Yoga teachers are some of the nicest people in the world. But being too nice sometimes comes at a price.
Recently, I was approached by a lovely person. Although she maintains that she’s not independently wealthy, she spends many hours offering yoga without compensation in the service of others. She asked me to come to a city (pretty far away) and teach for her event.
But then she told me, “I’m sorry but I can’t pay you.”
“What about airfare and accommodations?” I asked.
“No, I’m sorry you’ll have to cover that too.”
After I scraped my jaw up off of the floor, I asked why she doesn’t compensate presenters – or cover their expenses. She told me that she loves having small, personal events. That they are really fun and successful. And that she can’t afford to pay the teachers, and in fact, she barely breaks even. So, yes, you read that right – she does not make a profit, nor does she pay the presenters, and she spends a lot of time and effort creating events.
Unfortunately, this is not an unfamiliar tale in the yoga world – many teachers have conflicting feelings about money. And this and similar stories are often harbingers of the beast of burnout breaking down the back door.
I told her that I’m an advocate for yoga and yoga therapy, and that I write about and work with several organizations to try and increase the perceived value of the yoga profession, and to attempt to integrate yoga into the health care system – primarily because I want yoga teachers to be able to make a living doing what they love, and for yoga to be good, people have to be able to afford to learn to teach it well.
“As an advocate for the profession of yoga,” I said. “I would not be modeling my beliefs about our professional value if I was to spend time and money to fly somewhere to teach. It would devalue what I do, and the profession in general.”
The question of teaching for free comes up frequently in the yoga world – but this was not about teaching for free, this was about paying to teach. There are plenty of times that I do things pro bono – typically for non-profits and usually online. And sure, I’m happy to offer that kind of seva from time to time when I believe in the mission of the organization and I have the time to fit it into my schedule.
But this ask went far beyond those parameters.
As a comparison, what would most people think if, for example, I was a male physician who taught other physicians? What if I was asked to come to speak at an event, and to pay to do so. And not be compensated for my expenses. How would that go over? Would that seem like a normal ask?
It’s not that her work isn’t valuable – in fact, I think it’s much more valuable than she perhaps realizes or admits to herself – and in a culture that cares little for those who live outside the monetary system, it may be seriously harmful, both personally and professionally, to devalue the teachings of yoga to that extent.
Dr. Gabor Mate links being too nice and putting everyone else’s need before your own to the development of many chronic diseases.
“No one wakes up in the morning and decides, ‘Today, I’ll put the needs of the whole world foremost, disregarding my own,’” he said. But we, especially women, are often acculturated to do exactly that. We often put our need for attachment – to feel loved and validated – before our need for self-care, or even survival. We say “Yes” often, even when it hurts us to do so. And we may pay the price for it with resulting health issues.
I believe that yoga is for everyone and everyone should have access to it. I value the spiritual teachings of yoga including seva and karma yoga – deeply. I believe that everyone is entitled to set up their yoga teaching however they’d like to.
But then again, it’s worthwhile examining these two, intersecting issues:
- Women’s perceived value – both in who they are and what they do; both in how they see themselves and how other see them; and
- Yoga’s value as a profession.
In many western countries, teaching yoga is largely a woman’s business. Which is great. I love that about yoga, there are so many wonderful women providing an important service and helping so many people. Some of these people are also business-minded and make a living teaching yoga – but others really struggle to make ends meet and often feel guilty about taking money from people for yoga – which may relate back to either not believing in yourself and/or not believing in the value of what you teach.
Reaching out to a female expert in any field and asking her not only to not be compensated, but also to spend her time and money in order to deliver her expertise is a blinding reflection of some seriously dysfunctional thinking about the value of women. Reaching out and asking any yoga expert to do the same is a blinding reflection of some seriously dysfunctional thinking about the value of yoga teaching.
