Do You Believe In Financial Balance?

[Administrator]

So are you one of the yoga teachers who believes it's okay
to earn a living teaching yoga or...

Do you think you have to be poor to be a yoga teacher?

Share your thoughts here.

I promise I won't bite.

As long as Sara keeps forcing me to wear this muzzle.

Shanti Shalom!

Harlan

[sophia chan]

Hi,

I'm fully agree with you, cos we're human after all and we all living in the world of reality. I think somtimes people trying very hard to follow the yoga teaching and without realizing that they have actually created certain boundaries in their mind, based on their own perception. It's does'nt mean that it's wrong, but it will more or less restricting you from open up your heart to accept thing as it is without judgemental. To me, yoga teaching is a guideline for me to be a better person, but it does not stopping me from believing in financial balance,cos I know I have my commitments, my responsibilities and as well as my future plan toward my yoga path. Well, all I wanted to say is, be more open hearted, you may see things differently.
Thanks.

Namaste

[ishtahar]

Absolutely. Yoga teaching is a job like any other, we work hard to plan our lessons, work with our students, help them to embrace their yoga practice and of course we deserve financial reward. We live in the west, in a capitalist society (and whatever you think of that it is the way it is), we have bills to pay and it is not fair on our families to not have the money to pay them.

There is nothing wrong with abundance and prosperity. It is far more to do with our attitudes towards money. Generosity rather than hoarding. There is enough for every single person in the world, just greed got in the way.

When I first started teaching I had a problem with charging, asking for money, knowing how much to charge for. But I remind myself that I am worth my fees. I'm a good yoga teacher. And slowly I'm getting to grips with it!

[dawn]

DO I BELIEVE IN FINANCIAL BALANCE ??? I BELIEVE IN FINANCIAL ABUNDANCE !!! . firstly everything is energy moving at different vibrations, some so fast you can barely perceive them they feel like the stillness in meditation and some so slow they manifest as bricks, houses, cars, trees, books etc. So money is energy exchanging in a form recognised in our human experience as having value that can express our gratitude. secondly once touched by spirit, the intention in every yoga teachers heart is to bring their world community back to Grace (Balance,Harmony)...How much would you pay for that? How much is that worth? Compare it to the price of a Liver/Heart/Kidney transplant, a blood transfusion, cancer treatment, the grief and devastation a family experience at the loss of a loved one. How much is that then? Yoga strengthens all the systems of the body reducing the chances illness. Yoga balances our hearts and minds so that we may more easily assimilate loss, knowing that our loved ones rejoin Divine Consciouness vibrating now at a pace so fast we can no longer see them. thirdly Say YES to financial abundance, it's only energy and there's more than enough for everyone.

[YogaPaula]

I own my own studio, so I understand that not only do I want financial success, I NEED MONEY to stay open and teach. I don't make alot yet for myself, but what I don't make in salary I make up for in having a greatful heart. I would not have a studio if it were not for my students. THEY keep it going. And you know what? Everyone of them tells me that the studio is what keeps their sanity in these crazy times. They are happy to pay their monthly fees. So why not want more and more students. It's a win win. I get to help more people and they will gladly pay and the studio grows and so does my bank account. Nothing wrong with that...

I also notice that this Yogi who had issues said 'new yoga eyes'. To him I say: Teach for a decade and then make a statement.

Namaste' - Yoga Paula

[DouglasRThompson]

I think most of us come to your website because we are looking for good advice on growing our business.

There is nothing contradictory between teaching yoga and making money. The fifth Yama is Aparigraha - non hording. This translates to: There is plenty of what you need in this world. Take what you need, then leave the rest for others. So teach yoga, set a reasonable fee, and don't be greedy!

Even if I were independently wealthy, I would charge a fee for taking my yoga classes. Having to pay (1) gives a subconscious value to the class, and (2) makes you more likely to come through the entire session (to get your money's worth). My studio is nearby a Catholic Church, so I often have nuns taking my class. I offer the class to them for free, but even they insist on paying me, even if not the whole cost.

