Who this is for
This guide is for qualified yoga teachers who’d like to run classes of their own, whether that’s alongside studio work or instead of it. It won’t tell you how to teach, because you already know that part. It’s about the practical things around the class: where it happens, what it costs, how people book and how they find you.
There’s no single right order, but most people find it easiest to settle the space first. The room shapes a lot of what comes after it, like how many people can come, what each class costs you to run and which times are possible.
A studio, or your own space
The first big choice is whether you teach through a studio or hire a space and run the class yourself. A studio’s biggest advantage is usually the people who already come through its door. If there’s an existing crowd, your first students are a lot easier to find. The trade-off tends to be money and control, as you might earn less for each person and the studio may set the price, the timetable or the booking system.
It also depends on how the arrangement works, because the same ticket price can leave you with very different amounts. Most setups are one of these three:
| Question | 1. Paid per class | 2. Room hire | 3. Percentage split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who finds students | Mostly the studio | You | Often both of you |
| Who takes bookings | The studio | You | Usually the studio |
| If only two people come | You’re usually still paid | You still pay for the room | You both earn less |
Every studio’s a bit different, so it’s worth asking exactly how the arrangement works before you agree.
Hiring a room means you keep more of each booking, but you pay for it whether two people come or twenty. That’s where it helps to know your numbers before you start.
Choosing a venue
Community halls, church halls, wellbeing centres, gyms with a spare studio and the back rooms of cafés all host yoga classes. Before you commit, try to visit at the time you’d be teaching, so you can hear what’s happening next door and see what the light’s like.
- The cost, and whether it covers the time you need to set up and pack away
- Enough floor for the number of mats you’re hoping for, with room to walk between them
- Heating, toilets, parking and step-free access
- Somewhere to store mats and props, if you’d rather not carry them each week
- What the venue needs from you, like proof of insurance or a risk assessment
Weekly classes or a course
A weekly class lets people come when they can. That’s flexible for them, but your numbers can go up and down from week to week. A fixed course, like six weeks for beginners, asks people to commit up front. It tends to make numbers steadier, and it gives you a natural point to look back at how it went.
Plenty of teachers start with a short course and then carry on with a weekly class for the people who want more. If you’re weighing up drop-ins, passes and memberships, our guide to choosing between them goes into that in more detail.
Dates, capacity and prices
Have a look at what similar classes nearby charge, then work out what the room costs you each time. If you’d need eight people just to cover a room that holds ten, it might be worth looking for a cheaper space, or one that holds more people, before you settle on a price.
Calculator
How many people do you need?
Put in your price and what the room costs, and you’ll see how many people you need to cover it.
Try the break-even calculatorIt’s worth deciding how many people you’re happy to teach, too. A full room is lovely, but a class of twelve might suit the way you teach better than twenty.
When you choose a time, think about who you’re hoping will come. Early mornings and lunchtimes tend to suit people who work nearby, early evenings suit commuters, and weekday mornings often suit parents and retired people. If there’s already a popular class nearby at the same time, it’s probably worth picking a different slot rather than competing for the same people.
Bookings and payment
Before you announce anything, decide how people will book and pay, and what happens if they need to cancel. People feel more confident booking when they know what they’re paying for, what to bring and what happens if they can’t make it.
Taking payment when people book saves a lot of chasing, and it gives you a good idea of numbers before you get to the hall. However you take bookings, keep your cancellation policy short and easy to find.
Finding your first students
Your first few students will often be people you already know, like friends, students from your studio classes and local groups you’re part of. A clear description of who the class is for helps people decide whether to book. “Gentle yoga for stiff backs, no experience needed” tends to get more bookings than a list of styles.
Local noticeboards, community groups online and the venue’s own newsletter are all worth trying. Ask your first students to bring a friend as well, since word of mouth is usually what fills a class in the end.
If you’d like to give people a reason to try it, an introductory offer usually works better than a permanently low price. A cheaper first class or a short beginners’ course gets people through the door, and it’s easier to end an offer than to put up a price people have got used to.
Small things can make someone more likely to come back. Get there early so the room’s warm and ready, say hello to new people by name, and ask each new person whether there’s anything you should know before they start.
Before your first class
Your first-class checklist
- Insurance that covers you wherever you’ll be teaching. Your teaching association can usually point you to one.
- The practical bits with the venue, like who has the key, how early you can get in, where the heating controls are and whether you can store anything there.
- A few spare mats and blocks for anyone who forgets theirs or doesn’t have one yet.
- A way to take bookings, with your price and cancellation policy written down somewhere people can find them.
- A short description of the class: who it’s for, what level it suits and what to bring.
- A quick way to ask new students about injuries or anything else you should know before they start.
- The first few weeks in your diary, and in the venue’s, so nobody else books the room.
How long to give a new class
New classes take a while to find their people, and the first few weeks rarely tell you much. It’s worth deciding before you start that you’ll run the class for a set stretch, like a full term or ten to twelve weeks, even if only two or three people come at first. Momentum builds slowly, through people telling friends and making it part of their week, and a class that’s stopped after a month never gets the chance.
That’s easier if you’ve planned for some quiet weeks. If you’ve worked out roughly what the room costs over the whole stretch, a quiet week is less alarming, because you’ve already allowed for it.
- Keep the same day, time and place, so people can build it into their week
- Collect email addresses or phone numbers, with permission, so you can remind people and tell them about changes
- Tell people well ahead about holidays and weeks off, or find someone to cover
- Ask a few regulars what they like and what would make it easier to come
At the end of the stretch, look at who’s been coming back rather than how busy the first week was. Then decide whether to keep going as it is, or change the time, the price or the format. Once one class feels steady, that’s usually a good moment to think about adding another.
Ready to take bookings?
Macadamia gives you a free booking page for your timetable, passes and payments.
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