Do you crave teaching more yoga than you presently are - even full-time? Have you crunched the numbers and thought out the logistics, to see if that might be possible for you? Teaching can be fulfilling and magical like nothing else, but it’s not exactly an easy career path. Our bodies, bank accounts, and free time can take a hit. It often requires sacrifice. Let’s break this down into things to consider in your decision whether or not to teach more.
1. The why - what do you really want with more teaching?
Looking at this question, with non-attachment and honest objectivity, can help to better understand what the shift will most likely look like for you - both in how you plan it, and if it will be genuine (and thus most likely successful in the long run). Are you compelled by the magic that happens in the classroom?
Not to be negative, but only realistic - the life of a full-time (or semi full-time, perhaps with one other part-time position) yoga instructor is not all that magic. It’s a lot of travel, planning, managing logistics, and handling not-so-pleasant things like the politics of competitive studios. Take into account that the ratio is a small bit of magic for a lot of work. That magic might just be enough to carry you through. For many, it is. It’s just something to consider, to also not come in with unrealistic expectations.
If you’re thinking it will guarantee a comfortable income, think again. Many yoga instructors do make a comfortable income, but that is after many years of building private clientele, student following, workshop themes and content, retreat contacts, and teacher training syllabi. It doesn’t happen overnight.
If you want to gain for fame and notoriety, just keep in mind how many instructors there are out there (not all who graduate from teacher training actually ever end up teaching, but the competition is still fierce). Some become well-known, but far more others don’t. Again, just things to keep in mind. A general note: people, by and large, can, sense inauthenticity. And they most often aren’t drawn to it (to put it mildly). If, however, you want to teach more because you want to make a greater difference in the world, wonderful!
The hard truth of it is that all has to come with concrete steps. Are you passionate about social justice and bringing yoga to the underprivileged? How about looking into funding for programs for at-risk youth? Have a personal connection to cancer survivors and those undergoing treatment? Look into programs at oncology centers - where yoga is practiced more and more nowadays (and more and more verified by empirical research).
Maybe you want to make a difference in your own community. Where are the studios and other locations around you that are doing that work, which you can engage in and strengthen? The point is to find the work that matters to you, and go for it. It has to be realistic and sustainable, however. Let’s look at that next.
2. The how - Can you make it work?
As mentioned, yoga instructors can make quite a comfortable living, but it takes a lot of hard work and time (which can’t just be bypassed) to get there. If you’re already in a tenuous financial situation (such as with debt, college tuitions or newborn children on the way, or a medical issue that will require funds for treatment), financially speaking it might not be the right time for the leap into teaching more. Perhaps you have a spouse or other family members who can help financially for a time. Perhaps not.
This is all somewhat under the assumption that, presumably, in order to teach more you’d have to scale back (or leave entirely) other employment, or bypass searching out and applying for perhaps more financially stable work. This is a cold, dispassionate look at financial realities.
Of course some things are worth more than money, and teaching yoga offer gifts that more stable employment can’t offer. But we all need to eat, have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and attend to our overall health and wellness. If we sacrifice healthy diets, adequate rest, and other ways caring for ourselves out of financial need, we won't be at our best as teachers. It just all won't be sustainable.
Other things to consider in this hard look at whether or not increasing your yoga instruction is tenable in your unique situation, are transportation and opportunities within your regional area. If you do not have a car, and rely on public transportation, is it widespread and reliable enough to get you to a variety of teaching locations on time? Are there a good number of potential teaching opportunities close to you, or will you have to travel through several towns in order to make it all viable?
There are many other elements to consider according to your unique situation. These are just examples of ways to ask questions about the viability of increased teaching - before you may have to learn the answers the hard way. To look at the situation with aparigraha (non-attachment) and satya (truthfulness).
If you may try teaching more, and you find that it’s not sustainable, that’s okay too. Every experience, “good” or “bad”, is a learning one. In a following article, I’ll discuss ways to sense when too much is too much, and those for stepping it back. Please stay tuned!
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