In a Bind: What it Means to Move to a New City with a Career in Yoga

Lately, my husband and I have been considering moving out of the city and into the outskirts of a small city of 40,000 about five hours from out current locale. A common story, we're tired of the exorbitantly high cost of living and the disproportionately low wages of our hometown. Plus, we love the idea of having a little bit of space to have a garden as well as some quiet and peace of mind. My husband will have no problem finding working in the nearby city. However, as a yoga teacher, I'll need to consider my options about the viability of teaching yoga in a small city.

Living in a metropolitan area, there are a multitude of studios, businesses, and fitness centers offering yoga, all of which serve as potential places of employment for teachers. I've created a diverse schedule for myself teaching classes at three studios and one local business, all within 10 minutes of my apartment (a big plus to save on gas costs). This structure all me to reach many people thus creating a large potential client base to which I can offer workshops and private sessions.

When I think about the move, I can't help but think that continuing to teach yoga full-time is at best a pipe-dream, at worst a selfish-indulgence that provides little to support our family. With only three studios in the new town, its not likely that I'd be able to develop a full schedule of classes (I consider this to be 10 classes) at studios whose missions I fully support. Even if I did find three appropriate studios and/or businesses, health centers, etc., the 20 minutes commute from our home out in the country would significantly reduce my net income, perhaps to a point where my wages become negligible. Plus, I can't help but think of the longer commute to be "eco-mean".

It would be great if I could just roll into town and build a community of students as private clients. However, I'm not sure how likely that is to happen. In my experience as a student, I like to know a teacher quite well before committing to an expensive workshop or private session, especially in times such as these where we all need to watch our dollars and cents more closely.
I know that the energy you put out has a lot to do with the success you find and that my trepidation does not serve me. Still, I also know math and wonder if it'd really be possible to make ends meet teaching yoga in such a small community.

QUESTIONS

• Have you moved cities as a yoga instructor? If so, did you continue to teach and how was the transition?
• Can a yoga teacher support herself solely on yoga in a small city?
  

When the Teacher is Ready, the Niche will Appear

I began teaching yoga classes part-time in January of 2009 and then full-time in June after obtaining health insurance as a "domestic partner." Now in October, I'm finally feeling myself drop down from my head into my heart, providing classes that honestly share my truth. When I sit in front of my students at the start of each class, I'm no longer concerned that my words don't sound authentic or that I'm not offering the type of class my students are looking for. It feels wonderful to simply stand strong in my yoga knowing that I can only share my truth, leaving class attendance up to the universe. At the same time, getting over the butterflies in my stomach has allowed me to consider the long-term financial outlook for a career as a yoga instructor and how I might expand my offerings and increase my income.

In her previous comment, yoga teacher Laurel (A.K.A. "Lola") shared how she maintains a stable income by bringing yoga to seniors and children. Finding a niche is an oft-discussed topic amongst instructors as it's purported to bring greater financial prosperity and as I continue to grow as a teacher, I am open to and excited about developing a yoga specialty. Of course, the real challenge comes in deciding which group to target. Some popular niche markets include: corporate yoga; yoga for inflexible guys, kids, seniors and women; strongly spiritual yoga; and pre-/post-natal yoga.

When I consider popular and less-popular niches, I just can't imagine choosing one when they all sound great. I believe that the yoga I share as a teacher has to be in line with my truth and choosing a niche simply for financial gain won't yield the results I seek. Still, I need to start paying the bills and my current class income doesn't afford my modest urban lifestyle. For now, I'm going to continue meditating on my classes, which range from from gentle to strong vinyasa, hoping to find a little clarity about what yoga I'm meant to share.

Hopefully, when the teacher is ready, the niche will appear!

QUESTIONS

• What's your niche?
• How did you decide to focus on that specialty? Did it manifest organically from your teaching?
• Have you found specializing to be financially fruitful?
  

The Mystification of the Yoga Business - Yoga Teacher Class Rates (Part 2)

Not too long ago, I fell in love with my yoga practice and began daydreaming about how beautiful life would be as an instructor, everyday sharing with others a heaping dose of light and love through soothing adjustments, a welcoming smile, and a gentle voice. Years later, I've left my job to find that the dream is pretty darn close to real life. Life as a yoga teacher is incredible. I love planning sequences, reading texts in search of inspiring class themes, and finding myself constantly surrounded by people actively working to be happier, healthier, and more present.

So why don't more yogis leave behind the stressful nine-to-five and dive into the beauty of a boss-less, cubicle-less, dress code-less existence? One simple and not surprising answer: the money. In general, yoga teachers do not make even a modest salary and therefore need to be motivated, creative, and unrelenting in their artha (trans. the pursuit of prosperity, including material prosperity).

In this posting, I'll specifically discuss yoga teacher class rates, which are structured in several different ways. Below, I have listed the structures which I have encountered.

• Base rate plus $X per student for each student over X.
• Flat rate.
• $X per student.
• X% of total income earned from students attending class.

I have read on Yoga Journal (http://yogajournal.com/lifestyle/1857) that teachers should seek to diversify the structure of their class rates to ensure optimal income and minimal risk. While this may make sense for some, each situation is quite unique and it would be difficult to say which structure is best without knowing more about the studio (e.g. typical attendance, future marketing endeavors, intentions to grow, etc.). Further, most studios, health clubs, etc. already have a pay structure in place, so if you want to work at a certain location, you'll likely have to be amenable to their current set-up. There's always room for negotiation; however, owners won't likely stray far from status quo (e.g. moving from a flat rate to $X per student) unless you are a well-established teacher with a strong following.

Specifics
Here is a run down of my current and past class locations, pay rates, and length of classes. Please keep in mind that I teach in a densely populated city:

• Studio A - $35/class + $3/head over 10 students (e.g. 11 students = $38)
• 1.25 hours
  
• Studio B - $35
• 1 hour class
  
• Studio C - $35/class + $2/head over 8 students (e.g. 11 students = $41)
• 1.5 hours
  
• Studio D - Flat rate $30/class
• 1.5 hours
  
• Corporation - $50/class
• 1 hour
  
• 24 Hour Fitness - $25/class
• 1 hour
  
• Country Club - $45/class
• 1.5 hours
  
• Health Club - $30/class
• 1 hour

My corporate class is generally the best paying, though at times my classes at Studio A will be quite large bringing in upwards of $65 per class. Unfortunately, attendance is extremely variable there; thus, my salary fluctuates as well. You also need to consider that some studios require their teachers to register students, which means arriving to class at least 15 minutes early. The time for your commute as well as the distance of the drive (as relates to the cost of gas) should also be factored into your salary analysis.

As a brand new teacher, I was thrilled to simply be hired at studios and didn't do much haggling over pay. In the past few months, I have learned that pay rates are actually uniform at all but one of my studios and even in that last studio, there isn't much difference between pay for new teachers versus seasoned teachers.

With 10 classes per week and an occasional substituting gig, I make on average $1,700 per month ($20,400 per year). Please keep in mind that this figure is pre-tax (deduct 15.3% for the IRS's self-employment tax) and does not factor in holidays or sick days. As you can see, a yoga teacher's job cannot end with classes unless he or she has married well!

QUESTIONS
Are your class rates very different from mine? If so, what are they; what city/state do you work in; and what is the class location?
Have you found certain pay structures to be better than others?
Do you have other "lessons learned" on class pay rates?
Have you attempted to negotiate with a studio owner over pay? If so, how did it go?