How Much Does A Yoga Instructor Make?

Learn about how much does a yoga instructor make, how a yoga instructor can earn more and factors that influence yoga instructor salary in this guide.

When considering what you should charge as a yoga instructor, you might want to take a couple of things into consideration. 

You want to research and get familiar with the factors that determine how much a yoga teacher makes.

In this post, we will show you the factors that determine yoga instructor salary and share some figures about yoga teacher salaries from different regions.

Here’s what you should expect in this article:

So, quickly, let’s get down to it.

How Much Does a Yoga Instructor Make?

First, you might want to pride in the fact that yoga instructors are among the most sought-after professionals in today’s hectic world.

A lot of people need to unwind, stay strong, flexible, and balanced. 

As a yoga instructor, you help people to live better and effective lives.

Also, keep it in mind that Yoga is a fast-growing industry.

In 2016, there were over 36 million Yoga instructors in America alone, and hey, over one-third of Americans planned to take up yoga classes within the year.

Yoga is helpful in a variety of places and to different folks. 

It’s carried out in our schools, offices, and even healthcare facilities. 

It is used to ease war veterans, cancer patients and even underprivileged kids use it to find relief.

So, you see, it’s in place to ask: what about the Yoga practitioners who have helped and are still helping this industry grow, what do they earn? 

How much do they make in a year?

Let’s talk in figures now. 

In the 2016 studies above, it was found that Yoga instructors spent $16 billion annually on yoga classes, equipment, accessories, and clothing. 

That’s huge. 

Well, keep in mind that being a yoga instructor is the 10th best career in the United States according to CNN. 

By this time, you might be considering going into Yoga full-time as an instructor.

But, still, you want to answer the question: How Much Do Yoga Instructors earn?

Let’s consider the factors that determine how much a Yoga Instructor makes.

Factors That Determine How Much Yoga Instructors Make

Different factors are responsible for the Yoga teacher’s income.

Here are the major factors:

• Frequency
• Location
• Business Expertise
• Experience
• Other factors

Let’s consider these factors one by one.

Frequency: How Often Do They Give Lessons?

Some Yoga instructors teach up to 6 classes per day.

Others may teach part-time or a bit less than part-time.

Whatever the frequency, whether more or less, this has a direct impact on their income as Yoga instructors.

Location: Where Do They Teach?

This is a primary factor that determines a Yoga instructor’s income. 

Usually, the income of the Yoga teacher will depend on the studio they teach in.

Here’s an instance: Yoga instructors at a well-known and established studio will make much more than those in cities with yoga studios everywhere.

The earnings will also vary from one country to another.

Business Expertise: Are They Business Savvy?

This is where your business expertise comes in handy. 

Just in case you thought all you need is your skill as a yoga instructor, well, you might need to have a rethink.

Some of the best-paid yoga instructors are first-class business people. 

They have great negotiation skills, excellent budget skills, and they invest in insurance policies for their businesses. 

If this is a lot for you, don’t worry, you can always learn these things. 

There are tons of courses that can help to improve your business acumen.

Also, many yoga instructors try their hands in healing arts. 

Smart yoga instructors have related careers in acupuncture or massage therapy.

Others sell useful products like essential oils or yoga clothing. 

Talk of business expertise!

Experience: What’s Their Level of Experience as Yoga Teachers?

When it comes to yoga, just like any other career, experience counts a lot in determining the pay. 

Experienced instructors earn a better income than those without so much experience. 

This happens for various reasons – they’ve built a reputation, a following, and honed their teaching methods over the years. 

Also, they have more experience in negotiating better fees and rates.

Let’s steal a peek at other factors that determine the Yoga teacher’s income:

• Specialization: many yoga instructors specialize to increase their earnings. Some specialize in children yoga, others in therapeutic yoga, and others, chair yoga. Top instructors who specialize have found that teaching for a specific outcome or teaching a particular clientele increases earnings.