I have fought long and hard against the cultural messages I internalized as a child that told me that whatever I do is worth less because of my gender. And, in my adult life, I’ve fought hard against the mainstream messages that assert that teaching yoga is easy, not terribly important, and something that anyone with a pair of tights and stretchy hamstrings can do, and so it carries very little value.
But good yoga teaching can be life changing. Yet most yoga teachers, despite their training, expertise, experience, and the tremendous value of their work, are severely undercompensated for their skills.
I wonder how often health experts like Andrew Huberman, Jon Kabat Zinn, Andrew Weil, and Peter Atia are asked to spend their income and time to travel somewhere and teach for free?
(I looked it up – Peter Atia’s speaking fee for a live engagement starts at $200,000. Jus’ sayin’).
It’s 2023, it’s time to bury this valueless perception of both women and yoga. It’s time to promote the value of both who you are and what you do. It’s time to be appropriately compensated. It’s time to ask for what you’re worth.
Iceland’s badass women went on strike to protest pay inequity – yoga teachers outta take a page from their playbook.
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I totally agree with you about the importance of being compensated for our work. I didn’t always think this way but the more mature I become the more I understand my value and the importance of my time.
Thank you for speaking out. We need to continue to hear it.
Yes I think getting older holds so many lessons. This has been a big one for me.
Thank you for this. I need this reminder every once in a while and you put the importance of being compensated so well!
Thanks Susan.
Thank you for this reminder of value. I struggle with this.
you’re not alone!
So well put and such an extremely important message. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Jamie!
You go, Kristine! I completely agree that we should be compensated like any other health care professional. I’ve spent a LOT of money over the years on continuing education and I would at the very least like to be compensated for that expenditure by teaching yoga.
at least! Thanks Carol.
You are spot on. I’ve been teaching yoga for almost 20 years & have been asked many, many times to do free stuff for organisations & others. In my early years I sometimes did these gigs but noticed that my work wasn’t really valued or appreciated. I’ve spent countless hours & heaps of money learning my craft & have come to realise that I’m pretty good at what I do & should be compensated accordingly for my expertise. I aways charge reasonably & give 100% of my attention to my clients. This is my occupation & how I earn my living, why would I be expected do my job without payment ? I do give in many other ways – mentoring new yoga teachers & helping them understand the value of what they offer.
Thanks Carmel. So many important points here. Thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you so much for articulating this, Kristine. It’s amazing how many times people/organizations have asked me to “donate” a yoga class! I’ve had to build strong boundaries about how much of my time/energy/expertise I’m comfortable “donating.” And it’s interesting–my degrees and yoga therapist training were not free to me (nor should they be) so it is very unsettling to be expected to teach/share my skills for free.
yup. I hear you!
I really appreciate this article. I love how forthright your writing is. I’ve been teaching for 31 years and I find I still need re-train my thinking about money. Thank you for your deep thinking on this subject.
Thank you Karla!
Well said Kristina. I think it’s so important that we keep standing up for women to be remunerated fairly and equitably.
thanks Donna!
Well said! I used to have this issue! I gave a lot of free karma yoga classes and sometimes donations based. With experience, I realized that my time, experience and expertise must be fairly compensated! And now every time I feel that way, I tell to myself: if people can afford 20-30-40$/€/£ to make their fake nails, then they can afford yoga classes!
That’s a great point. Thanks Jolanda.
I agree with every single word. This is so important. What we offer is so valuable, and we should get compensated for our expertise.
yes!
Kristin, this article is so well written and supported! I also have struggled with issues of money/worth related to being a Yoga teacher Thank you for reminding me of the value and importance of what we are all bringing to those we teach! I never really considered the the majority of Yoga teachers are women; this adds another layer to this whole conversation. Thank you for your wisdom.
