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Teaching yoga is a great way to share one of your favorite pastimes while earning money on the side. According to a survey from Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal, 80 million Americans are likely to try yoga within the next decade. This rapidly expanding trend offers a tremendous opportunity to earn a steady income while doing what you love. Once you decide to begin to teach yoga on the side, you can also choose from a number of unique disciplines to set yourself apart from the crowd.
The most popular styles of yoga classes include the following:
- Hatha (including Lotus, Anusara, Iyengar, Viniyoga, Sivananda, and Forrest Yoga)
- Ashtanga (including Vinyasa Yoga)
- Kundalini
- Bikram (including Hot Yoga)
- Power Yoga
- Yoga Fusion (such as with Pilates)
Since 59 percent of yoga practitioners take classes at least once a week or more, being a yoga instructor is a solid way have a weekly income without monopolizing all of your time. A look at some of the best tips for making money with yoga can help you start earning income in no time.
Certifications and Credentials
According to a study by Ipsos Public Affairs, the top three factors people consider before paying for yoga classes are cost, convenience, and knowledgeability of the instructor. In order to show potential students that you are knowledgeable about the subject, consider earning a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) credential. You can obtain certification from organizations such as the Yoga Alliance, American Yoga School, American Viniyoga Institute, or the American Yoga Association. In addition to standard yoga teacher certificates, you can get specialty credentials such as Hot Yoga to differentiate yourself from other instructors. These credentials can demonstrate your commitment to training, and the organization can often help you connect with students who wish to take your classes.
Teaching Yoga to Kids Ages K-12
According to the survey from survey from Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal, 37 percent of yoga practitioners have children under the age of 18 who also practice yoga. Even more importantly, school districts across the country have increasingly added yoga to their physical education and after-school programs. Given the stress of the current political climate and social challenges in public schools, finding ways to help children balance fitness and stress-relief has become a top priority in education. For example, many elementary and middle schools have mindfulness electives, and some schools have even replaced detention with yoga and meditation for startling results. In addition, studies have shown that students who practice yoga are 20 percent more likely to have a positive self-image than those who do not practice this exercise.
In order to begin teaching yoga at K-12 institutions, contact an organization such as Mindful Schools for a school district certification packet. You can also register national programs such as the Afterschool Alliance for resources on how to create an after-school yoga club.
Summer Yoga Classes
Teaching summer yoga classes can be a great way to extend the financial benefits of teaching yoga during the school year. You can use your existing list of contacts to offer parents a healthy alternative to sending their children to expensive summer camps and clubs. Summer classes also offer a great way to mix it up and introduce outdoor yoga for hatha and lotus disciplines. If you live in a college town, the summer is also a great opportunity recruit to yoga students who may not have had time during the academic year.
Classes in Workplaces for Employees
Another business opportunity is offering corporate and workplace yoga classes. According to research, stress relief is yoga’s number-one perceived benefit among employers and employees. In order to offer your services, you can present a business plan to the corporate responsibility department to demonstrate yoga’s effect on teamwork and productiveness. For example, research has shown specific yoga disciplines such as Jivamukti Yoga or Acroyoga can have a positive impact on teamwork and mental clarity. In addition, your business can offer employee packages and group-based discounts to encourage participation. Notably, some employer insurance packages (such as Aetna) allow employers to hire yoga instructors for inclusion in benefit packages. To capitalize on such programs, email human resources with a brief description of your services as a “yoga in the workplace” partner. You may also wish to include a digital brochure to help companies visualize yoga’s benefits for their employees.
Sell Yoga T-shirts, Equipment, and Accessories
According to Forbes, yoga practitioners spend an average of $16 billion on clothing, equipment, and accessories. Selling shirts is not only a great way to make extra money, but it also allows you to create custom branding and long-term advertising for your side business. In addition to T-shirts, you can also sell leggings and tank tops, yoga pants, and even yoga mats. While this may sound overwhelming at first, these days you do not even need a warehouse to sell your yoga accessories. All you need are fulfillment and drop-shipping services such as Printful, WooCommerce, or Merch by Amazon.
Printful
Printful is a T-shirt mockup, fulfillment and drop-shipping service. The company lets you submit your shirt design and create a digital mockup. Once you have created the design, you can display the T-shirt for sale on your own website (through the Shopify app) or on a marketplace such as Etsy.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce allows you to sell your products on your own WordPress website or blog. You can download WooCommerce as an e-commerce plugin, and you can also integrate it with a fulfillment and shipping service like ShipStation.
Merch by Amazon
Merch by Amazon is a wildly popular service printing, fulfillment, and shipping your custom products. To sell yoga shirts through this service, simply upload your design. Amazon prints the design, processes payment when someone makes a purchase, and then ships the order to the customer’s location. As the store owner, Amazon pays you the royalties once a month. It is important to note that this program has become invitation-only due to its popularity, so it is a good idea to wait until you have enough yoga students before applying.
Yoga Classes Online
According to the study by Ipsos Public Affairs, convenience is one of the top three factors people consider before paying for a yoga course. Fortunately, you can offer students this convenience by teaching classes online. Current webcam technology allows you to offer either live streaming classes or recorded podcasts. To get started, consider designing your own course through a teaching platform such as Teachable.com. If you need more guidance, you can also purchase online yoga studio software from MindBodyOnline.com. Those who already have their own websites and simply want to teach live classes can even use Google Hangouts to stream their live courses. It is also important to note that according to research, 33 percent of yoga practitioners have begun studying yoga because of a friend. Consider using a “refer a friend” program to market your services.
Create a Yoga App
Designing and selling a yoga app is a great way to make money on the side. To design your yoga app, consider using drag-and-drop software such as iBuildApp.com or AppyPie.com. You can then sell your app on your own website or blog. Current yoga teacher can also use existing apps like the YogaClassPlan.com to download illustrations and lesson plans.
Hosting Yoga Retreats or Workshops
Organizing a yoga retreat is a great way to recruit a large group of students and earn a sizeable amount of income quickly. According to research, 55 percent of yoga practitioners do not use a brick-and-mortar studio. Because yoga itself is a way to escape the mundane, many people love the idea of leaving the ordinary and experiencing the peace of practicing yoga in a different venue. Since many hotels and retreat centers offer large-group discounts, you can set up yoga conferences with unique themes in locations around the world. In addition, research has shown that 75 percent of yoga students are interested in practicing in a public place. By marketing a yoga retreat, you can tap into this large market of people who would like to connect publicly with other yoga practitioners and make a difference.
