Is Yoga a Good Side Hustle?

Yoga can definitely be a good side hustle. Teaching classes can be fun, rewarding, and lucrative. Consider how yoga instruction would fit into your current life and job before getting started. 

How Does a Yoga Side Hustle Work? 

A side hustle is essentially a part-time job that you do in addition to your full-time or more regular job. Yoga instruction is a good option for a side hustle, because classes are often taught outside of the usual 9-to-5 work schedule.

If you want to teach yoga on the side, you’ll need to consider how it would fit into your life. Ask yourself some important questions: 

• Do you have time in your current schedule to teach a few yoga sessions per week? 

• Would teaching classes fit with your current job? Do you travel often for work? Or do you sometimes need to work longer hours? 

• Are you willing to spend the time and money needed to get certified as a yoga instructor? 

• Do you like working with and teaching people? 

The Benefits of Part-Time Yoga Teaching

There are many good reasons to teach yoga as a side hustle. Most importantly, it gives you a chance to earn more money in a meaningful way that helps others. 

Share Your Passion

One of the biggest benefits of becoming a yoga teacher is the chance to share your passion with others. It’s exciting to take what you have learned and benefitted from and give it to others to improve their lives. This can be very rewarding, especially if your day job isn’t very fulfilling or meaningful. 

Earn Extra Income

Aside from wanting to share yoga with others, a major reason many people turn to it as a side hustle is the chance to earn extra income. Anything you make as a yoga instructor is in addition to your day job. You can save for travel, retirement, investments, or anything else. 

Enjoy Flexibility

Having a side hustle of any type gives you a flexible opportunity to earn more income. Yoga teaching is particularly flexible because it is not restricted to standard office hours. Many people take yoga classes early before work, in the evenings, and on weekends. You can fit in classes whenever it works for your schedule. 

Join a Growth Industry

Your time and money spent preparing to teach yoga will not be wasted on a dead-end industry. Yoga is big business, and the industry is expected to keep growing. It is expected to be worth $215 billion by 2025. (1) If you invest in a career in yoga now, you can expect to enjoy stability for many years. 

Here are some other factors to consider: pros and cons of being a yoga teacher. 

How Much Can You Earn as a Part Time Yoga Instructor? 

This is an important consideration before beginning a side hustle in yoga teaching. The amount anyone can earn doing this varies significantly and depends on several factors: 

• Where you live. Rates vary by state and city, with higher rates in larger cities and wealthier suburbs. 

• Where you work. Rates also vary by employer. If you are self-employed, you can set your rates but you might find it more difficult to get clients or full classes. 

• Your credentials. If you have a recognized certification, you can command higher rates. 

• How often you work. A side hustle looks different to everyone. You will obviously earn more teaching five classes a week than just one or two. 

• How much you hustle. It’s called a hustle for a reason. If you accept a class or two once a week at a studio, your earnings will be limited. If you market yourself online and social media and generate passive income through videos or products, you can earn more. 

Sticking strictly with teaching classes, the average hourly rate for a yoga instructor in the U.S. is $34.00 according to ZipRecruiter.com. (2)

Check out this guide to making more money as a yoga instructor. 

Is Yoga a Good Side Hustle or Better as a Full Time Job? 

For many people, teaching yoga makes a better side hustle than a full time job. It can be tough to make an adequate income as a full-time instructor. Many studios and gyms don’t hire instructors on a full-time basis. 

To really be successful as a yoga instructor, you need to be a small business owner and be able to market and sell yourself. You need an online and social media presence, and often, passive sources of income. 

If you do want to make a go of it as a full-time yoga professional, start with the side hustle. Keep your day job and get dip your toes in without the risk of losing your steady income. 

How to Get Started – Yoga Teacher Training

If joining the hustle sounds right for you, the first step is to train as a yoga teacher. No matter how experienced you are in your own practice, you still need to learn how to teach. You also need a recognized credential. 

A Yoga Alliance-approved certification course will give you the credential you need. It will teach you more about yoga and the philosophy behind it. You’ll learn how to plan classes and how to break poses down for students. 

Tips for a Successful Yoga Side Hustle

One of the great things about taking on yoga teaching as a part-time job is that the risk is low. If it doesn’t work out, you haven’t lost your main income. Of course, you want to be successful. Consider these tips: 

• Do some local research. Before you dive in, check out the local market. Are gyms and studios hiring? How much do local instructors charge per hour? 

• Treat yoga as a business. You have a passion for yoga and what it brings to your life, and you want to share that with others. But, to be successful as a professional instructor—full time or part time—you must remember that it is a business too. You don’t have to lose your passion, but to be financially viable, you have to treat your side hustle as the business it is. 

• Build an online presence. Even if you start out teaching just once a week at a local studio, start building a presence on social media and with a website. These will serve you in the future for getting more clients and becoming an independent instructor if you choose that route. 

• Consider other ways to earn. Being a certified yoga instructor allows you to earn in other ways than simply teaching a yoga class. Become an influencer and sponsor products; make and sell online yoga videos; write for yoga websites and blogs; eventually you can even teach others how to become yoga instructors. 

• Choose a niche. Your certification doesn’t have to end with general yoga instruction. Earn a credential for teaching seniors, pregnant women, children, or another specialty area. Increase demand for your services by offering what other instructors cannot. 

If you’re ready to make yoga your side hustle, check out the ISSA’s Yoga Alliance-approved 200-hour teacher training program. It gives you everything you need to start teaching right away, including a credential recognized throughout the industry.    

References

1. Jeong, S. (2024, January 9). yoga industry statistics, facts, demographics & infographic - YOGI TIMES. Yogi Times. https://www.yogitimes.com/article/unstoppable-trend-yoga-infographic-business#h-yoga-is-a-growing-industry

2. Yoga instructor salary: Hourly rate March 2024 USA. (2024, February 23). ZipRecruiter. https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Yoga-Instructor-Salary