• Following: yoga is a personal exercise and students take pleasure when the instructor is engaging. Yoga teachers who have built or who build a following earn higher than those who don’t. These tutors usually publish their schedules and students follow from one class to the next. As expected, instructors with a following can charge more money per lesson. Also, a yoga instructor who can get their classes filled can earn extra bucks at private yoga studios.
• Individual Rates: different yoga teachers charge different rates. While some yoga instructors are content to teach for free, some charge a lot to improve their standards of living, because, well, yoga instructors have bills too. Different strokes for different folks. Rates vary and may depend on negotiation skills, experience, and career objectives.
• Style: whatever style you may teach as a yoga instructor, it makes a little difference in your earnings until you create your unique brand style. That makes a world of difference, and it will tell in your account. So far, we have discussed the factors that determine how much a yoga instructor earns. You might want to know how much you might be making as a Yoga instructor in these places: UK, Canada, and India. 

So, let’s look at how much Yoga instructors make in these places.

How Much Do Yoga Teachers Earn in The UK?

The average salary for a Yoga instructor is £27.86 per hour in the United Kingdom. This salary estimate is based on about 84 salaries submitted anonymously to Indeed by Yoga instructors, employees, users, and collected from past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months. 

You can check out more details here.

How Much Do Yoga Teachers Earn in Canada?

The average Yoga instructor salary in Canada is $54,893 per year or $28.15 per hour. 

Entry-level positions start at $28,275 per year while most experienced workers make up to $93,317 per year.

This isn’t definite, although the difference is slight.

Figures from Indeed peg the average salary for a Yoga instructor in Canada at $28.93 per hour.

How Much Do Yoga Teachers Earn in The US?

The average Yoga instructor salary differs from state to state. 

In New York, the hourly wage of a Yoga Instructor is $31.74 and $6,022 per year, while Massachusetts Yoga Instructors earn $31.44 hourly and $65,397 per annum. 

The difference in the figures is barely noticeable.

You can check out a comprehensive chart of the salary of Yoga instructors in the States here.

How Much Do Yoga Teachers Earn in India?

In India, the average salary of a Yoga instructor is between $10,000 to $25,000 per month.

Earning also depends on location, sector, company, education, and other factors.

In India, salary packages in this field (Yoga) are excellent.

According to payscale.com, the average salary for a Yoga teacher in India is ₹312,886 yearly and ₹712.16 per hour.

So far, we’ve considered how much you can make as a Yoga instructor as well as the factors that can affect what Yoga Instructors earn. 

We have also paid attention to the current salaries and wages of Yoga instructors in major areas like the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and India.

Now, considering these, you might still ask: can you make money as a Yoga Instructor? 

And we would give a quick ‘yes,’ based on the grounds we have covered to this point.

But we will walk you through it and help you clarify things so that you can clear your uncertainties.

Can You Make A Living As A Yoga Instructor?

If you’re asking this question, you are not alone. 

Often, a Yoga teacher can be seen burning themselves out trying to make a living. 

It is not uncommon to see extremely talented Yoga experts working 60 hours a week and can barely pay the bills.

This is because, by the time the Yoga studio rent, heating/cooling bills paid, teacher wages, and other expenses have been paid, there is barely anything left to live on!

The reality is that teaching at a studio may not be enough to sustain you as a Yoga teacher. 

What should you do then? 

Are you supposed to ditch the studio then?

Not exactly.

We are just saying, it’s not smart to depend totally on teaching at the Yoga studio as your ONLY way to earn a SUSTAINABLE living.

The smart thing to do is use the Yoga studio as a place to hone your skills, build a following, and test your ideas out.

Also, diversify your income by earning money outside the studio. 

This option is very possible and workable, and we’ll be sharing how you can diversify your income by earning money outside the studio.

Just before we jump right in, you might look at all the ‘genius’ Yoga instructors around you who are thriving and wonder, “Just what is their secret ingredient to such success in their career as Yoga instructors?”

Well, you’re in luck!

Here are some of the things your most successful Yoga teachers have done to get there:

• They took advantage of technology by creating a website.
• They learned how to market themselves online.
• They leverage email marketing. (You can try Convertkit)
• Then they diversified their income.

“That’s it?” you might be asking, well, not totally. 

You see, earning money is a serious deal. 

It should be taught in every teacher training program.

Unfortunately, it isn’t. 

Thankfully, we’ll handle that right in this article.

Let’s dive in.

How A Yoga Teacher Can Make More Money

Before we begin, let’s emphasize again that Yoga teachers who build robust businesses almost always have multiple streams of income. 

Keep that in mind as you consider your next move. 

Remember, always seek to diversify your income as a Yoga teacher.

