There are a lot of people practicing yoga worldwide: 38.4 million people in the year 2022. And based on past growth of about 2 million more yoga practioners hitting the mat per year, there are likely over 40 million people practicing yoga this year. With that many people choosing to learn, practice, and continually particpate in yoga - is this a growing industry where you can become a teacher and likewise grow your bank account?
The shortests and most honest answer for most yoga teachers is - NO.
Very few of us are making a living wage teaching yoga much less likely are we to be making $60-$100k a year (as some advertising claims might say on the gram). Most yoga teachers are offering the practice of yoga as a service, a side hustle, or a true life passion and following where the need is, not where the cash flows.
This is not to say to yoga teachers should not be paid what they are worth - they absolutely should! Let's be realistic, very few instructor/teachers in the wellness industry are being paid what there are worth. If globally we did better at emphasising wellness and health practices (and subsidizing them) in the same way we do pharmaceuticals, yoga teachers would be paid more than doctors! The difficuluty is that yoga asks individualls to change their life and their lifestyle rather than just take a magic pill. That is a much harder sell. And yet, millions are choosing a healthier lifestyle and need someone who has been there already to help show them the way.
I cannot speak to all yoga teachers on the planet, but I can speak anecdotally from my personal expereince and from the stories I have heard from other teachers in the industry. Most of us ended up being yoga teachers accidentally. The pattern generally goes like this:
We started practicing yoga,
felt incredible positive change in our lives practicing with an amazing teacher who cared about us,
wanted to know how/why yoga was having such a positive impact throughout all of our life,
asked our yoga teacher how we could learn more about yoga
ended up in a 200hr yoga teacher training with no intention of becoming a teacher
finished the training realizing even more how amazing yoga is and how it can help people we care about to have a positive impact in their life
we started teaching yoga.
This metapmorphosis of a yoga practictioner into a yoga teacher happens more often than not. And the industry grows. Does that mean that our investment in a 200hr teacher training was worth it?
The shortest and most honest answer for most yoga teachers - YES!!
Still, very few of us are making a living wage teaching yoga much less likely are we to be making $60-$100k a year (as some advertising claims might say on the gram). Most yoga teachers are offering the practice of yoga as a service, a side hustle, or a true life passion and following where the need is, not where the cash flows.
Doing a yoga teacher training is about continuing to grow and improve your own life, then by extension you help to improve the life of others. Is the price tag of trainings worth it? YES! And honestly, when you end up surprising yourself and teaching yoga to your friends and family, and then your community, and then to the world, you will eventually and absolutely recover your initial financial investment in yourself. Even if you never teach, the investment in yourself will be life altering.
Invest in yourself in a gorgeous Hawaiian Paradise retreat - vacation + yoga transformation - the best combination!
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