Thank you Karyl. Glad you enjoyed the blog. xo
Such an important topic. I was teaching a class at a senior community center for nominal pay, and recently left because I moved too far away to make it feasible. The center is having trouble finding a replacement yoga instructor, and I commented that the pay is not worth it for many instructors to go there to teach one class. One of the students said, “It should be a labor of love.” I felt I had to educate the participants that YTT is a financial and big time commitment, and it costs money to be registered, pay for continuing education, and liability insurance. We have to drive to teach classes and that costs money for fuel, insurance, wear and tear on the car. I’m not counting the time it takes to plan a class. It can’t be free for most instructors and we pay for what we value. And you are right, any job that is primarily populated by women has lower pay. It is infuriating! We need to be more like Icelandic women. It is a really interesting culture on so many levels.
It is a labor of love, whether we get paid or not. And I prefer the compensation frankly. thanks Patty.
I hear you Patty. I agreed to volunteer to teach over 55’s class (i.e. unpaid) for a local council for a period of 10 weeks last year. (I was already teaching paid position for around 2 years)
The council wants to keep the class free for participants but not paying the teacher, therefore I negotiated. I got paid for 5 weeks (the program extended for 5 weeks) and I said to them “look, I had to drive here, there’s transportation cost, registration fee (for YA membership) and insurance fee. It has got to be sustainable for me to continue to offer yoga at your council.”
At the end they are not willing to continue to pay so I left. Part of me felt so sorry for the participants as they are such a lovely group to be with.
I think leaving was the right choice. The public needs to be educated about the value of our work.
I completely agree with you!
When I was new to yoga, my mentor told me what she was paid by the health club for a class– $13, regardless of attendance. That seemed to devalue her experience and expertise. I retired soon after and found a shared space for a studio, where teachers could work for themselves, keeping 80% of the fee with 20% for rent/utilities. I didn’t take a profit and made up the shortfall. If their 20% exceeded their portion, they kept 100% of the rest of their fees for the month.
Three teachers signed up, no problem. (I didn’t teach, yet, but attended their classes and paid their fees.) But one woman I offered a contract to, who had a business marketing background, wanted to offer free classes –who knows how often that would be?– to get more students through the doors. I said the contract prohibited free classes but most importantly, it gives the community the view that our classes and teachers are of lesser value.
After some unpleasantness, I withdrew my offer. She admitted she hadn’t even read the contract. It was a shame– she was a very competent teacher.
That was really very generous of you to open a co-op kind of studio space. And as for folks having a hard time not teaching for free, well, all I can say about that is that everyone has their own story. Doesn’t mean we need to entertain it however, so I think you did the right thing.
I was told by more than one teacher I admired that being poorly compensated or only doing gratis work dishonors your teachers and
the teaching.
When I owned a brick and mortar studio, we had a sliding scale and some cleaned the studio or made eye pillows in exchange for
classes or a workshop!
If people contribute, they believe they have been given something of value and are more likely to practice.
Yes I agree with that completely! Thanks Beth.
I loved “When The Body Says NO” & your reminder of what Dr. Gabor Mate said was very timely. A really important reminder! Thank you
Thank you!
Thanks for your article on teaching yoga and the pitfalls of being nice which I could totally relate to. I thought I would share some of my teaching experience with you.
I am male teacher, I only took up yoga teaching after I retired, I got my teaching certificate in Rishikesh in March 2020. From my point of view, there was never a professional motivation to teach yoga for a living and in fact it took me quite a while to feel comfortable asking for any money at all. I started my yoga lessons with U3A (University of Third Age – is a voluntary organisation where all tutors are volunteers) organisations in Melbourne Australia especially during COVID lockdowns in 2020-2021 – mostly on Zoom due to social isolation rules. Then I moved back to London in April 2022, again I started teaching in U3A classes with Tower Hamlets, London and also last Summer on Sunday mornings for free at where I live. It wasn’t until later in October 2022, after I became known as a local yoga teacher resident that I got to teach at the residential gym for a small regular fee.
