Yoga and business. The two seem so far removed from one another, but for those of us who spread yoga love far and wide with the dream of making our livelihood off of our passion, we need to get smart.

First off, what is “cheap yoga?”

Cheap yoga is anything that devalues you and your training, knowledge and passion, or that devalues the actual teachings of yoga. We can see this as a teacher who undervalues themselves and let’s it be reflected in their class rates. We can also see this in the “Learn to Teach Yoga in a Weekend” trainings that bounce across the US hoping to attract personal trainers looking to offer more value.

Gurudakshina, or the repayment from student to teacher, is talked about in the ancient text, Mahabharata. And while monetary repayment is not the only form of gurudakshina, the dollar is used universally in the West for anything from coffee to therapy, and the like.

Common ideals of yoga as solely a spiritual practice often impact yoga teachers into thinking they should not be compensated, or at least not that much, for their teachings. Many of these teachers have invested more than 200 hours into their training programs — programs that typically cost between $2,000 – $4,000, if not more. Many new teachers also fail to see their value, instead choosing to compare themselves with others who have been teaching for longer periods of time.

Let’s take a look at the math.

Here are some likely scenarios that new and old teachers find themselves in when setting out to teach. Let’s say Martha has a couple options in teaching four classes per week in her area. She has completed a teacher training that cost her $2850.

Renting a Space – Independent Contractor

Training Cost : $2850

Space Rental : $560 ($35/hour times number of classes per month)

Marketing : $100 (business cards / fliers / online)

Gas : $10

Props, Mats & Blankets : $150 or more

Total: $3,670

How long to recoup investment based off price per class:

$0 (free) – A long time… she will actually be in the negative with paying for the space

$5 – 734 students at $5/class; if average class sizes are 10, approx. 73 classes

$10 – 367 students at $10/class; if average class sizes are 10, approx. 37 classes

PROS: Martha gets to keep all of her drop-in fees and gets to have control over her schedule.

CONS: Martha will need to promote her classes on her own and make sure she has at least the amount of students to cover her cost of renting space.

ADDITIONAL CONCERNS: Martha will need her own insurance for the space and bring her props with her every class.*

*California law covers Independent Contractors as those who bring their own equipment into the space. If the IC uses the equipment at the space, they are employees.

Percentage Based – Independent Contractor (IC)

Training Cost : $2850

Percentage Agreement : Typically the house gets 40%, Teacher gets 60%

Marketing : $100 (business cards / fliers / online)

Gas : $10

Props, Mats & Blankets : $150 or more

Total: $3,110

How long to recoup investment based off price per class:

$0 (free) – The agreement will be short lived most likely if venue isn’t compensated

$5 – Technically $3 per person with split: approx. 1037 students at $3/class; if average class sizes are 10, 104 classes

$10 – Technically $6 per person with split: approx. 518 students at $10/class; if average class sizes are 10, approx. 52 classes

PROS: Martha safeguards herself in case of low attendance by using this method and gets to have control over her schedule.

CONS: Martha sees less income with the split and will need to promote her classes on her own. 

ADDITIONAL CONCERNS: Martha will need her own insurance for the space and bring her props with her every class. If Martha’s classes grow in size, she may lose money compared to a per hour usage fee.

As we can see, most new teachers under the IC model will likely spend anywhere from 9 to 26 weeks just to break even with their costs. And this is assuming a 10 person class for every class. When I was brand new to teaching and trying to build off of the above models, I rarely had a 10 person class.

Why Free Yoga isn’t Free

Free yoga sounds nice and makes us yoga teachers look even more holy than we pretend to be. But the truth is, nothing is free. Your time spent teaching a free class should be as a community service to those less fortunate or at-risk populations — not as a building block for client retention.

If you are to give someone something for free, they automatically devalue it. It’s plain psychology. In fact, they have done studies where people purchased junk off the side of the street but passed by the free stuff. If you tell people it has no value, they will believe you!

Whenever a yoga class is given away, that choice influences the market, thereby undermining others who depend on their teaching income to support themselves.” — Amy Ippoliti, The Art & Business of Teaching Yoga

As a teacher who has spent the equivalent of one year of college tuition towards my yoga trainings, I am continually disheartened by our yogic stance on money and business. I believe the transformative powers of this practice, which have shaped me into a better version of myself, are of value and that those leading others through this practice deserve sustainable compensation.

Plenty of new studios feel compelled to undercharge or offer free classes, but this significantly decreases your studio’s odds of success. Not only because it cuts down on your bottom line, but because it devalues the service you are providing.”
— Jules Barber, 5 Things to Know Before Opening a New Yoga Studio, Yoga International

I took a gamble years ago, opening a studio in a town that lacked one. The only disservice I see was my devaluing of the actual teachings and charging pricing comparable to gyms. We started our pricing based off the going rate in town of $5 per class. We are now at $12, a fair price I’d say for the thousands of hours of yoga education that stands behind it, though still below the rates of metro regions 40 minutes to our south and east.

What do you think? Do you think your classes should cost as much as a Mocha? Do you think yoga should be free?