Pay transparency in the yoga profession
A question for yoga, wellness and fitness professionals: Please raise your hand if you started teaching yoga to make money? What's that, no hands went up? Welp, I'm not surprised.
A question for other folks: Please raise your hand if yoga (and no, I don't just mean that one handstand workshop you did) has positively impacted your mental, physical or spiritual health. Yupppp, I see a few more hands in the air.
Despite the immense value that it brings to students, studios and humans who interact with other humans who practice yoga, the actual business of yoga doesn't bring in a ton of coin for the majority of instructors.
Let me cut to the chase, since this is a blog post about transparency after all: I make $35 - $200 / yoga class. That is a BIG range! Sometimes I bring my own equipment including mats, blocks, audio equipment and sound healing instruments. Sometimes I have to check in students, sometimes I get help. I usually get to class 15 mins early to set-up and stay for at least 15 mins after class to chat with students and tidy up.
I think it's important for yoga teachers (fitness professionals of any sort really) to be transparent with what they make. Transparency leads to fairness. And across the industry I don't believe we have a good concept of what fairness looks like. I see the cost of yoga classes and workshops get higher and higher for students but does that translate to what the actual teacher makes?
I teach a variety of yoga styles including: chair, gentle, vinyasa and SUP Yoga. I teach in public studios and with private clients. Some places I teach at, my income varies based on the headcount. If it's a "good" day and I have more students in class then I make more money. But if it's a tough time slot, a holiday, I haven't really hustled to advertise it (that's another blog post!) or simply don't get a lot of students then I don't make as much money. Some places I teach at have a minimum number of students, so if less than 3 sign up then we cancel class. This is a bummer for me (I don't get paid) and for students (who already made the time in their day for the class). For some classes I get paid the same for 1 student or a full class. And then there's inclement weather that cancels my class and is totally out of my control, despite the fact that I rely on the income.
Bottom line: If I don't teach, I don't get paid. If I take vacation, unlike a corporate job, I don't get paid. This is the same for any "gig" worker so although I am speaking for myself as a yoga professional, I'm sure these concerns pop up for other folks that aren't in the "9-5 world"
For private clients, either individuals or small groups, I set my own rate. 95% of the time the paying client agrees to my rate because they know it's fair. On the rare occasion that someone low balls me and asks for a "discount" (like I'm a coupon for BOGO shoes at DSW) they are usually a difficult client and I had the hunch they would be challenging. I have granted the discounted rate 1 time and I have not seen that client again, despite their promises that they wanted to book me for monthly classes.
To be clear, I didn't go into yoga teaching to make money. I think many folks (I'm looking at you school teachers and social workers) don't go into a profession because they're going to bring home a big paycheck. They enter a vocation because they see it as the best way to share their unique gifts with the world.
At the same time, I want to make a liveable wage (we all do!) And so, I no longer teach for free...with the exception of fundraising events for nonprofits. Often these organizations give me a plant, merch / gear or cookies (thanks Girl Scouts!) as a little thank you. To be clear: will teach for Thin Mints! Trading for services (yoga for a massage, sound bath for home repairs) makes a lot of sense to me because it's something that is mutually beneficial for all parties. I would love to see society in general incorporate more "trade commerce" opportunities.
I share all of this with you in the spirit of transparency. Because I value honesty and clear boundaries. I share this with you because I believe that the more humans that practice yoga and mindfulness the better this world will be. I believe that everyone needs yoga and deserves to feel at home in their bodies. I believe the yoga profession is highly valued, even if the paycheck doesn't correspond.
I'm curious then, why yoga teachers and fitness professionals don't get tipped. You'd tip your hairstylist, barista, waiter, nail tech or UberEats drive, right? But why not tip your yoga teacher? Break it down even more...why don’t I tip the UPS driver but I’m encouraged to tip my Uber Driver? How are these drivers different and how are they similar? Or for that matter your dental hygienist or car service tech? Why are some gigs "tippable" and others aren't? Are we not all doing a service? If it's making a pumpkin spice latte (I legit have NEVER had one!), doing an oil change, a pedicure or helping you get into Warrior 2...are these not all instances where extra gratuity would be nice?
At the heart of these questions (and per usual, I have more questions than answers) is coming to an understanding of "what is fair and equitable?" I'm exploring what a balanced life looks like and if something is out of balance I want to understand why and then make amends to fix it. My moon sign is Libra so you get where I'm coming from ;)
Do I have one standard recommendation for what yoga teachers should be paid? No, because there are so many factors that go into this...just like there would be for any other job. What I do have is an open heart for transparent communication and a desire for all humans to be valued for the work they do.
As I was researching and writing this blog, I came across this article about pay transparency here in Maryland:
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Sending you the biggest of hugs and highest of vibes.