The Top 3 Most Profitable Ways to Make Real Money as a Yoga Teacher
If your goal is to build a sustainable income as a full-time yoga teacher, these three key areas are where you might want to focus your time and energy.
This list is perfect for those who already have a solid foundation teaching yoga, and are looking for some direction to increase your income. You don’t need to pursue all of these, but if financial independence is a priority, these are definitely worth exploring further.
Here are the three key areas:
1. Yoga Retreats
Retreats require significant planning and effort to create a high-quality experience that matches the higher price point. However, hosting just one retreat a year can bring in a substantial portion of your yearly income.
There are many trainings available that focus on designing, leading, selling, and marketing yoga retreats—skills that are often overlooked in standard teacher training programs. This might be an area you choose to invest in growing your skillset.
Remember, a yoga retreat could be a week long international trip, a single day hosted locally, or completely online. There are various ways to get creative to make this type of format work for you.
2. Yoga Teacher Trainings
For more experienced yoga teachers, helping train the next generation of instructors can be incredibly rewarding—both personally and financially. Some teachers even go on to create their own training programs.
Like retreats, teacher trainings likely requires significant upfront investment of time and planning. These trainings can range from leading a 200-hour certification abroad, participating as an expert as part of someone else’s training program, or offering continuing education workshops for yoga teachers.
3. Independent Work
This is a broad category that includes:
Private 1:1 yoga sessions
Private events
Independent classes for the community you teach (group classes, workshops, memberships, or programs—either in-person or online)
Teaching independently is often much more profitable than leading group classes at a yoga studio. The key is to build a community of loyal yogis and a way to reach them with your offerings.
You could build an entire career around just one of these areas—or choose to explore multiple options, depending on what fits your interests and goals.
What These Areas Have in Common
All three areas require a significant investment of time, resources, and expertise. They also demand skills beyond simply teaching group classes, including the ability to create unique experiences and manage business logistics. Like any career, the most complex opportunities, which require specialized skill sets and experience, often come with the highest pay.
Feeling Overwhelmed? Same!
If this list feels like a lot, don’t worry—you’re not alone. These are vast areas to dive into, so it’s best to focus on one to start. It could take years of effort to develop just one of these paths into a solid income stream.
I know teaching yoga is my passion and purpose, so it’s worth it to invest the time and effort to make it my career long term. This isn’t the case for everyone, and there’s nothing wrong with choosing to teach part time because it’s a better fit for you at this time.
In the next episode of Full Time Flow, I’ll share more about the side gigs that have helped me stay financially stable and flexible while I continue to invest in growing my yoga teaching career. Stay tuned!