Be @ Peace,
Douglas

[liztronica]

I agree that yoga teachers need financial balance just as anyone with any other job. I used to feel weird about how much I charged for a class and is that too much? "I don't want to feel like I'm greedy" etc, etc. I've started to get so much better with it. I have found that I have gotten more private clients out of it too because of student referrals.
I used to look at teachers like Shiva Rea, Sean Corne (whom I've never taken a class with) and say "how do they do it?". I just stopped caring.
You have to take care of yourself and your family.

[Suzanne]

Hi, Harlan and Sara.

I am striving to work past my bad habit of passing judgement (Lord knows, I've done enough to be judged for), but it seems that this person is being somewhat self-righteous in his (her?) assessment that teaching yoga and earning a sustainable living are incongruent. He reminds me of a person I once knew who had a wife and two small children and, because he was only interested in working at his craft and not making money from it, he let his family starve, was forced to give up his home, and was eventually dumped by his wife. And the money he did have was from sympathetic friends (including me) who provided him a hand-out. I believe you can certainly work at what you love AND provide a viable means of financial stability for you and your family. Just like successful artists develop a business sense, yoga teachers need to do the same. I'd like to know how the successful teachers of today (Shiva Rea, Rodney Yee, etc.) got to where they are. Surely not from sitting in a closet in padmasana all day.

Suzanne

[treezilla]

The other day I was ordering bulk food items for my store...I've been doing it for a while because one buyer quit on me...and in walked a former worker...in fact she used to buy bulk...so I convinced her to visit and give me her assessment of the section....after she came in and did the assessment...I was amazed at how she saw things and how she used the financial info to show how everything was doing and even had projections etc. for me....
Then I realized you can apply this to anything ...Yoga included....if greed was what your into...it doesn't matter what you do that greed will surface....so yogis if you realize working and living in this world takes money then you are half way there...and accepting money (which is energy of sorts) will create for you a nice place to teach or good food so you can teach or so you have nice clothing to teach in...it all comes around and is used properly for all of us.
Thats for the soap box....

[vvilla625]

I work as a high school Language Arts and Journalism teacher and I love what I do. It's my students who really make my job satisfying and rewarding. But I don't have to get bogged down or distracted about debates about teacher salaries or health care coverage because we have an excellent union fighting for us. This keeps me focused in the classroom, and less concerned or worried about my paycheck.

I have been practicing yoga for 14 years and I'm just NOW getting certified (I never had the money to pay for certification before). The main reason I'm getting certified is to deepen my practice but another hopeful goal is to supplement my income. It sounds very noble to offer one's self and services to others but I think this doesn't work for everyone; it's okay to think that way for those who don't need the income from teaching yoga to sustain themselves because they 1. have good paying day jobs; 2. have a bread winning spouse; 3. still live with mom and dad for free; 4. are independently wealthy.

When I was growing up, we had no money. My parents foreclosed on two different houses (when I was 9 and again when I was 14) and there was a point that ALL of us had no where to go except try to pick up the pieces at my grandma's house. This made me very much aware of what poverty can do to a family and I don't want to ever experience losing my home or accepting charity (for extended periods. Charity is a beautiful thing, but it shouldn't go on for too long). This taught me that I have to be financial stable and independent. God helps those who help themselves. It is my responsibility to make sure I'm provided for and when the day comes that I have a husband and children, then my responsibility grows.

I love yoga. I have been practicing for a very long time. I also love teaching high school kids. I've been doing that for a few years. But would I be teaching high school through volunteerism? At the expense of a roof over my head or food on my plate? No, I would do what I needed to to sustain myself financially. And that's not being selfish, that's being intelligent. How much good can you be for others when you're homeless and starving? And how much good can you be for others when you're always in need of charity? Then you become a burden on others.

Yoga teachers don't have unions to fight for salaries, benefits, and job retention which means we need to be our own union. If we want clients, we need to find them. If we want more clients, we should find referrals and consider different marketing options. This isn't a selfish business idea, it's just common sense. Yes, the universe provides at times, but if you expect a biweekly surprise in your bank statement without a job or deposits, then you're deluding yourself. And besides, is it not fulfilling to be independently financially balanced and NOT need to rely on bumming a couple hundred dollars from your good natured brother to pay the rent?