Since decades, yoga has been emerging as a major wellness activity across nations and is being accepted by everyone who wishes to live a balanced lifestyle. Due to the increasing popularity of yoga, the demand for certified yoga instructors is also increasing across workplaces, yoga schools, gyms, wellness centres, as well as online platforms. But now the main question is “How much does a yoga instructor make?”
Are you also one of those who want to pursue yoga professionally? If yes, then read this blog to get complete understanding of the dynamics of yoga teacher’s salary structure. Get insights about the basic pay in different countries, comparison between salaries, and some of the essential factors that influence the pay of the instructors worldwide.
Can you support yourself as a Yoga Instructor when you are just starting out?
This is one of the most frequent questions asked by the aspiring yoga instructors whether they can actually make a living out of this career, especially in the beginning. The answer to this is yes, you can make a living as a yoga instructor but it would not happen by chance. It requires effort, dedication, and true intention towards yoga practice and refining your teaching skills. The early stages of learning teaching skills and building a career out of yoga does not follow a straight line. You should always remember that there is no universal pathway, guaranteed salary, or promise that you will start getting a lot of work right after you graduate. You may feel overwhelmed, might question your decisions, but that is completely normal. You have to be creative, ready to hustle, and take ownership of the path you are choosing. Once you are confident about your skills and practicing level, you can absolutely support yourself financially by teaching yoga.
You can teach in multiple yoga centres, take private sessions, corporate gigs, or online clients from across the globe to gain a good amount of experience. Start by collaborating with wellness centres, cafes, and create a specific niche that sells your program. This also means stepping out of your comfort zone and doing things like marketing your own sessions, showing up online, cold emailing people, asking for referrals, etc. But all of this will help you grow in your yoga teaching journey and will incorporate resilience, determination, and self-trust within you.
How Much Do Yoga Instructors Make?
If you are an aspiring yoga teacher and ever thought about how much sustainable income you can make as a yoga teacher, then you are not alone. The range of income depends on numerous factors which are crucial to consider. Where you are teaching, how often you teach, your experience level, yoga style, types of space and clients you are working with, decides your income as a yoga instructor. For instance, if you are a teacher in a studio environment in the US, your salary can range somewhere between $30 to $85 each class. If you take corporate yoga sessions, then you can earn between $200 to $400 per hour, especially with the big companies or in a wellness oriented business.
But it is important to understand that this is not an overnight success. Your classes are going to be your financial foundation in the beginning. Ensure that you take weekly sessions in studios, gym, community space, or online as they are going to be your consistent and most predictable income source. Workshops, private sessions, content creating, and retreats are some options you can consider for diversifying your income and also making you popular. The amount of classes you are teaching also plays a crucial role in determining your income. Some yoga instructors take 10-15 sessions a week in different studios, while others focus on some high-value private lessons on specific niches. You need to think outside the box and combine creativity with business sense to become a successful yoga instructor.
Average Yoga Instructor Salary
Yoga has become a major wellness activity over the years, which is a major reason behind the demand of certified yoga instructors. Their salaries depend on various factors which decide the salary range of any yoga teacher. The location of the studio or yoga school is one big reason behind the salary difference of yoga teachers. Pay scale also varies according to the country’s economic conditions. Let’s dive deeper into understanding the average salary of yoga instructors according to the global and national averages.
Global and National Averages
A yoga instructor’s global average salary is approximately $30,000 to $100,000 per year as of now. It depends on where you are located, what is the experience level, and what are your qualifications as well as certifications in yoga. If you have high certificates and are more qualified then it implies that you can get to the higher end of this salary range easily.
The national average salary of a yoga instructor is based on the economy of the country they are living and teaching in. Along with it, your certifications, destination, living standards, type of client, kind of yoga style taught, are also some of the factors that decide your salary as an instructor. By taking some extra private sessions or online workshops you can always increase your salary.
The United States
The USA is considered as the biggest country of yoga professionals in the world. Here, yoga reaches every corner with an unstoppable rate and salaries of the instructors majorly depend on which state they are teaching yoga. A yoga teacher in the United States of America can earn anywhere between $30,000 to $70,000 per year. This range of income is estimated taking the urban areas of the USA in consideration, which can vary accordingly. Teaching in Premium centres, studios, having private clients, and better certifications can decide your salary as a yoga instructor in the USA.
Canada
Canada is also one of the popular yoga practicing countries globally and is home to many individuals practicing yoga asanas consistently. The awareness of yoga in this country is a big reason behind the constant increase in the demand of yoga instructors as compared to other nations. Average salary in Canada for a yoga teacher can range between CAD 30,000 to CAD 60,000 in a year, for someone who is quite experienced in this field.
India
India is the birthplace of yoga, which is a major reason why yoga is extremely popular and common in the country. You can find most of the traditions, cultures, and festivals linked to the principles of yoga in India. However, choosing yoga teaching as a serious profession is no less than a competition in this country, teachers still manage to make around INR 4,00,000 to INR 10,00,000 every year. This range of income is estimated for people who have at least 2-3 years of experience.
The United Kingdom
The UK is another popular country to adapt to yoga as a major wellness activity. You can easily find various yoga schools, wellness centres, studios, and workshop areas in the country, which explains the high demand of yoga instructors here. The yoga teachers in the United Kingdom can earn approximately £20,000 and £40,000 on an average in a year.
