowd. Partnering with others in related industries and networking can also be a key to building your name.
Teaching yoga for a living can be a popularity contest sometimes, and you will need good personal marketing, effective networking skills, economic creativity and an uncommonly strong work ethic in order to live this dream.