5 Tips for Teaching Yoga with a 9-5 Job

For many years of my career I’ve been a yoga teacher and corporate 9-5 girlie at the same time. Balancing two jobs can be tough, the risk for burnout is high. So here are five tips for managing both long term.

Check In with Yourself

First, ask yourself: Do I realistically have the time and energy to pursue teaching yoga right now? Does the idea of teaching excite you or sound draining? 

Be honest about your priorities. Where does teaching yoga fit in with other life priorities? Do you have any big life changes coming up? 

Thinking long-term, what are your goals teaching yoga? For example, do you one day want to teach yoga full-time or simply earn some extra side money?

Then take a look at your schedule and to see where you can fit in teaching yoga—evenings and weekends tend to be the most in-demand times. Maybe you already wake up early and could fit in a 7 am time slot. What timing works best with your schedule?

Your answers to the questions above will help give you direction on which opportunities to pursue and if now is the right time to take on teaching yoga. If the timing isn’t right, don’t force it.

Start Slow

If you’re just starting out teaching yoga on top of a full-time job, don’t overcommit. I recommend starting with just one regular class or session per week. If that feels manageable after a few months, you can gradually add more. You might also want to start by taking substitute teaching gigs for more flexibility.

Find Your Balance

Let’s be real—it’s hard to maintain balance when you’re already working a full-time job. Get to know your early signs of burnout so you can make changes before it becomes a bigger issue. Scale back on teaching or take a break when you need it. 

For me, two evening teaching commitments per week was sustainable. I valued my weekends off and it gave me the balance I was looking for, but it’s different for everyone. It depends on your life circumstances and priorities at the moment.

Your perfect balance will change over time. It’s a good idea to periodically reevaluate if it’s still working for you. Adapting over time is key to maintaining balance long term.

Understand Your Why

You may get more fulfillment from teaching yoga than you do in your 9-5 job. Teaching part time is a great opportunity to reflect on why you want to teach yoga and explore who you most want to help. Your ‘why’ may evolve as you gain more experience. The more you teach, the more clarity you’ll get. It's okay to shift your path as you learn more.

Focus on Learning Opportunities

Working two jobs means your time is limited, so intentionally use the time spent teaching as an investment in getting valuable experience. Furthermore, you don’t need to rely on your teaching income to pay the bills. So you have more choice on the type of teaching opportunities to pursue.

If your long-term goal is to teach yoga full time, look for opportunities that will help you grow your teaching skills and expand your network. This is also a great time to experiment with different teaching environments and formats to see what resonates with you. You may identify areas you want to develop further with additional training.

Teaching yoga while working a 9-5 job is totally possible—it just depends on your priorities and how much time you want to invest in it right now. It’s a great way to gain experience and find your path as a teacher.

In the next episode of Full Time Flow, I’ll dive into making the transition from part-time to full-time yoga teacher—and what I’d do differently if I had to do it all over again.