I do understand what you commented on, last year certainly I was effectively paying to teach as I had to cover my Yoga Alliance registration fee and professional indemnity insurance payment as well. My lesson was that while some students did appreciate (still do – I hope) my efforts (which I called karma yoga) many don’t appreciate the value at all – they turned up when they felt like it, there was no commitment nor much social interaction etc. Why is it that some people would never appreciate anything they get for free ?
Only this Summer when I taught on a Sunday morning outside that I started asking for a contribution (to pay my yoga expenses), even then I was very timid in saying exactly how much – I suggested between £3 – 5, you think in London £3 would not even get you a cup of coffee ! I was so shocked when one morning someone handed me a £2 coin, I just didn’t know how to react (as I normally send a payment request only after the class. After that incident I decided that I would set a fee of £5 !
I still teach every fortnight for U3A’s senior’s group on a pro bono basis, one would have thought attendance would be regular etc but not so some weeks I would get 8 / 9 people and other weeks I could get 2-3 people ! A couple of regular attendees, whom I would consider as friends now would buy me a coffee after class and sit for a chat. I am now back in the gym teaching 2 – 3 classes weekly for a fixed fee payable to me (the gym gets whatever payments on a per head basis. On the whole I am still very reluctant to do any Yoga classes on a commercial basis (but then I have retired and don’t really need the income).
I have also offered my yoga services tosome festival and workshops next year, again like what you wrote – they don’t offer to pay expenses for me – I would have to enrol to attend the festival and pay my own train fares from London to York return !
Thanks so much for sharing your experience Peter – and no doubt some men struggle with this as well. I think many people come to teaching later in life when they don’t have to worry about the income. Thanks for what you do!
I work as an independent contractor for a health care provider’s fitness center that pays the same hourly to all instructors for 45 minute classes regardless of level of certification or cost of insurance coverage with no reimbursement for basic silver sneakers training which is required. Participants get class free through insurance and if not a member with free membership through insurance they pay 5-10 dollars per class for a ticket for up to 50 or a hundred with higher cost tickets reducing the cost per class, of course. They pay more to exercise therapist who do group sessions, individual and work the desk. I live close so there is low costs. My greater stress is the lack of social skills regarding the etiquette of the practice, on time attendance and or leaving early and sometimes expectations that we- staff, clean before and after. I just believe in the value of yoga and hope others experience it as well. I can not afford my own studio. I agree with all concerns and feel the internet access may prove another opportunity to prosper.
Thanks for sharing your experience Carol!
I’m not sure how stretchy my hamstrings are, and my tights are only comfortable enough to wear when I teach my yoga classes…but I’m worth it!
yes!
when I first started teaching in a home studio, i had a box that i asked my students to drop payment into. I didn’t want to talk about money, handle the money or remind students to pay for their classes. I trusted that they would remember, place their money in the box and all would be well. I continue to kindof cringe when finding the comfort level in what I offer and what I’m worth. I KNOW and FEEl that what I offer is valuable, useful, necessary and changing lives AND placing a monetary ‘price’ on these spiritual and healing practices just feels weird for lack of a better word………sigh, thank for this blog, for validating this ever present reality. We, as yogi guides, are worthy and there is no time like NOW to stand tall in our teachings.
Thank you for sharing Jules. It’s true that it can feel really weird to take money for these teachings, I certainly grappled with it for year. However, I also realized that while I could be doing something else, I would never do anything as well as I teach yoga – because it’s my passion and my dharma. so, in that way, not teaching, because I don’t want to be involved in the finances, would be a disservice to myself and those who are drawn to learn with me. And because of that, I had to get better at being okay with the financial side of it.
My 200 hour certification teacher is a very skilled yogi in her 80’s. Her response to promoting access is to charge 10$ per 1.25 hour class and 5$ if you return for the second class offered that week. The 10$ initial fee as already below market rate for the affluent community that housed her studio. I would get looks askance when I said to pay only 5$ for the second class was abusive. So many of our participants value our teaching – let’s harness that support!