Here are some ways Yoga Teachers can earn more money outside the studio. 

We’ll break down these income opportunities into three categories to help you find what is suitable for your unique situation at the moment.

• Beginner-friendly income opportunities
• Intermediate income opportunities
• Advanced income opportunities

Let’s begin.

Beginner-friendly Income Opportunities

These income opportunities are suitable for new teachers and anyone just getting started in diversifying their income.

They are low-risk and you can get started right away!

All you need at this point is a 200hr YTT certification plus a burning desire to build a sustainable future as a yoga teacher.

1. Teach at Nearby Colleges

Some universities hire yoga teachers to give Yoga classes to their students. 

Usually, they make it free for the students. 

Contact the “student services” or “Rec Center” to inquire about these opportunities.

Also, community colleges and community centers are a great place to look. 

They are always looking out for yoga teachers to add to their class schedules. 

2. Corporate Group Yoga Classes

It’s becoming common practice for companies to offer yoga as a fringe benefit to their employees. 

You can ask your local network to find out which companies would be interested in it.

Quick note: Most successful teachers would charge a flat rate per class no matter how many students show up.

3. Freelance Writer for Yoga Publications

This is a great way to make additional income if you love writing and intend to network in the Yoga industry. 

It’s a bonus for you if you have your website because each freelance article you write will include a backlink to your website. 

These backlinks have SEO benefits and will send traffic to your site.

Now, let’s look at some Intermediate Income Opportunities.

Intermediate Income Opportunities

These are your typical “Bread and butter” as a yoga entrepreneur. 

These ideas, if carefully executed, have the potential to increase your income dramatically and change your life in the process.

However, you might not want to rush into these opportunities. 

They require strategic business strategies and long-term planning.

At this level, you’ve identified your niche and are managing a growing website + email list and you’re making money from your Yoga business. At least one year of teaching experience.

1. Create an Online Course

Guess what? 

The online course industry is over $100B annually. 

You wouldn’t want to miss out. Consider turning your knowledge and skills into an online course. 

There are infinite opportunities in the Yoga space and you can position yourself well and take advantage of these opportunities.

2. Offer Workshops

You can develop a unique 2 to 3-hour workshop to deliver at Yoga studios. 

Consider your expertise and what yoga students are looking to learn. 

Narrowing down to a specific niche is a good way to increase the price of your workshop. 

If you like traveling, you can pitch your workshops to studios as you go. 

Also, if you want to reach more people, record your workshop and sell it through your website!

3. Create a Retail Product to Serve the Yoga Community

If you notice a need that is not being met in the yoga niche, why not move in and do supply it? 

Every need left unmet is money left on the table. 

Maybe you like to make jewelry, you can make yoga jewelry. 

We have clothing, jewelry, yoga props, and many more yoga products that you can successfully take advantage of.

Advanced Income Opportunities

These are the flagship products and services. 

They require years of experience, months of planning, and a lot of hard work. 

To successfully implement any of these opportunities, you might need a lot of personal growth, at least many yoga entrepreneurs attest to this.

If done well, these opportunities have the potential to increase your income and increase your impact.

At this level, you should be making a decent income from your business + a thriving online community that you understand. 

Also, you should have been teaching or running your business for at least 3 years.

1. Run Your Yoga Teacher Training

Yoga Teacher Training is very juicy for Yoga studios charging between $2000 – $5000 per person. 

If you have a truckload of experience and a strong marketing channel, this is a great option.

Just before you consider this option, we advise that you either own a studio or have a large email list and a thriving online community.

2. Write a Book

Yes. You can write a book. 

Do you have a fountain of knowledge and experience on a topic that few people talk about or maybe do not exhaust satisfactorily? 

There’s your opportunity!

Just so you know, this is not a task to joke with. 

You’ll have to put in a ton of work and yes, quite a little fraction of books make money.

Thankfully, self-publishing has become very accessible and quite effective.

3. Create Your Certification Program

Do you have a yoga style that’s unique to you?

Is it creative and perhaps artistic? 

You can consider creating a certification program that teaches others your unique style!

Certifications can range from a full program to a focused one-week intensive.

Conclusion

These are some ways you can use to increase your income as a Yoga instructor. 

Now you know how much you might earn if you want to become a Yoga teacher.

Did you find this helpful? 

We’d like to know in the comment section.

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