Australia
Australia is a popular yoga country worldwide and people from various parts of the world are keen to come here and learn yoga. This popularity is one big reason behind the increasing demand of yoga instructors in Australia. Here, the average salary of a yoga teacher is around AUD 45,000 to AUD 75,000 in a year, and it varies according to the level of experience.
Japan
Yoga is currently emerging as a great wellness activity in Japan, which is why people of other nations are looking forward to visiting the country to embark on their yoga teacher training journey. The salary of a yoga instructor in Japan depends on the location, type of yoga style, qualifications, certifications, experience level, etc and falls between ¥3 Million and ¥6 Million per year.
How much does a Yoga Instructor make in an Hour?
The average salary in an hour of a yoga teacher can differ according to the different countries. The global average salary can be estimated approx $30-$75 per hour for an experienced yoga teacher. It can also vary according to the factors like qualifications, global certifications, experience level, and the area where the yoga studio is located. Average yoga instructor’s salary per hour in different countries are:
- The United Kingdom – £23 – £25 per hour
- India – INR 200 – INR per hour
- Australia – AUD 40 – AUD 50
- Japan – ¥2500 – ¥2800
- Germany – €14 – €15
- Canada – CAD 40 – CAD 50
Comparison Across Settings
When it is about the salaries of yoga instructors, destination isn’t the only factor to consider. In which setting you are teaching is one of the major factors which decides the salary structure of a yoga instructor. Your income is going to differ in a studio or gym than a retreat or private workshop.
Studio-based Yoga Instructors
There are multiple yoga studios that focus on teaching professional yoga. These yoga dedicated wellness studios are perfect for those who wish to learn yogic principles in-depth. This is the reason why teaching yoga in a studio has become extremely popular and is a safe scope for earning decently. If you are working as a regular yoga teacher in a studio, then you might earn approximately $40,000 to $80,000 per year on an average. This salary range is mainly for yoga teachers who have a fair amount of experience and are not beginners. This income can vary according to different factors like whether the area of yoga studio comes under urban or rural cities, what are the living standards in the area, and also how popular yoga is amongst locals of that area.
Gym-based Yoga Instructors
Gym-based yoga teaching is quite an unconventional path to take but also a popular one. However, it is not a very well paid career as yoga is never the first priority in the gyms. But as discussed earlier, it also depends on the type of location you are preferring, size of the gym, popularity, and other services provided. On an average, you can earn around $30,000 to $60,000 in a year as a yoga instructor in a gym.
Corporate Yoga Instructors
Taking corporate yoga sessions is a great career option to choose. In today’s world, where hustle-bustle and stress are a part of life, organizing yoga workshops for employees has become very common. Several multinational companies provide a decent budget for conducting yoga and wellness sessions for ensuring their employees overall well being. If you want to become a corporate yoga instructor, then you might get somewhere around $50,000 to $90,000 in a year depending on your popularity, experience level, and certifications.
Freelance Instructors
A freelance yoga instructor is also a common path that you can choose after completing your yoga teacher training program. You can take private sessions or as many freelance work projects as you can, that will pay you a decent amount of money. You can choose the schedule as per your convenience and can independently work from any part of the world. As an experienced yoga instructor, you can earn approx $50 to $150 per hour as a freelancer.
Retreat and Workshop Instructors
For an experienced yoga teacher, yoga retreats and teacher training programs are the best opportunity to consider. The retreat classes are the perfect chance to earn a good amount of money depending on the location of the retreat. Either you can take some percent of the total revenue generated through the retreat or have a fixed salary for every session you take. Look out for some high-profile retreats which are organized in picturesque locations for boosting your income as a yoga instructor. You can easily earn around $5,000 to $20,000 per retreat, especially in locations like Bali, Costa Rica, Thailand, or India.
Factors Influencing the Yoga Instructor’s Salary
Importance of Location
Location is one of the most important things which influence the salary of a yoga instructor. The area where you are teaching yoga has a significant impact on how much you can earn on an average. You cannot think about earning the same income in the foreign land as you earn in your country. The living standards of an area, rural or urban location, economy of the country, and popularity of yoga in that location also matters for deciding the salaries of yoga teachers.
Experience and Certification
Having global certification and proper experience also play a vital role in deciding a yoga teacher’s salary. For becoming a certified yoga teacher, you must complete at least the 200 hour foundational course of Yoga Teacher Training, from a school that is accredited by the Yoga Alliance, USA. So, if you have only completed 200- hour certification, then you are less experienced and qualified than someone who has completed the 500- hour YTT certification. Along with this, having a good amount of experience as a yoga teacher also increases your chance of earning better than others.
The setting you are teaching yoga
Which setting you are teaching yoga in is also an important factor that decides your income as a yoga instructor. Whether you are taking sessions in a yoga studio, wellness centre, gym, fitness workshop, retreat, corporate programs, or a yoga teacher training program, the pay scale will vary according to the setting you choose as a yoga teacher.
As you can notice from the article, there is no fixed pay scale for a yoga instructor. The opportunities are endless and you have to think beyond the mat in order to boost your professional career in yoga. Focus on refining your skills, practicing daily, and getting better than others, so you can ace your income profoundly.
