50 is the number

Chatting is good. Transparency is essential. Solidarity makes us stronger. These are crucial ingredients for our sustainability as yoga teachers.

Recently I was chatting with Erika Shapiro – a long-established yoga teacher – and she said this succinct line. “50 is the number.” That the minimum rate of pay for yoga teachers is £50 per hour. I completely agree. Remember that to get a fair and appropriate hourly pay rate, we need to divide our pay per hour by about 2.5 to take account of all the extra work that we have to do – so £50 per hour is actually more like £20 per hour. For many yoga teachers, the actual pay per hour is about £35 – thus about £14 per hour.

We need to make what we are doing sustainable because that allows us to become more experienced and so hopefully better yoga teachers. If we are broken by teaching too many classes (being financially forced to do this because our pay rates are low), then often we give up. Burnt out. The demands are too much. A struggle to keep going which can undermine our personal practice and then we might lose our love for yoga. Consequences of this can include limiting the accessibility of yoga teaching to those supported by wealthy partners or those who come from privileged backgrounds or those who are remarkably lucky. 

I know that a very small number of teachers are paid a lot per class. Personally, I think a more just system is raising the base rates and capping the top rates. So instead of being a reflection of this grossly unequal society with billionaires at the top and homeless at the bottom, we are co-creating a fairer and more just world. A world where we look to connect and co-operate rather than compete. Sustainable strategies rather than individual struggles to survive. 

I know that there are many variations for rates of pay and cost of living (such as regional and levels of experience). One teacher wrote: “The gym I work at pays £22 and hasn’t offered any pay rise for over a decade.” Another teacher said: “I run community classes for a large chain of leisure centres and am constantly fighting back against their assertion that I should accept £25 per hour as ‘most instructors are happy to take this’… We’ve argued for more pay for years but aren’t being listened to, almost being made to feel we should be grateful for what we have.” Another teacher: “if this is your only source of income, which it is for me, it can become very frustrating and then ultimately resentful on my part.”

While acknowledging all the variations, it is important to be clear that this principle of sustainable pay applies to all of us wherever we live and however long we have been teaching. And here is another principle: it is unethical if a studio’s survival is based on underpaying teachers. Churn and burn out not only adversely impacts yoga teachers – it also impacts the whole yoga industry.

I do have a lot of respect for small studio owners. Profit margins can be minimal; marketing costs, booking systems, website management, rental payments – all this adds up. Undoubtedly this is true: “there’s loads to pay for” (in words from a studio owner). I do aspire to support studio owners.

Good news is that a London studio opening soon is going to have base hourly pay rate of minimum £50 (with extra per head and also graded on teaching experience). Good news is that initiatives such as the Yoga Teachers’ Union and Edinburgh Community Yoga are doing their best to encourage discussions, support teachers, raise standards. 

Back to Erika Shapiro: “I have been both a studio owner and yoga teacher. I owned a studio for 5 years and closed it during the pandemic, both with sadness and relief… I have so much respect for anyone who runs their own studio or studios… I have also worked as a yoga teacher and experienced the level of energy and commitment it takes, alongside the insecurity and poor pay.”

Better pay is more than the money. This is about appreciation and recognition. This is about valuing our work. Being transparent with each other instead of signing non-disclosure agreements or not being allowed to teach at other local studios. In words from a teacher: “Transparency around wage is so important.” A good question: why is this problematic for some studios?

So practising solidarity instead of undercutting. Working together so that people are aware of the value of what is being offered. Respecting what we do (such as studios raise pay rates for their teachers before opening new venues). Recognising our time and our value. Discussing how all of us – teachers, studio owners, practitioners – can make this work better for everyone.

Definitely we can do things differently. 50 is the number…